Why is Beautiful Boy rated R

Q: Is Beautiful Boy okay for kids?

It talks about this guy whos dealing with drugs and his father trying to save him. Theres obviously drugs, lots of swearing, some sex and depression. Very good but for mature people only.

Q: Is the Boys appropriate for a 15 year old?

Amazon makes it clear that the series isnt for children. It carries an 18+ (or a TV-MA) rating. This means its, well, for 18 or older.

Q: Are beautiful boys scary?

Really, its a horror film, on multiple levels. When you become a parent, you are perpetually living in fear of something bad happening to them,” Carell said on Radio 4s Front Row this week. Its beyond scary. Its almost incomprehensible to see your kid spiralling out of control and having no recourse.”

Table of Contents Show

How old should you be to watch Beautiful Boy?
Is Beautiful Boy okay for kids?
Is the Boys appropriate for a 15 year old?
Are beautiful boys scary?

Jump to:

Certification
Sex & Nudity (3)
Violence & Gore (3)
Profanity (1)
Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking (6)
Frightening & Intense Scenes (2)
Spoilers (3)

MPAA

Rated R for drug content throughout, language, and brief sexual material

Certification

Argentina:16 (with warning)
Australia:MA15+
Austria:14
Belgium:KT/EA
Brazil:14
Canada:14A (Alberta)
Canada:14A (British Columbia)
Canada:14A (Manitoba)
Canada:18A (Ontario)
Canada:13+ (Quebec)
Chile:14
Colombia:12
Czechia:12
Denmark:11
Ecuador:15
Egypt:Not Rated (DVD rating)
Finland:K-16
France:Tous publics avec avertissement
Germany:12
Hong Kong:IIB
Hungary:16
Indonesia:18+ (self-applied)
Ireland:15A
Israel:16
Italy:T
Italy:VM14
Japan:R15+
Lithuania:N-16
Luxembourg:12
Malta:15
Mexico:B15
Netherlands:16
New Zealand:RP16
Norway:15
Peru:14
Philippines:18+ (self-applied)
Poland:16 (self-applied)
Portugal:M/16
Singapore:M18 (cut)
South Africa:16
South Korea:15
Spain:16 (ICAA)
Sweden:15
Switzerland:14
Taiwan:R-12
Thailand:18
Turkey:15+
United Kingdom:15
United States:R (certificate #51526)
Ukraine:16
United Arab Emirates:15+

Sex & Nudity

Severity? 21 117 72 9

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There is a sex scene in a shower between two teenagers. There's some thrusting and moaning. The girl takes off her bra, but her breasts aren't shown. The scene is brief.
Some sexual references.
No nudity

Violence & Gore

Severity? 6 89 29 3

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Characters are shown doing drugs via injections. These scenes are quite graphic.
A girl bleeds a little bit after injecting drugs.
A young man is shown with an arm full of wounds from drug injections. Quite graphic.

Profanity

Severity? 2 25 80 45

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33 uses of "fuck", multiple uses of "shit"

Alcohol, Drugs & Smoking

Severity? 1 2 10 178

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Lots of drug use throughout the film. From soft drugs like weed to hard ones like crystal meth and cocaine.
The whole story surrounds a teenage boy/young man going through drug addiction.
Graphic depictions of drug use and drug addiction throughout.
There is some drinking, but nothing too serious considering the strong drug use in the movie.
A lot of talking about drugs and addiction.
Emotional use of drugs

Frightening & Intense Scenes

Severity? 3 31 85 24

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Many emotionally intense scenes.
The film graphically portrays the emotional toil and distress caused by the son's addiction, both on his family and for himself. The film does so honestly and unflinchingly, which may upset sensitive viewers. The scenes of drug taking are graphic and clearly depict the making and injection of drugs such as crystal meth.

Spoilers

The Parents Guide items below may give away important plot points.

Violence & Gore

A character nearly dies of an overdose.

Frightening & Intense Scenes

David finds Nick's notebook. When he opens it, he sees dark drawings and graphic depictions of Nick describing how he feels when he takes drugs. Nick also writes about how he is addicted, this is very intense.
Nic's girlfriend overdoses. You see nic giving her cpr while calling the police.

How old should you be to watch Beautiful Boy?

Age 14+ Language, mild violence, drinking in dark teen soap.

Is Beautiful Boy okay for kids?

It talks about this guy who's dealing with drugs and his father trying to save him. There's obviously drugs, lots of swearing, some sex and depression. Very good but for mature people only.

Is the Boys appropriate for a 15 year old?

Amazon makes it clear that the series isn't for children. It carries an 18+ (or a TV-MA) rating. This means it's, well, for 18 or older.

Are beautiful boys scary?

Really, it's a horror film, on multiple levels. “When you become a parent, you are perpetually living in fear of something bad happening to them,” Carell said on Radio 4's Front Row this week. “It's beyond scary. It's almost incomprehensible to see your kid spiralling out of control and having no recourse.”