The Ice Storm

MPAA Rating:

for sexuality and drug use, including scenes involving children, and for language

Moral Rating:

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Moviemaking Quality:

Primary Audience:

Adults

Genre:

Drama

Length:

1 hr. 53 min.

MPAA Rating:

Starring: Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Joan Allen, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci | Directed by: Ang Lee | Produced by: James Schamus, Ted Hope, Ang Lee | Written by: James Schamus

Synopsis: “The Ice Storm” is powerful and emotionally moving in its honest portrayal of how the 1970’s affected the lives of millions of Americans. It reveals the sometimes awkward dynamics of how some families in 1973 coped with the radical changes our society was facing… However, be strongly cautioned that [this film] deals with several heavy ethical and social anti-Christian dynamics. The “R” rating is for sexuality (including scenes involving children), language, and drug usage.

Year of Release—1997

Yes, this movie is very depressing, but that is exactly the point—human life without God is ultimately hopeless. The seventies, just like today, were a time of desperation and searching. Old values were thrown off and replaced with a new ideology that promised freedom and fulfillment, but only delivered a sense of numbness. The ice storm is a perfect metaphor for the sin that was swept into these characters lives with the times, freezing their hearts and souls, and leaving them numb to the simple joys of life such as family and friends. I was happy to see for once a movie that portrayed sin as it really is—cold and empty. An example is the scene in the car at the key party which shows that extramarital sex is not as glamourous and exciting as most of Hollywood would have you believe. I think if you look beyond the surface at the deeper meanings and themes of this movie you will see that this is very much a Christian film. When we leave the theater we should first be reminded of how lucky we are to have hope in Christ, and secondly we should be motivated to share that hope with others who are, like the characters in this story, desperately searching for something real to hold on to.
—Jason Geiger, age 21

If you want to be really depressed, go see this movie!… This movie tries to be poignant but is just depressing. Having been in college in the late 60s and lived through the early 70s and the “me” generation I can understand the disillusionment felt by many of that generation. Religion had failed me, (notice I didn’t say Jesus had failed me), the government had turned out to be totally untrustworthy and my parents had divorced. I know what these characters were feeling. Loneliness, depression, lack of hope, love and on and on. The answers in those days and in this movie were drugs, sex and materialism. I can really relate to the people in this movie but when I walked out I couldn’t help but wonder why I might want to be reminded of those lonely days. If you’re in your late 40s or 50s you might like this time piece but generally I can’t recommend it. There is very limited nudity and sexual activity and little profanity in this movie in spite of the “R” rating it has. The rating is largely due to the adult content and the sexual innuendo contained in the movie. I would recommend this movie for adults only but only if you are not suffering from depression already. One thing you can realize as a Christian from this movie, without Jesus, there is no hope!
—Steven G. Hanson, age 49