Is this based on the Mary Kay Letourneau case?

It is heavily inspired by it. While the names and specific details are changed, the core dynamic—a female teacher going to prison for a relationship with a 13-year-old student and then marrying him—is the direct foundation for the story.

Is there a lot of sex in it?

There are a few sexual scenes, but they are not 'sexy.' They are awkward, clinical, and primarily used to show the power imbalance and Joe's stunted emotional state. It is more about the psychological 'ick' than graphic nudity.

Is it actually a comedy?

It is a dark, campy drama. It has moments that are so absurd they are funny, but the underlying reality is tragic. It plays with the melodrama genre, using a heavy score to highlight the ridiculousness of the situation.

Can I watch this with my teenager?

Only if they are 17+ and you have a high level of trust and open communication. The movie doesn't just show a 'bad' relationship; it shows how people justify it, which can be confusing for younger viewers without a lot of context.

May December – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

May December

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

movie2023

76%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore face off in a campy, skin-crawling psychodrama about a tabloid scandal that never actually ended.

6.7/10

91%

65%

→

May December

movie

R, 2023

76%

WISE Score

Avg. Tomatometer

Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore face off in a campy, skin-crawling psychodrama about a tabloid scandal that never actually ended.

6.7

91%

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6.7/10

91%

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Screenwise Verdict

Todd Haynes has made a movie that feels like a Lifetime original directed by a genius. It is a surgical strike on the way we consume true crime and the way predatory people mask themselves in domestic bliss. Natalie Portman plays an actress who is arguably more of a predator than the woman she is researching, which is a wild tightrope to walk.

This is not for kids. It is for you, after they are asleep, when you want to feel a little bit sick but also deeply impressed by the craft. It is one of those rare films that gets better the more you talk about how messed up everyone in it is.

Age Fit

This is strictly for adults or very mature older teens (17+). It requires a level of emotional maturity to see past the 'romance' to the tragedy of arrested development.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

The plot centers on the fallout of a predatory relationship and psychological manipulation; it is the opposite of wholesome by design.

Imaginative

Todd Haynes uses brilliant meta-narrative techniques and camp aesthetics to explore truth and performance.

Safe

Deals with grooming, statutory rape, and intense emotional abuse. Not for children or young teens.

Enriching

A profound look at trauma, media consumption, and the ethics of storytelling. Highly intellectually stimulating.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Acting masterclass between two titans of the screen.
Chillingly accurate dissection of grooming and its long-term fallout on a family.
A breakout performance by Charles Melton that provides the movie's only real soul.
It is a deliciously uncomfortable meta-commentary on how we turn trauma into entertainment.

⚠

What to Watch For

The core relationship is between a woman and a man she groomed when he was 13; it is meant to make you squirm.
There is a sex scene that is more about psychological power dynamics than heat.
The 'camp' tone can be jarring—it feels like a soap opera and a tragedy at the same time.

Conversation Starters

"Why does Elizabeth feel like she needs to 'become' Gracie to understand her?"
"How does Joe's hobby with the butterflies represent his own life?"
"Who is the real villain here, or is everyone a victim of their own stories?"
"How does the media turn a crime into a 'romance'?"

Deep Dive

The Art of the Squirm

May December is loosely based on the Mary Kay Letourneau scandal, but it is not a biopic. It is a movie about the stories we tell ourselves to survive. Julianne Moore’s Gracie has spent 20 years pretending her relationship with Joe (Charles Melton) is a grand romance. Natalie Portman’s Elizabeth arrives to strip that away, not out of a sense of justice, but for her own career. It is a fight between two narcissists, and Joe is the collateral damage.

The genius of the film is in the details. The way Gracie talks to her adult children like they are rivals, the way Joe literally has the hobbies of a middle-schooler—raising butterflies—because that is when his development stopped. It is a heavy watch, but the camp elements, like the dramatic score and the intense mirror shots, keep it from being purely depressing.

If you are looking for a clear hero, you won't find one. But if you want to see three actors at the absolute top of their game deconstructing a tabloid nightmare, this is the gold standard. It is uncomfortable, it is mean, and it is impossible to look away from.