Brokedown Palace (1999)

Screen It! is not attempting to rate the movie as good or bad but to give parents the tools to decide whether it's appropriate for their kids.

This movie has been screened for objectional content in 15 areas. Click for a detailed look.

OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a brief summary of the content found in this PG-13 rated, teen-based drama. Profanity is rated as heavy due to 1 use of the "f" word, while other "milder" profanities and colorful phrases are present. One of the girls smokes a joint after being imprisoned, and there's some talk about the heroin that was found in their bag (but no use of it occurs). The girls and other students also drink in earlier scenes and some smoking also occurs. The girls have bad attitudes -- and particularly as led by Alice -- for not telling their parents about their travel changes, and toward others and each other after their arrest and imprisonment. During their incarceration, Alice briefly has her arms beaten by a guard. One of the girls sleeps with a stranger they've just met (although we don't see anything), and a brief, but strong sexual comment is made about that. We also briefly see some nonsexual nudity (female bare butts in a prison shower).

Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for anyone in your home beyond what's just been described, we suggest that you take a closer look at the listed content for further details.

QUICK TAKE:: Drama: Two teenage girls' friendship is threatened when they find themselves facing drug charges while on vacation in a foreign country.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?: Probably only if they're fans of Danes or Beckinsale. Otherwise, the dour sounding plot will probably keep most other kids away.

WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13: For brief strong language, drug related material and some violent content.

CAST AS ROLE MODELS:: CLAIRE DANES plays a carefree and wild at heart high school graduate who convinces her friend to change their travel plans and not tell anyone. Of course they end up in prison, and she shows disrespect for Darlene, others and even herself. She also cusses and smokes marijuana in one scene. In the end, however, she redeems herself by making a sacrifice.
KATE BECKINSALE plays her more reserved best friend, who also cusses a bit and sleeps with Nick after having just met him.
DANIEL LAPAINE plays an Australian who fools the girls into thinking he's an okay guy when he actually set them up for a fall so that he could continue with the rest of his drug smuggling.
BILL PULLMAN and JACQUELINE KIM play an expatriate American lawyer and his Thai wife who come to the girls' defense and work hard to find some reason for the girls to be set free.; KATE BECKINSALE plays her more reserved best friend, who also cusses a bit and sleeps with Nick after having just met him.
DANIEL LAPAINE plays an Australian who fools the girls into thinking he's an okay guy when he actually set them up for a fall so that he could continue with the rest of his drug smuggling.
BILL PULLMAN and JACQUELINE KIM play an expatriate American lawyer and his Thai wife who come to the girls' defense and work hard to find some reason for the girls to be set free.; DANIEL LAPAINE plays an Australian who fools the girls into thinking he's an okay guy when he actually set them up for a fall so that he could continue with the rest of his drug smuggling.
BILL PULLMAN and JACQUELINE KIM play an expatriate American lawyer and his Thai wife who come to the girls' defense and work hard to find some reason for the girls to be set free.; BILL PULLMAN and JACQUELINE KIM play an expatriate American lawyer and his Thai wife who come to the girls' defense and work hard to find some reason for the girls to be set free.

ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE: Moderate: Students drink at a party.
The girls order drinks while sunbathing poolside and we then see that they've had several.
People have drinks at a nighttime dance, including Nick. Later done with his drink, Nick throws his hotel glass to the ground. He also tells Darlene that she forgot her drink and she says that she's had enough.

While the girls are charged with transporting heroin, we only see one tin pulled from their bag (but never see the contents), although the police later report that they were carrying six tins with a total of six kilos of heroin.
Another prisoner states that she was "high" (from drugs) and a comment is made about smuggling drugs inside a person.
Darlene's father makes a comment about Alice denying that she was responsible when he found beer cans in their car when they were sixteen.
Some officials have drinks at a kickboxing contest.
Alice smokes a joint in the prison yard in clear sight of everyone. Darlene then asks her if getting stoned is a good idea and Alice replies that yes, if she wasn't on drugs, she'd kill someone.
Hank meets a woman who's reportedly a junkie, but we don't see her doing any drugs.
Seeing Darlene stumbling about in a stupor, another prisoner says, "Whatever she's on, I want some."
Knox has a drink and then pours himself another one.

