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(About Our Ads) "PROUD AMERICAN" (2008) (Lee Thompson Young, Michael Barreta) (PG) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Minor Mild Heavy Mild Minor Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Mild None Minor None Minor Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Mild None Heavy Heavy Mild QUICK TAKE: Drama/Documentary: The stories of various people who've lived and experienced the American dream are portrayed. PLOT: Focusing on the opportunities available in the United States, the film is a hybrid that's part documentary -- focusing on various people experiencing and living the American dream, accompanied by fly-over shots of the American landscape and famous landmarks -- and part dramatized true stories. The latter includes the tale of Dawn Trang (JANE LE), who arrives in the U.S. as a refugee from Vietnam and must become acclimated to the language and culture, as well as the taunts of snobby girls led by Bree (MACKENZIE ROSMAN). Excelling in high school, she gets married and starts a software company with her husband, always remaining optimistic. In another story, Sam (MARC McCLURE) and Sarah (JULIE SKON) are a married Jewish couple in 1996 Pennsylvania who must contend with anti-Semitic actions at the hands of some punks, but find support from their non-Jewish neighbors. The third story follows 10-year-old, inner-city Chicago kid Curtis Jackson (TERRANCE HARDY) who's been raised by his mom, Lakeesha (JoNELL KENEDY) and especially his grandmother Grams (CeCEILA ANTOINETTE) to keep his nose out of trouble. After being tended to by caring clinic physician Dr. Madison (TERRY ALEXANDER), Curtis decides he wants to be a doctor. In the following years, Curtis (LEE THOMPSON YOUNG) works hard to make sure that dream comes true, with the help of professors Sullivan (KEN HOWARD) and Hanover (JAMES SIKKING). The final story follows Carlos Moleda (MICHAEL BARRETA) a Brazilian immigrant who eventually graduates from his job working for restaurant owner Mr. Moretti (JONATHAN BANKS) and goes on to become a Navy SEAL. When an injury leaves him paralyzed from the waist down, he needs the persistent help from physical therapist Julie Rogers (DUFFLYN LAMMERS) and others to get his mind and spirit right. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? Unless they're fans of someone in the cast, it's highly unlikely. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG For some mild thematic elements. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: JANE LE plays a refugee from Vietnam who must adjust to American culture and the English language and then goes on to success. MACKENZIE ROSMAN plays a high school snob who's mean to Dawn. MARC McCLURE and JULIE SKON play a married Jewish couple who must contend with anti-Semitic actions at the hands of some punks, but find support from their non-Jewish neighbors. TERRANCE HARDY plays the 10-year-old Chicago kid who tries to stay out of trouble, thanks to the way his mom (JoNELL KENEDY) and grandmother (CeCEILA ANTOINETTE) have raised him. TERRY ALEXANDER plays the clinic physician who inspires Curtis to become a doctor. LEE THOMPSON YOUNG plays Curtis in his high school, college, and medical school years who works hard to make sure his dream of becoming a doctor comes true, even if he occasionally has doubts that he can cut it. KEN HOWARD and JAMES SIKKING play medical school instructors who push but also inspire Curtis to do the best that he can in pursuing his dream. MICHAEL BARRETA plays a Brazilian immigrant who goes on to become a Navy SEAL, but must contend with depression when he ends up paralyzed from the waist down. JONATHAN BANKS plays the seemingly gruff but actually caring restaurant owner who helps Carlos develop into a successful young man. DUFFLYN LAMMERS plays the physical therapist who pushes and encourages Carlos to accept, deal with, and live beyond his disability. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this PG-rated drama/documentary hybrid. There's one religious phrase and a handful of colorful ones. Some cleavage is briefly seen, which also holds true for some young, bikini clad women walking toward the camera in one shot. While military violence is not seen, the aftermath is in the form of a paralyzed Navy SEAL. Some thugs chase a boy in another story (resulting in the latter cutting his arm on a fence), and they and others have varying degrees of bad attitudes. Tense family material is present in the form of current and past familial deaths, and all sorts of thematic material is present, including that related to 9/11 as well as mention of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Liquor is seen in bottles but not consumed. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, some of the fly-over shots (of various American lands), especially those at an angle, might induce that sort of reaction, as might POV footage on a fire truck racing down some city streets. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE No use is seen, but we do see wine and liquor bottles on shelves in Mr. Moretti's restaurant. BLOOD/GORE We briefly see blood on young Curtis' arm from accidentally cutting himself on a chain-link fence. Dr. Madison then prepares a syringe to numb his arm for stitches, but we don't see the actual insertion. