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Parents' Guide

Parents' guide to new movies--We take a look at ''Beyond the Mat,'' ''Erin Brockovich,'' and more

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BEYOND THE MAT (R)
IN A NUTSHELL
Documentarian Barry W. Blaustein interviews the athletes? performers? nutjobs? who have made professional wrestling into a multibillion-dollar industry.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
Yes, wrestling fans will want to check out the real stories behind Mankind, The Rock, and Jake ''the Snake'' Roberts.

SEX/NUDITYSome sexual confessions

DRUGS/ALCOHOL
An occasional beer; one wrestler admits to a crack problem.

VIOLENCE/SCARINESS
Blood flows during matches; a head wound gets stitched up; Mankind's kids sob while watching him fight.

OBJECTIONABLE WORDS/PHRASES/STEREOTYPES
Much raw language

THE VERDICT
If your kids are already wrestle maniacs, they'll be neither shocked nor enlightened by this documentary.

APPROPRIATE AGES
15 and up

ERIN BROCKOVICH (R)
IN A NUTSHELL
A brash former beauty queen and single mom (Julia Roberts) talks her way into a job at a small L.A. law firm and begins investigating mysterious illnesses.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
Yes. Older kids — especially girls — will find it hard to resist Roberts in this true story.

SEX/NUDITY
None, but Erin dresses very provocatively and there are many sexual references.

DRUGS/ALCOHOL
Erin has a beer with an informer.

VIOLENCE/SCARINESS
Erin is injured in a car accident.

OBJECTIONABLE WORDS/PHRASES/STEREOTYPES
Erin is partial to four-letter words and is not shy with insults.

THE VERDICT
Despite her trashy clothes and fresh mouth, Erin is a positive role model who embodies the power of perseverance and compassion.

APPROPRIATE AGES13 and up

MISSION TO MARS (PG)
IN A NUTSHELL
When a history-making trip to the Red Planet ends in disaster, a new team of astronauts is sent up on a recovery mission.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
Of course. How many other sci-fi event movies are out there?

SEX/NUDITY
Some gravity-defying groping between married astronauts

DRUGS/ALCOHOL
Beer at a party; a champagne toast

VIOLENCE/SCARINESS
Crew members are blown to bits by an unknown force; an astronaut takes off his helmet and dies in space.

OBJECTIONABLE WORDS/PHRASES/STEREOTYPES
A few mild expletives

THE VERDICT
The plot is weightless and never really takes off, but the astronauts' bravery and teamwork are admirable.

APPROPRIATE AGES
10 and up

THE NINTH GATE (R)
IN A NUTSHELL
A rare-book collector (Frank Langella) hires Dean Corso (Johnny Depp) to acquire the remaining copies of a tome that supposedly brings Satan to life.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
Doubtful. Depp may be a draw, but older kids will likely have a been-there-seen-that attitude toward the movie.

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