What Parents Should Know About the ‘Verity’ Movie Before Choosing a Showtime

‘Verity’ reaches theaters on October 2, with Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett in the cast and Michael Showalter directing. The film is an adult psychological thriller, and the question many families are asking is whether it is suitable for younger viewers. This ‘Verity’ movie parents guide pulls together what the ratings and content reviews say so you can decide before buying tickets.

The story follows Lowen Ashleigh, who is hired to ghostwrite for the renowned author Verity Crawford, only to discover chilling autobiographical notes. The film is based on the novel by Colleen Hoover. That source material is known for dark subject matter, and the adaptation carries much of it onto the screen.

Why the ‘Verity’ Movie Rating Is R

The MPAA rated ‘Verity’ R for sexual content, some nudity, language, violence and bloody images. That combination places the film firmly in adult territory, and it is not a title where the rating is a technicality. Several parent focused sites reach the same conclusion on their own.

One review site notes that the R rating covers the sexual content and the violence, but never names the child deaths that drive the plot. That gap matters for parents, since the rating language alone does not signal one of the heavier elements of the story. It is worth reading beyond the letter when deciding who in your household should see it.

No BBFC or other regional rating had been issued at the time that guide was published. Families outside the United States may want to check their local classification before heading out.

Sexual Content and Language Parents Should Expect

The sexual content is the most prominent concern across the guides. Screenwise describes the film as a hard R thriller with graphic sexual content, child endangerment and extreme moral ambiguity. The same guide treats the sexual material as more explicit than the usual romance fare associated with the author.

The R rating listing on Rotten Tomatoes also cites some nudity. Parent Previews adds that some of the nudity appears in a non sexual context. That distinction is small, but it shows the nudity is not limited to the film’s intimate scenes.

Language is a separate consideration. Cineparenting reports frequent strong profanity throughout the film. Movieguide rates the language as moderate. The two assessments differ somewhat, so parents who are sensitive to profanity may want to treat the heavier estimate as the safer expectation.

Violence and Disturbing Themes in ‘Verity’

Cineparenting describes the violence as moderate to strong, with some graphic elements, and points to themes of manipulation, obsession, mental instability and child endangerment. These themes are psychological as much as physical, which is common in the thriller genre but can be more unsettling for younger viewers. The bloody images named in the rating are part of that mix.

The book offers a useful preview of what the story deals with. Common Sense Media, reviewing the novel rather than the film, lists the deaths of parents and children as important plot points and notes a disturbing scene in which a woman attempts an abortion on herself. Whether every one of those elements appears onscreen is not confirmed in the sources reviewed here, but readers of the book will recognize the tone.

Parent Previews lists infrequent portrayals of alcohol and tobacco use in a recreational context. Substance use is a minor factor here compared with the sexual and psychological content.

Age Recommendation for Teens and Alternatives

Screenwise generally recommends the film for ages 17 and up and answers no when asked if it suits a 13 year old. Cineparenting goes further and calls the film best suited to viewers 18 and older. Common Sense Media also placed the novel at 17 and up.

Critics have not been uniformly kind to the film either, which may factor into a decision about whether it is worth the trip. Rotten Tomatoes showed a 40 percent Tomatometer score from 87 reviews. In its own review, Movieguide gave the film a skip it verdict, praising Hathaway’s performance while faulting the predictable writing and the amount of screen time given to a character’s sexual obsession.

For parents of younger teens who want a mystery, Screenwise suggests ‘A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder’ or ‘The Inheritance Games’ as alternatives. Older viewers who do see ‘Verity’ may leave with plenty to discuss, so if you have already watched it, does the film’s handling of Lowen’s discovery change how you would judge what a teenager should be allowed to see?