If there’s one thing that Sonny loves, it’s his wife, Maya. And, of course, his kids, Dash and Ava. He’s a stay-at-home dad while Maya works, and that’s completely fine with him. He thrives in his status as PTA president, and he spends his time volunteering wherever he can at his children’s school. Everything about his life revolves around his kids.
But while Sonny feels connected with his children, Maya feels a bit disconnected. She didn’t even know that Ava has been learning Mandarin for the last six months, for instance. That’s why Maya devises a plan that’ll help her reconnect with the kids and help Sonny get some time to himself.
“I’m thinking maybe I should take Dash and Ava for spring break, but by myself,” Maya says. “I need quality time with the kids; you could use time without them. You know, you could stay here and have a week to yourself.”
With a week to kill, Sonny doesn’t exactly know what to do. But then he remembers that his longtime best friend, Huck, is having his birthday party. Whereas Sonny grew up, got married and had kids, Huck is still single, still out there partying it up every year via increasingly crazy birthday celebrations.
That’s the exact type of crazy that Sonny believes will help him break out of his white-bread PTA-president life and inject a little bit of zany “me time” back into it.
If only he knew ahead of time just how crazy this celebration was about to get.
Though he can be overbearing, Sonny genuinely desires the best for his children; he wants them to be able to achieve their full potential. Eventually, he apologizes to his children for his at times domineering attitude. When Sonny makes other mistakes, he apologizes for them, too.
A character references karma. A boy sings Leonard Cohen’s song “Hallelujah.”
Most of the content concerns here come in the form of the movie’s rampant addiction to sex jokes or general sexual references.
Sonny and Huck make multiple references to looking for shows in Mexico that feature women engaged in bestiality with a donkey, and they talk about a donkey’s genitals. Now, if you’d like, you can probably stop right there in terms of the “comedy” vibe we’re talking about with this film. Because there’s plenty more where that came from.
A picture of the donkey’s anatomy is sent digitally and inadvertently seen by a young girl. Elsewhere, a scene involves Sonny’s wife and daughter catching him in his underwear while he’s about to start masturbating to porn. And Sonny tells his daughter that she could get a sex change one day if she chooses to do so.
Sonny’s friend Alan attempts to convince him to go to a strip club by telling him that it doesn’t count as cheating on his wife. Alan and Sonny also have a long conversation about masturbation. Later, Sonny goes to the strip club, and women are seen in lingerie. And then there’s more talk about masturbation.
Sonny talks about his genitals for some time. Sonny rubs a variety of other peoples’ possessions on his crotch and rear. Sonny also talks about Maya’s breasts with her. In one scene, Sonny and Maya kiss, and Sonny exposes his underwear onscreen and asks Maya if they’re going to have sex.
Huck incorrectly believes someone wants him to have sex with a tortoise, and he protests against that suggestion. Huck goes skinny dipping with a group, and we see Huck’s naked rear (along with very brief shots of other male and female rears). A bus has a naked photo of Huck on its top, though his genitals are censored.
A woman discusses having multiple one-night stands while lamenting that she can’t find anything more serious. A gay man talks about his partner, and a lesbian talks about her partner. A woman gives an erotic novel to Sonny.
People are seen in a jacuzzi in their underwear. A LEGO character is seen with male genitals. People are seen in swimsuits. Sonny’s wife wears a dress which reveals her cleavage. People grind on each other while dancing. A man mentions his business providing condoms to help India lower its STD rate.
Sonny gets hit by a flock of birds while wingsuiting, and he is also attacked by a mountain lion. Sonny stabs the mountain lion with an EpiPen. As a result of the attack, Sonny’s back has a deep, bloody claw wound.
A woman smashes Sonny’s finger with a hammer, and we see the swollen aftermath. The woman also burns a campsite to the ground. Sonny and Huck vandalize a house, and their driver accidentally runs over a tortoise.
Someone allegedly dumps dead bodies in a marina. A woman jumps off a gazebo and lands in bushes. A truck intentionally totals another car.
If we were told that there were more sentences in this movie containing swear words than there were without, we wouldn’t be surprised. The f-word is used six times, and the s-word is used around 35 times. “D-ck” is heard eight times, and “p-ssy” is used three times. “A–” and “b–ch” are both used prominently. “H—,” “d–n,” “p-ss” and “t-ts” are also heard.
God’s name is misused nearly 70 times, and seven of those are in the form of “g-dd–n.” Jesus’ name is inappropriately used once. A character displays his middle finger. A hashtag reads “#LetsGetHuckedUp.”
People drink alcohol at various parties and events. At one point, people are seen drunkenly dancing. Huck references a drinking spree with a previous client. Alan snorts his son’s ADHD medication, and Sonny asks him if it is cocaine. There’s a brief mention to hemp milk (noted because its ingredient comes from the same plant used to produce marijuana, though it should be noted that the milk is made from the seeds, which do not cause drug-related effects).
Sonny slips on tortoise droppings. Sonny projectile vomits. Sonny defecates in a man’s bed, and we see the result onscreen. Sonny and Huck urinate in a pool. Sonny gives CPR to a tortoise, and he exclaims that he got the animal’s “boogers” in his mouth. Sonny passes gas excessively. A boy jokes about urination. A man commits insurance fraud.
When you’ve got a day to yourself, what’s your typical “me time” routine look like?
For the characters in director John Hamburg’s Me Time, it looks like total self-gratification. As the majority of the film would have viewers believe, the purpose of life is to maximize pleasure and party—and any consequences should be ignored.
That’s why they all make fun of Sonny for being actively involved in the lives of his children. They describe time away from the family as “every man’s dream.” And being a devoted parent? That’s akin to a “prison system.” Sure, love is great and all, but the moment it requires you to sacrifice any personal pleasure whatsoever, pfft, throw it right out the window—it’s all about me, no matter how it affects other people.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the movie’s content reflects that hedonistic philosophy—especially when it comes to the dozens of sexual references that make up the bulk of the film’s tired, adolescent attempts at comedy.
Sure, a couple characters might have to come to terms with the effects their actions have on themselves and on others. But there are plenty of others who don’t—the same characters who mock others for caring about their families.
If there’s anything Me Time can teach us, it’s just how selfish people can become when they wholeheartedly pursue self-glorification. That said, no one needs to see a movie like this one to ponder that kernel of truth, one that’s mostly buried under a heaping pile of nastiness here.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
