Adopt a Highway

Renee Schonfeld

By Renee Schonfeld , based on child development research. How do we rate?

Ethan Hawke excels in satisfying drama; some language.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 15+?

Instances of "s--t" and "f--k. "

Violence & Scariness

Some suspenseful moments regarding both the hero's and abandoned infant's safety

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Hero has served more than 20 years for possession of marijuana with intent to se

Sex, Romance & Nudity Not present Products & Purchases Not present

Any Positive Content?

Positive Messages

Recovery and redemption are both possible, but neither come easily and both are

Positive Role Models

Leading character, a recently-paroled felon, is a lost soul: unsocialized, untru

Language

Instances of "s--t" and "f--k. "

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Violence & Scariness

very little Some suspenseful moments regarding both the hero's and abandoned infant's safety.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide. Get started Close

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

very little Hero has served more than 20 years for possession of marijuana with intent to sell.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide. Get started Close

Products & Purchases

Positive Messages

Recovery and redemption are both possible, but neither come easily and both are fragile. Inspires compassion for underdog ex-felon. Details the devastating effects of long-term prison sentences on young offenders; makes a case against the "three strikes" law that has since been ended in California.

Positive Role Models

Leading character, a recently-paroled felon, is a lost soul: unsocialized, untrusting, despairing. He has few skills and little hope for a future. Over the course of film, it's made clear that he's a kind, compassionate, and gentle soul worthy of a second chance. He's able to find both the internal and external means to change his life.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Adopt a Highway is an intense, character-driven movie about an emotionally- and socially-stunted man as he attempts to negotiate a world wholly new to him. The movie's hero, a recently-released felon, finds an abandoned infant and the event changes the course of his life. Viewers will take Russell Millings' (Ethan Hawke) journey alongside him. That journey is suspenseful, but there's no violence. A sprinkling of profanity is heard (i.e., "f--k," "s--t"). A character has served more than 20 years for possession of marijuana with intent to sell. Messages about recovery, redemption, and the harsh realities of post-prison life are incorporated into the story. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.