"A LOT LIKE LOVE"
(2005) (Ashton Kutcher, Amanda Peet) (PG-13)

Alcohol/ Drugs	Blood/Gore	Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude	Frightening/ Tense Scenes	Guns/ Weapons
Heavy	*None	Moderate	Minor	None
Imitative Behavior	Jump Scenes	Music (Scary/Tense)	Music (Inappropriate)	Profanity
Moderate	None	None	*Moderate	Moderate
Sex/ Nudity	Smoking	Tense Family Scenes	Topics To Talk About	Violence
Extreme	Moderate	Mild	Moderate	Minor

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QUICK TAKE:

Romantic Comedy: A young man and woman have repeated casual flings over a number of years, as they try to figure out if they're destined to be together.

PLOT:

Seven years ago at LAX, recent college graduate Oliver Martin (ASHTON KUTCHER) spots Emily Friehl (AMANDA PEET) get dumped by her boyfriend. The two end up on the same plane bound for New York, during which they have a tryst in the lavatory. She's headed for Manhattan to see her dad and stepmom, while he's visiting his deaf brother, Graham (TY GIORDANO), who's in law school. The two spend the day together and then go their separate ways, with the joke being that she'll call his parents in six years and see if he's married or still living at home with them and his younger sister Ellen (TARYN MANNING).

Three year's later, Emily is an actress whose friends, including Michelle (KATHRYN HAHN) and Gina (ALI LARTER), think she needs a date for New Year's Eve following her boyfriend breaking up with her. On a whim, she decides to call Oliver -- who's starting a business selling diapers over the Internet with his business partner Jeeter (KAL PENN) -- and the two briefly hook up, before going their separate ways again.

Over the next several years, the two repeatedly find or run into each other. As they discover that the other is either in or just out of a relationship, Oliver and Emily eventually become aware that perhaps they're meant to be together.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?

If they're fans of anyone in the cast or romantic comedies, it's a good bet they will.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13

For sexual content, nudity and language.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:

ASHTON KUTCHER plays a recent college graduate and then entrepreneur who repeatedly has casual sexual flings with Emily over a number of years. He uses some profanity and drinks some.

AMANDA PEET plays a free-spirited young woman who goes through a number of professions, has various casual sex encounters with Oliver (and has sex with her boyfriend), smokes, and drinks.

KATHRYN HAHN plays her friend who drinks with her, gives her advice and finds herself sexually aroused while pregnant.

ALI LARTER plays their other friend who ends up dating Emily's ex-boyfriend and drinks some.

KAL PENN plays Oliver's partner in the business of selling diapers.

TARYN MANNING plays Oliver's younger sister who repeatedly uses the same bit of profanity and drinks some.

TY GIORDANO plays Oliver's deaf brother.

CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE

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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).

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OUR WORD TO PARENTS:

The following is a quick look at the content found in this romantic comedy that's been rated PG-13. Profanity consists of at least 2 "s" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are uttered. Sexually related dialogue is present, an unmarried couple periodically gets together to have casual sex (mostly off camera, but we do partially see one encounter through a car's sunroof), while we hear the sounds of another sexual encounter and a couple is seen posing nude for an outdoor, nighttime photo (viewed from a distance and a closer side view). Other partial nudity is present as is additional, potentially imitative behavior.

Various characters smoke and/or drink (one passes out from the latter) and a restaurant choking scene turns out to be faked (played for laughs). Some bad attitudes are present, a young woman cries over her dead mother's birthday and some brief, slapstick style material is present.

If you're still concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home who may be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content.

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ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE

Emily and Oliver drink double shots in a bar in the afternoon, order more and then start on a pitcher of beer.

We see a beer bottle on a table.

Emily opens a beer.

Emily states that New Year's Eve is about a bunch of people getting drunk.

People have drinks at a party.

Emily, Gina and Michelle drink.

Oliver's sister and her friends have beer at a party.

Emily, Gina and Michelle drink shots.

We see a young couple come out of a bathroom stall in the ladies room, suggesting they were either fooling around/having sex or doing drugs.

Oliver carries a bottle of champagne as he and Emily walk along and she appears to be drunk. Back at his place, she excuses herself to go to the bathroom. After a few moments, he finds her passed out by the toilet. He asks if she's going to throw up, but she doesn't answer.

