Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 14+
Loretta Lynn's tough but heartwarming biopic.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Loretta and Doo have a volatile relationship. Loretta meets and marries him at 13, and is horrified to have sex with Doo, who's several years older. Doo forces himself on her anyway (in a scene that's under the covers and not visible, but still disturbing). Later, they fight publicly with each other, hitting and slapping each other. There's plenty of alcohol use and abuse here as well. Loretta takes sleeping pills.
- Families can talk about how different life was when Loretta was a teen than it is now. Why did she get married at 13? If you liked someone at 13 would you want to get married? Would you want to have a child at 14? What do you think about Loretta and Doo's relationship? Is it healthy? What does a healthy relationship look like? What other movies show troubled relationships? How about healthy ones?
The good stuff
-
Positive messages: Loretta gets married at 13 and has her first child at 14. Doo tries to control Loretta and is occasionally cruel to her. On the plus side, Loretta is a strong woman figure. She and Patsy Cline are great examples of women who are strong enough to be super-successful in a male-run industry.
What to watch for
-
Violence: Doo rapes Loretta the first time they have sex. Everyone has guns in Butcher's Hollow. A man shoots the moonshiner. Loretta's father spanks her with a switch for going out with Doo all day. Doo slaps Loretta three different times, and threatens to hit her another time. Loretta hits Doo with her purse several times. Doo punches a guy and gets into a brawl at a bar. An overzealous fan rips hair from Loretta's head.
-
Sex: A violent scene of Loretta's first time having sex (though all done under covers and not visible). Loretta is ashamed of sex and doesn't know what "horny" means. She and Doo climb in the back seat of a car, presumably to have sex. Loretta catches Doo kissing another woman in the back seat of a car.
-
Language: Repeated use of "damn," "s--t," "hell," "goddamn," and "bulls--t."
-
Drinking, drugs and smoking: There's lots of alcohol use here. In Kentucky, lots of people drink moonshine. Doo drinks after work, on the tour bus, and while caring for his kids. Patsy Cline drinks beer while in the hospital. A man adds whiskey to his soda. Loretta takes lots of sleeping pills, though it's unclear whether she's addicted to them.