Daddy's Home 2, Greatest Showman, Phantom Thread and More in This Week's MPAA Ratings Bulletin

By Chris Kavan - 10/25/17 at 11:29 AM CT

Whether you're a fan of crowd-pleasing humor, family-friendly showmen or dramas with a personal touch, this week has ratings for everyone. We also bid a final farewell (supposedly) to one of the greatest actors of this generation. All in all, a nice, meaty update before Halloween hits - no tricks here, just treats and I have to hope the ratings board has just as much fun in store next week, before they decide to dress up as Pennywise.

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Will Ferrell may not be as big a draw as days past when Anchorman, Elf and Old School were making him a comedic legend, but he hasn't given up on making people laugh. Case in point, the 2015 comedy Daddy's Home was an honestly fun romp, a bit safe, but still pretty funny as we watched good dad Brad (Ferrell) go up against bad-ass dad Dusty (Mark Wahlberg). The movie grossed over $150 million domestic alone, so there's little surprise we're getting Daddy's Home 2. This time around, the dads are still up to their old tricks, but this time must deal with not just the holidays, but their own father's intrusions. Brad's overly-sensitive father (John Lithgow) and Dusty's manly-man dad (Mel Gibson). John Cena is back as the even bigger and badder father introduced during the final moments of Daddy's Home as well. I'm sure it will play much like the first with the sensitive dads learning to be a bit more tough and the tough dads learning to be a big more sensitive. The law of sequels says this will make less than the original, but without too many comedies on the horizon, it could be the only choice for those looking for a laugh this winter. Rated PG-13 for suggestive material and some language.

For something a bit more for the entire family, look no further than Hugh Jackman who helps bring the true story of P.T. Barnum to life in The Greatest Showman. Plus, Jackman gets to sing again! Not much call for Wolverine to break out into song, but Jackman has a great voice and this project seems like an excellent choice to showcase it. While I'm sure great liberties will be taken with the biography of Barnum, we will learn how a man with nothing rose to become one of the great show business visionaries of our time (animal cruelty will probably not be in the spotlight). Jackman will be joined by plenty of luminaries: Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Paul Sparks, Gayle Rankin and Fredric Lehne are just a few of the names who will be lending their talent (musical and otherwise) to this exciting endeavor. While original musicals can be a tough sell, it worked good enough for La La Land. This isn't going to be as adult focused as the PG rating (for thematic elements including a brawl... oh my!) indicate this is a film the whole family can enjoy.

I don't usually showcase limited release films, but I can't overlook two coming out this week. The first is Phantom Thread, which follows a dress-making in 1950s London who finds himself working for the highest of high society, including the royal family. That dress-maker is based on the real life of Reynolds Woodcock, portrayed here by Daniel Day-Lewis. This is also, according to Day-Lewis himself, the final film he will star in, as he is retiring from acting. Day-Lewis is truly one of the outstanding actors of our time, transforming himself in roles in the likes of The Last of the Mohicans, My Left Foot, Gangs of New York, There Will Be Blood and Lincoln. He chooses his projects carefully, often going several years between roles (it has been five years since Lincoln) and if this is indeed his last starring role, it will be one worth watching. This could very well get a nationwide push following its limited release. Rated R for language.

The other limited release that will likely get a further expansion is the latest film from Ridley Scott (not involving aliens of any kind). All the Money in the World focuses on Jean Paul Getty (Kevin Spacey, dialing it up after playing notorious politician Francis Underwood for several seasons of House of Cards), who is the richest man in the world in 1973, and notoriously miserly (think a real-life Ebeneezer Scrooge), who watches with disinterest when his grandson John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) is kidnapped and a hefty ransom demanded. His devoted mother, Gail Harris (Michelle Williams) is much more charitable with her part of the fortune and works with Getty's enigmatic security man Fletcher Chace (Mark Wahlberg) to try and save her son as the kidnappers grow more volatile. Some may call this awards-season bait, but Scott has proven himself adept at both blockbuster and crime, so there's no reason to question if this is going to work. Rated R for language, some violence, disturbing images and brief drug content.

A lot of big pictures this week but don't forget about the other guys - check out the full MPAA Ratings Bulletin below:

68 Kill

Rated R for strong bloody violence, sexual content and language throughout, some drug use and brief nudity.


THE AFTERMATH

Rated R for sexual content/nudity, and violence including some disturbing images.


ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD

Rated R for language, some violence, disturbing images and brief drug content.


BAD SAMARITAN

Rated R for violence, language throughout, some drug use and brief nudity.


DADDY'S HOME 2

Rated PG-13 for suggestive material and some language.


FILM STARS DON'T DIE IN LIVERPOOL

Rated R for language, some sexual content and brief nudity.


THE GREATEST SHOWMAN

Rated PG for thematic elements including a brawl.


LADY BIRD

Rated R for language, sexual content, brief graphic nudity and teen partying.


MARY AND THE WITCH'S FLOWER

Rated PG for some action and thematic elements.


PHANTOM THREAD

Rated R for language.

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