Oliver's girlfriend asks if he remembered the wine (when he returns home), and when he says he didn't, she says she picked it up.

Emily pours wine for Oliver and herself.

We see what looks like a small beer bottle (real or decorative) on the dash of Emily's car.

Oliver buys a bottle of wine from a convenience store and then he and Emily drink from it on the side of the road (out of the car).

Emily has wine.

We see some beer by people who are barbequing.

Oliver and his brother have beer.

A miscellaneous person has beer.

We see bottles of champagne at a wedding.

Depending on how much of Smash Mouth's "Walking on the Sun" is played, there may be drug related lyrics on the soundtrack.

BLOOD/GORE

None, but after drinking a lot, Oliver finds Emily passed out by the toilet. He asks if she's going to throw up, but she doesn't answer.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE

Emily lies to her dad and stepmom about Oliver getting back some medical test reports (meaning she needs to accompany him) so that she can get out of going somewhere with them.

Emily sees that Gina is now dating Emily's former boyfriend who dumped her.

When Emily passes a slow driver, she yells out, "Get off the road, grandma."

Oliver tells Emily a story/joke to cheer her up about a boy burying his goldfish. When the boy is asked why the hole is so big, he replies, "Because he's inside your stupid cat" (some might not like the joke).

FRIGHTENING SCENES

Emily seemingly starts to choke on food at a restaurant, but Oliver plays it cool, believing she's faking it (he eventually proves her correct).

GUNS/WEAPONS

None.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR

Phrases: "Somebody's gotta figure out where to put all of that sh*t," "You look like sh*t" (seen in subtitles), "You're such a d*ck" (said several times), "Someone's gonna have sexxxxx" (said in an exaggerated fashion), "Shut up," "Loser" (written), "Beating away chicks with a stick," "During your hypoglycemic rant," "Oh jeez," "Dude" and "You're driving me crazy."

Oliver and Emily have casual sex on several occasions, including in a plane's lavatory.

A female bartender has a tattoo.

Emily takes Oliver's camera and takes a shot up her skirt (we don't see anything), prompting Oliver to say, "All the places I've traveled." When she then has him posing for various shots, she tells him to make love to a tree and we see him hugging it (but there's no humping movement).

While playfully not talking to each other on their date, Oliver pours tea from a kettle high above the cup below it, and purposefully allows water to dribble from his mouth as he drinks from a glass. Both then playfully spit water at each other.

Emily has a tattoo on her shoulder.

Emily playfully has two straws up her nose to make Oliver laugh. Later, Oliver has one earpiece of his sunglasses up his nose for the same effect.

When Emily passes a slow driver, she yells out, "Get off the road, grandma."

Emily keeps singing an old song to override Oliver going on about his ex-girlfriend.

Oliver and Emily pose nude together outside at night for a photo.

Oliver and Emily purposefully open their mouths (filled with food) to make each other laugh.

Oliver tells Emily a story/joke to cheer her up about a boy burying his goldfish. When the boy is asked why the hole is so big, he replies, "Because he's inside your stupid cat."

JUMP SCENES

None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)

None.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)

Depending on how much of Smash Mouth's "Walking on the Sun" is played, there may be drug related lyrics on the soundtrack.

PROFANITY

At least 2 "s" words (1 seen in subtitles), 3 slang terms for sex ("jump in the sack," "screwing"), 4 slang terms using male genitals ("d*ck"), 2 asses and 5 uses of "Oh my God."

SEX/NUDITY

We see a young Emily jump up and have her legs around her boyfriend while passionately kissing him at the airport (both are clothed).

Oliver heads off for the lavatory on a plane, only to be surprised when Emily knocks on the door and then barges in when he opens it. It's suggested that they fool around or have sex in there. After they're done (we don't see anything), she comes out and is seated, followed by him with a smile on his face. Later, when Oliver jokingly complains about Emily not making it easy for a guy (meaning getting her name), she playfully replies, "I think I made it pretty easy for you." When she then says that they're just friends, he replies, "I'd say we're a little more than friends."

When Oliver tells Emily that kissing a smoker is like kissing an ashtray, she sarcastically replies, "What's screwing one like?"

Emily comments on Oliver being a guy who will jump into a bathroom with the first girl who comes along. He comments on them sleeping together and she jokingly says that he might be gay.

