American Made features entertaining Tom Cruise control

Movie Title: American Made

Grade: B+

Rating: R, 115 minutes

In a Nutshell:
Based on a true story, this entertaining ride features Tom Cruise as a wide-eyed pawn in illegal activities led by the American government in the 1980’s.

It’s amazing and alarming that this really happened. The documentary-style of film making works perfectly for this story.

Uplifting theme:

There are always consequences.
Just because something is legal doesn’t mean it’s right.
When it comes to drugs, just say no!

Things I liked:

Tom Cruise always does a great job playing flawed characters with charisma and he always give it 100%.
There is a lot of humor.
I always enjoy movies with a little history in them. Granted, this is a Hollywi

Things I didn’t like:

A lot happens in a very short amount of movie time, so you often don’t realize years have passed by in the story.
Surprisingly, my husband hated this movie.

Interesting lines:

“All this is legal?” – Barry Seal (Tom Cruise)

“If you’re doing it for the good guys.” – Monty Schafer (Domhnall Gleeson)

Tips for parents:

F-bombs and other profanity.
Some Spanish without subtitles.
There’s a short clip of “Bedtime with Bonzo” movie, starring President Ronald Reagan, who was a movie star before he went into government. Your kids may not even know that!
Because this is based on a true story, your kids may not know who the Sandinistas and Contras were and what happened in Central America in the 1980’s. You may want to give them a briefing on Pablo Escobar while you’re at it.
The movie features drug dealers and arms dealers, as well as other illegal activities that appear glamorous on screen.