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE Some high school girls, lead by Bree, make fun of Dawn's clothing and thick accent. They also inform her that a certain cafeteria table is theirs, telling her to leave, with one asking doesn't she have a boat to catch (a mocking comment regarding her being a former "boat person") and she's also referred to as a "peasant girl." A young punk purposefully smashes Sam and Sarah's window, only because they're Jewish. A thug chases after young Curtis to steal his saxophone case. Another thug then joins the chase, with Curtis knocking over trashcans to slow them down. He ends up squeezing through a chain-link fence that cuts his arm (we later see the blood). There's talk that a former childhood friend of Curtis' ending up joining a gang and is now serving time in prison for crimes committed. Carlos has a bad and angry attitude about himself after learning he's permanently paralyzed from the waist down. FRIGHTENING SCENES A thug chases after young Curtis to steal his saxophone case. Another thug then joins the chase, with Curtis knocking over trashcans to slow them down. He ends up squeezing through a chain-link fence that cuts his arm (we later see the blood). We see a full-size, but plastic skeleton in Dr. Madison's office. GUNS/WEAPONS Military jets fly over a military funeral, followed by part of a 21-gun salute. Honor Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier carry rifles, while the Iwo Jima statue also shows a rifle, and Marines are seen carrying rifles in a parade. We hear the sound of a starter pistol for a race. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "No speaky English," "Hit the road," "Don't you have a boat to catch?" "Doesn't she just drive you nuts?" "Geek," "Stop it, you pessimist," "Some idiot punks" and "You'll excuse me if I don't join your pity party." A young punk purposefully smashes Sam and Sarah's window, only because they're Jewish. We see a shirtless male basketball player who sports various tattoos. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A little bit of suspenseful music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 1 use of "Oh my God." SEX/NUDITY We briefly see some cleavage from high school girls in several scenes. We see a little miscellaneous cleavage. We see a shirtless male basketball player who sports various tattoos. From an overhead distance, we see a shirtless male surfer. We briefly see young women in bikinis walking toward the camera. SMOKING None. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Curtis receives a call from his mom that his grandmother has died. This still has an effect on him in later scenes. We hear (but don't see) a veteran firefighter tell a rookie about the events of 9/11. We then see a widow and her young daughter who go to Ground Zero to say goodnight to the husband/father killed in the attack and tell him that they miss him. We see a miscellaneous family at a military funeral. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Those who arrive in the United States to pursue the American dream. The comment that those in America have so many choices and opportunities. The comment that freedom is not truly appreciated until it's gone. The comment that one can arrive in American and eventually become an American, while other countries don't allow that. Vietnamese refugees known as "boat people." The comment that you can do anything if you want it bad enough and work hard enough. How people who help others can change their lives for the better and even in ways no one could have anticipated. There are brief recreations of pivotal moments for various huge corporations that originally started out very small. We hear that Sarah's mom (not seen) lost her entire family in the Auschwitz concentration camp in WWII. The film showing that all religions are accepted in the U.S. A pastor comments on Martin Luther King Jr.'s statements about race and judging a person on something other than the color of their skin, etc. Dr. Madison's advice to young Curtis to stay in school and study hard. Poor families and the difficulties they face in sending their kids to college. Curtis studying alone but eventually asking to join study groups to assist him. There's talk that a former childhood friend of Curtis' ending up joining a gang and is now serving time in prison for crimes committed. We hear (but don't see) a veteran firefighter tell a rookie about the events of 9/11. We then see a widow and her young daughter who go to Ground Zero to say goodnight to the husband/father killed in the attack and tell him that they miss him. The comment that you never know what's waiting for you in life. There's a brief overhead view of the Battleship Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. Navy SEALS and the training to become one of them. The psychological effects of being paralyzed. VIOLENCE A young punk purposefully smashes Sam and Sarah's window, only because they're Jewish. A thug chases after young Curtis to steal his saxophone case. Another thug then joins the chase, with Curtis knocking over trashcans to slow them down. He ends up squeezing through a chain-link fence that cuts his arm (we later see the blood). We hear voice-over narration from Carlos that he was involved in a firefight in Panama, that some of his team were killed, and that he was shot and ended up paralyzed from the waist down. Reviewed September 12, 2008 / Posted September 12, 2008