The Best Years of Our Lives
Acceptable with guidance. Age: 13+. A Catholic review of this movie for parents.
Our review
Three soldiers come home from World War II to the same town. One cannot find a good job, one drinks too much, and one lost both his hands. Each must learn how to live again with the people who love him. This is one of the great films about men coming home from war, and Homer and Wilma's faithful love is its heart. But the film also roots for a romance between a young woman and a married man, and it ends with the two together after his divorce. Expect drinking, smoking and one fistfight. The one age is 13+, set by Common Sense Media, with no Catholic classification found.
For parents
Our one age is 13+, set by Common Sense Media. No Catholic classification could be found. Common Sense lists drinking, a scuffle and subtle hints of infidelity. What needs correcting: Peggy decides to break up Fred's marriage, and the film treats this as romance. Her father Al is right to object. Marriage is a vow before God, not a mistake to escape when it disappoints. The film's happy ending comes after a civil divorce, and the Church would ask whether Fred is free to marry at all. Things to praise: Wilma's faithfulness to Homer when he shows her his helplessness. Ask: what made Wilma's love real? Why was Al right to warn Fred? How did each man find his way back?