"Love Overcomes the Darkness"
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What You Need To Know:
WHAT RHYMES WITH REASON is a compelling story about heavy themes like death, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, and other struggles the teenagers battle with on their adventure. Unlike other stories that tackle similar themes, this movie avoids immorality. Instead, it shows the power of hope, love and friendship overcoming fear as well as death, darkness and despair. WHAT RHYMES WITH REASON balances its serious themes with the fun adventure the friends take together. MOVIEGUIDE® still advises caution for older children.
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More Detail:
In WHAT RHYMES WITH REASON, a tragedy leads a group of friends on a legendary quest to a secret landmark hidden in the forest, where they band together and face many physical obstacles, but also must face the grief, anxiety and darkness within them. WHAT RHYMES WITH REASON is a refreshing, well-acted, well-directed take on some serious subjects, with a strong moral worldview that champions love, togetherness and overcoming fear with hope, but MOVIEGUIDE advises caution for older children because of mature themes like grief and suicidal thoughts.
The movie begins by following Jesse Brandt in his senior year of high school. He is busy with school and work, as well as figuring out how he wants to ask his crush to prom. Recently, a friend and schoolmate committed suicide, and Jesse and his friends stand up to the bullies who want to make fun of the dead student.
As a graduation gift, Jesse’s father asks if he wants to do a quest to an iconic, but long-forgotten landmark. He has the map, compass and equipment all prepped. Jesse brushes his father’s offer aside as he wants to enjoy his final year in high school.
However, that same day, tragedy strikes the Brandt family when both his mother and father die in a car accident. Jesse and his sister are faced with unimaginable grief. Both of them handle it differently. Jesse’s friends come over to help organize his father’s belongings when they discover the map to the mysterious landmark.
The group of friends decides to embark on the adventure, honoring Jesse’s father and giving Jesse an opportunity to process his grief. As it turns out, even the happiest of the group have ongoing mental health crises they must face along the journey.
Will hope and love help Jesse overcome the darkness in his own heart? Will his friends be able to band together to uncover the truth of the landmark?
WHAT RHYMES WITH REASON is a refreshing take on some serious subjects. While the movie acknowledges suicide and suicidal thoughts, it is never at the forefront of the movie, and it’s never shown on screen. Instead, Jesse’s doubt, fear, grief, and depression are creatively represented in a non-graphic way.
WHAT RHYMES WITH REASON deals with mental health issues common among many high-school aged children, but it balances the heavier topics with a fun, adventurous quest that’s akin to the coming of age stories of the 1980s. It has a good cast, is well shot and ultimately has a strong moral worldview.
WHAT RHYMES WITH REASON stresses that no one is truly alone, no matter what they’re facing. It also shows the power of love, hope and friendship to help overcome fear as well as death, darkness and despair. Due to some violence and its heavy subject matter, however, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children.
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