Cruel Intentions

Parents need to know that Cruel Intentions is a 1999 dark comedy in which a pair of wealthy step-siblings wager on whether or not the stepbrother can seduce and have sex with a virgin. "F--k" is frequently used; other profanity includes "motherf----r," "a--hole," "s--t," "bitch," "p---y," and "whore." Homophobic slurs are also used. Sex, including oral and anal sex, is discussed in a variety of ways and in a variety of euphemisms. Characters overhear teens having sex. "The jock" character brags to his friends about forcing a woman to have sex with him and is later revealed to be having liaisons with a gay teen -- who helps the male lead character so he can blackmail the jock. The stepbrother is presented as someone who sees women as objects to seduce, take advantage of, and discard at the earliest possibility; he posts a sex tape online of his therapist's daughter. And yet, the stepbrother emerges as a "sympathetic character" when he starts having feelings for the virgin girl he has resolved to have sex with no matter what it takes, and because of this change, his past misdeeds are overlooked and forgiven. While this dark comedy was based on the 1762 French novel Les Liasons Dangereuses, much of its content feels uncomfortable now, as the #MeToo movement has changed the way society addresses and discusses sexual harassment, coercion, and assault. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.