Emily takes Oliver's camera and takes a shot up her skirt (we don't see anything), prompting Oliver to say, "All the places I've traveled." When she then has him posing for various shots, she tells him to make love to a tree and we see him hugging it (but there's no humping movement).

We hear Emily's sexual sounds (finishing with climaxing ones) and then see Emily and her boyfriend under the sheets, with him commenting, "That was pretty good" and describing it as awesome.

Oliver and Emily do some passionate kissing, with him starting to disrobe her (we see her lower bare back), but she stops him and says that she can't believe that their getting together after a 3 year separation was about just sex. She then tells him that she's not the kind of girl who needs to sleep with someone to prove that she's still got it (referring to rebounding after a romantic breakup).

Emily wears a formal dress that shows the shape of her nipples through it.

Michelle shows some cleavage.

Oliver jokes to his sister (on the phone) that he's at a party where rapper Eminem started running his hand up Oliver's leg.

We see some miscellaneous cleavage.

After spotting Emily's ex-boyfriend and wanting to make him jealous, Oliver tells Emily, "Put your hands on my ass." When she doesn't, he asks, "Want me to put my hands on your ass?"

We see a young couple come out of a bathroom stall in the ladies room, suggesting they were either fooling around/having sex or doing drugs.

Oliver and Emily do some passionate kissing at his place, but nothing else happens as she excuses herself and then ends up passing out in the bathroom.

Oliver's girlfriend shows some cleavage.

As Oliver changes a male baby doll's diaper (since he's in the diaper business), we see the doll's fake baby penis.

Michelle, who's pregnant and showing lots of cleavage, is passionately making out with her husband. When Emily comes across them, she tells them to get a room. Michelle says she can't help it and thanks God that you can't get pregnant when you're pregnant. When Michelle comments about Emily's love life, Emily replies, "Just because we didn't jump in the sack." A young girl hears that and asks what that means, Emily replies that it's something people do at picnics (meaning sack races). Michelle then playfully refers to Emily and says, "Someone's gonna have sexxxxxx."

We see Emily and Oliver (in a head and shoulders shot) standing facing each other nude at night out in the wilderness. Some jokes are made about looking at each other's bodies, and we then see him standing on a bluff, completing nude (a frontal view where he's backlit by the moon) and holding his hands in front of his crotch. We then see a long shot of her running up to join him (after setting her camera to take a timed shot) and see her bare butt as she runs along. The two then embrace (in another head and shoulders shot) and she jokes that he moved, with him saying he can't help it. The two passionately kiss while standing there, and we then see a side shot of their full bodies as they stand in that embrace (we see the sides of their bare butts).

We then see an aerial view down through her car's open sunroof showing him moving on top of her while she has a look of ecstasy on her face (it's an upper back and up shot of the two). The next morning, the local sheriff stops by and wakes them up. We see them under a sheet and then her holding the sheet around her while standing outside where they're informed that they're in a national park (and we see a family - with young kids -- nearby watching them).

We briefly see some women in bikinis (nothing explicit).

Oliver spots Emily's photo gallery that includes the black and white photo of them (from above, and taken from the side) standing in a nude embrace, with the sides of their bare butts showing (and his hand is on the side of hers).

We see Emily sitting nude on the other side of the bed, facing away from the camera (we see her bare back down to the top of her bare butt).

Oliver and Emily do some passionate kissing (clothed and standing).

SMOKING

Emily smokes at least 5 times, while a miscellaneous person smokes once.

Gina nearly smokes, as does Emily, but Michelle removes the cigarette from the latter's mouth.

TENSE FAMILY SCENES

Emily visits her mother's grave in a cemetery.

When Oliver is in New York, Emily (on the phone) has him visit her mom's gravesite and cries since it's her mom's birthday.

Emily breaks off her engagement to her fiancé.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT

Casual sex.

Relationships.

Deafness (Oliver's brother is deaf).

Emily seemingly starts to choke on food at a restaurant, but Oliver plays it cool, believing she's faking it (he eventually proves her correct).

VIOLENCE

After Emily's boyfriend dumps her, she throws her filled soda cup and then something else at his vehicle.

Emily playfully pushes Oliver off the hood of her car and he lands on the ground next to it (but is okay).

Emily turns to leave and runs face-first into a sliding glass door (played for laughs).

Reviewed April 4, 2005 / Posted April 22, 2005

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