The Out-Laws: Why Is The Comedy Rated R? What Parents Should Know
The recent popularity of "The Out-Laws" on Netflix shows there's still a market for crime comedies. The movie follows bank manager Owen Browning ("Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin's" Adam Devine) as he begins to suspect that his new in-laws (Pierce Brosnan and Ellen Barkin) might secretly be a pair of infamous bank robbers. With his wedding to their daughter, Parker (Nina Dobrev), just around the corner, Owen isn't sure how to approach the problem. "Given the breezy but crime-filled premise, parents might be unsure at which age is best for their children to watch this R-Rate comedy — if at all."
As its MPAA rating implies, there's reason to think twice before allowing children to watch "The Out-Laws." When it comes to questionable content, the film pretty much runs the gamut: Common Sense Media suggests that "The Out-Laws" is only appropriate for ages 15 or older due to a mixture of violence, gross-out humor, and adult themes.
The Out-Laws isn't meant for younger viewers
While "The Out-Laws" is filled with notable performers from Lauren Lapkus to Richard Kind, parents may want to hold back on letting younger kids or pre-teens watch the film due to its extremely adult brand of humor and violence.
Despite its comparatively light tone, the movie features plenty of foul language, including multiple four-letter words and raunchy jokes about human anatomy with many of the film's laugh-out-loud moments revolving around graphic sexual references. Also, "The Out-Laws" uses drug and alcohol abuse for some of its gags, too. As far as violence goes, the movie features car crashes, animal attacks, and people being shot at point-blank range.
With these factors in mind, it looks like "The Out-Laws" isn't a great fit for family viewing. Still, viewers aged 15 or older should be able to handle the content of the film, even if this comedy isn't necessarily the kind of movie night experience you'd like to have as a family unit.