Story
James (Ronan Keating) and Elspeth (Laura Michelle Kelly) have moved from the UK to an idyllic but remote farmhouse in Tasmania. James can continue his research into saving whales from there while Elspeth raises their two-year-old twin boys. James is often away for long periods, and Elspeth finds looking after the boys difficult. They’re very demanding. Isolated, and with no family or friends for support, she’s often lonely. She finds herself looking back to the days when she used to sing in bars back in the UK.
On one of his trips home, James gives Elspeth a webcam to keep in touch with him while he is away. Elspeth can never seem to get him on the webcam, so she decides to record herself singing her ‘kitchen songs’, which she uploads onto the internet. She becomes a household sensation and is picked up by the ‘Goddess’ firm to be the face of a new computer tablet designed for women. At first Elspeth is thrilled with the attention, but she soon finds the price of fame is too much to bear.
Themes
Isolation; parenting; celebrity
Violence
This movie has some comic violence. For example:
Sexual references
This move has some sexual references. For example:
- James is attracted to Cherry, the nanny. Viewers on the internet think that he might end up having sex with her.
- During a sexy dance routine, men surround Cassandra Wolfe (Magda Szubanski), the owner of the Goddess Company.
- Cherry gives James a shoulder massage, and he makes noises that sound like he is having sex.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
This movie shows some use of substances. For example:
- Elspeth drinks a whole glass of wine then throws the glass away and drinks out of the bottle.
- People drink wine with dinner.
Nudity and sexual activity
This movie has some partial nudity and sexual activity. For example:
- Elspeth is attracted to Rory, a busker in Sydney. They end up kissing on the street.
- Elspeth and James try to have sex a few times, but they’re usually interrupted by tiredness or the boys coming into the room. One scene shows them after having sex, lying in bed naked but under sheets.
- James is shown on the webcam wearing only an apron. The scene shows his naked bottom.
- Elspeth is told she must undress for one of the photo shoots. She doesn’t want to do it but is forced into it. Nothing is actually shown.
Product placement
The following products are displayed or used in this movie: supermarket goods such as Schweppes, Cottees, Kelloggs Corn Flakes, Pinoclean, Harpic and Dynamo; Qantas airways; and IGA.
Coarse language
There is some coarse language in this movie.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Goddess is a romantic musical comedy. It is a very original and quite refreshing look at the difficulties that young mothers face in today’s world. It also looks at the ethical values of filming everyday activities and showing them on the internet, particularly without a person’s knowledge.
This PG-rated movie isn’t recommended for children under eight years, and we also recommend parental guidance for children aged 8-13 years. This is because the coarse language, sexual references and mature themes make it more suitable for and interesting to older teenagers and adults.
The main messages from this movie are that family is more important than fame and that the sacrifices you need to make for fame are often not worth it.
Values in this movie that you could reinforce with your children include loyalty and forgiveness.