Length: 127 minutes (2 hours, 7 minutes)
Age Appropriateness Rating: Liberty Heights is rated "R" in the United States. This movie does not have any true nudity or bloody violence, but has plenty of sexual innuendo, hints of violence, drinking, and some foul language. All the same, most parents of mature teens should not have a problem with "Liberty Heights." I'm actually surprised that this isn't rated "PG-13," and I am guessing that the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) went with an "R" rating because of the sheer tally count of little "no-nos," which must be high given that this movie runs just over two hours.
Creators and Stars: Warner Brothers, Adrien Brody, Al Brown, Anthony Anderson, Barry Levinson, Bebe Neuwirth, Ben Foster, Brenda Russell, Carolyn Murphy, Cloie Wyatt Taylor, David Krumholtz, Doug Roberts, Elizabeth Ann Bennett, Evan Neumann, Frania Rubinek, Gideon Jacobs, Jake Hoffman, James Pickens Jr., Joe Mantegna, Justin Chambers, Katie Finneran, Kevin Sussman, Kiersten Warren, Marty Lodge, Orlando Jones, Rebekah Johnson, Richard Kline, Shane West, Timothy J. Scanlin Jr., Vincent Guastaferro
Historical Accuracy: Liberty Heights is semi-autobiographical. It is written and directed by Barry Levinson, who grew up in Baltimore, Maryland. The film is set in Baltimore between the fall of 1954 and the fall of 1955.
Review: Liberty Heights is about a Jewish family living in 1950s Baltimore. Specifically, the plot focuses on the coming-of-age stories of the two Kurtzman sons, Ben and Van (Sylvan). The film touches on a lot of important aspects of this time period, such as McCarthyism, anti-Semitism, racism, and desegregation. The subplot involving Mr. Kurtzman's burlesque house and numbers game offers an interesting contrast between what is considered immoral today as opposed to what was considered immoral in the 1950s. Overall, this movie offers a lot of conversation starters for family movie night. The movie is well-written, well-directed, and well-acted so that both parents and teens will enjoy it. Click here to enlarge the film poster. |
