rating

There's lots of swearing, some drug references, one of the main characters is a prostitute, there are a lot of sexual references in general and I guess if you were into religion it could be deemed quite contorvrsial. Don't let that put you off though, it's a wonderful movie, genuinely one of Woody's best (I think it's my fifth favourite Woody movie) and it goes without saying that it's really really funny.



"If it's between air conditioning and the Pope I'll take air conditioning."

This film is by far Woody Allen's most graphic film. It features:


ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
Several people have beers at an outdoor cookout.
Harry drinks liquor in many different scenes while also taking some sort of prescription pills.
Two fictitious characters have wine.
Fay has wine while talking with Harry.
Cookie smokes a joint and offers it to Harry who declines.
Two women have drinks.
People have drinks at a bar mitzvah.
In hell and playing the part of the Devil, Larry drinks a martini and pours Harry some liquor.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
Due to the subjective nature of the following material, individual viewers may differ with our "heavy" rating of it, and one should remember that most of it's played for laughs.
Ken and Leslie (representing Harry and his sister-in-law) have an affair, and continue to have sex in one scene in front of a blind, elderly woman (played for laughs).
Harry takes his real life relationship experiences, barely changes the names of the people involved, and then writes novels and short stories about them, usually slamming those people and their behavior.
Harry (in the guise of several fictitious characters) has affairs with different women while married to others.
Harry comments that he can't ever look at a woman without wondering what it would be like to have sex with her, and he "buys" the services of a prostitute.
A fictitious character tells another one (representing Harry at a young age) that it's okay to have sex with a prostitute even if you're married. He then tells the young man he's got one for him and where to take her.
Some viewers may not like the Devil, Death, and Hell (complete with comically tortured souls) appearing in the movie and/or being used for laughs.
Likewise, others may not like Harry's comments on religion in general (he says he's an atheist) or about Jews and Judaism (about which he makes wry comments although he's Jewish himself). He tells one person, "You're like a born again Christian (meaning in a bad way), but Jewish." A fictitious Jewish character is portrayed as wacky in one sequence where she prays over anything and everything. He also comments that religion is like exclusionary clubs "telling you who you should hate."
Larry (who's white) tells Fay, "I'm single, available, and I have the soul of a black man."
Larry (as the Devil) asks Harry, "Did you ever *beep* a blind girl?" Harry says he hasn't and Larry condescendingly says, "They're so grateful."

GUNS/WEAPONS
Handgun: A comically despondent woman holds a gun to her head, and moments later points it at Harry (blaming her problems on him) and fires several shots at him.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
Phrases: "Schmuck," "Bastard," "Blow job," "Shut up," "Putz," "Whores," "Bang," Banging" "Bugger" and "Buggered" (for sex), "Tight ass," "Geez," "Screwed up," "Nuts" (crazy), "Jack ass," and "Bitch" (from a woman toward another woman).

PROFANITY
At least 49 "f" words (12 used sexually, 3 used with "mother"), 13 "s" words, 5 slang terms for sex ("bang," "banging," "bugger," and "buggered"), 5 slang terms for female genitals (the "c" and "p" words along with "beaver"), 1 slang term for male genitals (the "p" word), 5 hells, 3 asses (1 using "hole"), 1 S.O.B., and 7 uses of "God," 5 uses of "Jesus," 4 uses of "Oh Jesus," 3 uses each of "G-damn" and "Oh God," 2 uses of "My God" and 1 use each of "For Christ's sakes" and "Oh my God" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY
Ken and Leslie passionately kiss during an affair. He feels her clothed breasts and she then performs oral sex on him (not explicitly seen, but we see her head at his crotch). There are also some comments on her "using" her teeth. Moments later he's behind her having sex (we don't see any nudity, but do see rather explicit movement and hear sexual sounds). She then says, "You can come anytime you want," and then an elderly blind woman arrives in the room. Unaware of what they're doing, she talks to both while Ken continues his movement until he's finished.
A passage is read from one of Harry's books that mentions a man grabbing a woman's breasts and then "mounting her from behind."
A woman brings up the fact that Harry convinced her to give him a "blow job at my father's funeral."
Harry comments that he can't ever look at a woman without wondering what it would be like to have sex with her.
A fictitious character tells another one, Harvey (representing Harry at a young age) that it's okay to have sex with a prostitute even if you're married. He then tells the young man he's got one for him and where to take her.
We then see Harvey in bed with a prostitute and she's first seen performing oral sex on him (under the covers with the act not explicitly seen) and then on top of him having sex with movement and sounds (but no nudity).
Hilly (the young boy) asks his dad, Harry, "Why doesn't my penis look like yours?" He's referring to circumcision and Harry then goes on to say that when he was a kid he and his friends named their genitals. Hilly then says he's going to name his Dillinger.
A fictitious character says his desire is to see his psychiatrist "tied up and with other women."
A scene where a fictitious Jewish character (played by Demi Moore) is comically mocked for praying over anything and everything has her preying over a man's crotch before oral sex (we see nothing explicit).
Harry tells Cookie (a prostitute), "I want you to tie me up, hit me a little bit...and a blow job." After they're finished (nothing's seen), he tells her, "They should put your lips in the Smithsonian."
Harry, referring to the astronomical phenomenon, asks Cookie (who's black), "Do you know what a black hole is?" She replies, "Yeah, that's how I make my living."
We see a great deal of Cookie's cleavage.
Harry travels to Hell itself and we see many nude women chained to the walls or in "hot tubs," and see bare breasts and bare butts (of women and men).

VIOLENCE
A woman in a fictitious story tells of learning that her husband killed four people with an ax and then ate them (none of which we see).
A comically distraught woman holds a gun to her head and then decides to aim it at Harry. She fires several shots at him, but misses.
Joan starts to choke Harry after learning of his affair, but is interrupted when a patient of hers enters the room.