BLOOD/GORE: Minor: We hear Alice peeing in a toilet.

DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE: Extreme: Alice convinces Darlene to go to Thailand instead of Hawaii and both lie/don't tell their parents of their travel changes.
The girls somewhat mock and then laugh about the Thai people and their religion (while bowing at an altar of sorts) and Darlene's father later questions why in the world she'd want to come to Thailand.

The girls crash a fancy hotel, sunbath poolside and then order drinks and charge them to another person's room. Later, Nick admits to having picked up someone's room key and that's the room he charges for the girls drink as he "rescues" them from embarrassment.
Done with his drink, Nick throws his hotel glass away from him and to the ground.
Everyone involved with the setup of the girls to carry drugs for them and then be arrested obviously has both (and this involves many people/authorities).
Both girls develop bad feelings/behavior toward each other and other people after spending some time in prison (this is more true for Alice than Darlene).
Another female prisoner has it out for Alice and tries to get her in trouble.
A guard takes a bribe.

FRIGHTENING SCENES: Mild: A waiter becomes suspicious of the girls and the room to which they've charged their drinks and calls them on their bluff.
The girls are arrested at gunpoint.
A female guard throws Alice to the floor and then repeatedly cracks her wrists/forearms with a baton for breaking a rule (that she didn't know about).
The girls try to escape from the prison at night.

GUNS/WEAPONS: Minor: Rifles: Carried by soldiers/police/guards.

IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR: Mild: Phrases: "Sh*thole," "Bloody hell," "Wanker," "Bugger," "Nuts" (crazy), "Retarded," "Piss off," "Jeez," "Pissing," "Suckers" and "Scumbag."
Both Alice and Darlene wear midriff baring outfits.
The girls crash a fancy hotel, sunbath poolside and then order drinks and charge them to another person's room.
Done with his drink, Nick throws his hotel glass away from him and to the ground.
Alice gives "the finger" to the guard. Later, Darlene does the same to Alice.

JUMP SCENES: None: None.

MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE): Mild: A mild amount of suspenseful music occurs during the film.

MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE): None: None.

PROFANITY: Heavy: At least 1 "f" word (used sexually), 11 "s" words, 2 slang terms for male genitals ("d*ck"), 2 damns, 1 crap, 1 S.O.B., 1 hell, 1 use each of "wanker" and "bugger" and 6 uses of "God," 5 of "Oh my God," 4 each of "G-damn" and "Oh God," and 1 use each of "For God's sakes" and "My God" as exclamations.

SEX/NUDITY: Moderate: We see Alice in a small bikini (while Darlene is in a more conservative one-piece suit).
We see Darlene and Nick kissing and it's then implied that they slept together (by later comments, but nothing is seen).

We see a few female prisoners' bare butts in a group prison shower.
We see Hank's wife get out of bed wearing just a long shirt (but don't see any nudity).
Jealous of hearing that Alice was also with Nick, she asks her, "Did you f*ck him too? Of course you did" (although Alice admits they only kissed).

SMOKING: Moderate: Alice smokes a few times as do prison guards and a few prisoners.
We also see Hank give cigarettes to Alice and Darlene (the one time the latter smokes) and cigars to Knox (he smokes one).

TENSE FAMILY SCENES: Mild: Alice mentions that she was seven when her mom died, and we then see that her father isn't willing to help get her out of jail.

TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT: Mild: The girls not telling their families their change of travel plans (and other disrespectful behavior) and also hanging out with a stranger while overseas.
How other countries deal with drug charges as well as how their legal systems work.

VIOLENCE: Moderate: A female guard throws Alice to the floor and then repeatedly cracks her wrists/forearms with a baton for breaking a rule (that she didn't know about).
We see some kickboxing violence at a contest.
A guard hits Alice, sending her to the ground.