perfectlymarvelous said: "It's also the parents' decision whether or not they feel something is appropriate for their child. I was taken to see a lot of theater and movies at a young age that some people might find inappropriate, but my parents decided that I was mature enough to handle it and 99.9% of the time I definitely was. In your original post you mentioned teenagers in the audience too. The movie Waitress is rated PG-13, and I don't see how the show would be too much for most teenagers to handle. By the time I was in high school I was into things like Angels in America, and I saw the original production of Spring Awakening when I was just shy of 16 and loved it. And then I went back and took my mom and she loved it too. You'd be surprised what kids can handle, and if they're interested and engaged I don't really see anything wrong with letting a kid see a show that isn't Disney.
The story here isn't about the cheating. It's not an action that's treated with any sort of reverence or really much of a moral perspective at all. In the film at least, it's very much portrayed as an action that is sometimes a reality of life, and no one involved really seems to benefit much from it. Jenna's journey does include an affair, but it's something that happens on the way to finding her strength and joy in herself and in her daughter.
As for the film ratings system, watch This Film Is Not Yet Rated. The MPAA's decisions are incredibly arbitrary and are meant as a guideline, not a hard and fast rule. They are also way tougher on films that contain sexual content or harsh language than violence, which disturbs me. That doesn't mean I think 5-year-olds should be seeing Deadpool, but I also think that if there's something worthwhile to a movie (or TV show, or musical) that a specific kid would enjoy, the rating wouldn't make my final decision for me.
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I've taken my 12 year old to see Spring Awakening, Fun Home, you name it really. He is very mature, and I don't see a problem with it. He also watches movies such as Room, Whiplash, and Birdman. I'm taking him to see American Psycho (the musical) this July. We are probably seeing Waitress this October and I'm not nervous at all that it will be "inappropriate".
Updated On: 3/27/16 at 10:13 AM