Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that Stuck in Love is a drama filled with complex, flawed characters and interesting relationships. Though it features older teens as characters, the material is pretty edgy; a supporting teen character is shown to be a drug addict and a cocaine user, and the main characters drink and smoke pot regularly. The three main characters are also sexually active, though only the adult is shown having sex (no nudity). Language is strong, too, with several uses of "f--k," "s--t," and other words. Violence includes three brief fistfights that result in bloody noses. Even though it goes a bit over the top at one point, ultimately this is an unusually intuitive movie about writers, so teens interested in writing as a profession may be interested.
Sexual
Content
All three of the main characters are sexually active. The father pines for his ex-wife while occasionally sleeping with a married neighbor; their lovemaking is shown and heard, but no nudity is seen. A teen girl is said to be promiscuous, though her sex acts are never shown. A teen boy finds a girlfriend, and she seduces him in a closet -- though, again, nothing is actually shown.
Violence
A couple of quick, mild fistfights. A teen punches a bully; later, the bully punches him back. The result isn't much more than bloody noses. In another scene, an adut assaults a teen boy by violently grabbing his nose, forcing him down, and then kicking him. (Although in the context of the scene, it could be argued that the boy deserved this; the man is trying to save the life of another teen.) Some arguing.
Language
Language is fairly strong, though not constant; words heard include "f--k," "s--t," "goddamn," "a--hole," "p---y," and "bitch."
Social
Behavior
A rather complex message about opening your heart; i.e., it helps to open it a lot if you want to be a great writer, but it can also hurt a great deal. Characters in the movie are all searching for their own identities, artistic and otherwise, while still hanging onto family relationships and exploring romantic ones. There's also a small anti-drug message in the form of one of the minor characters.
Consumerism
Not applicable
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
A teen supporting character is shown to be a drug addict and a cocaine user. Viewers see her snorting cocaine in a bathroom at a party; she checks into rehab by the movie's end. A teen boy smokes pot fairly regularly and comes home drunk several times; his character is seen as "blowing off steam" rather than being an addict. Other characters are seen drinking wine at dinner or other drinks in bars. An adult character smokes cigarettes.
