CODA: parents' guide
Best for ages 13 and up. Rated PG-13 for strong sexual content and language, and drug use.
A heartfelt coming-of-age drama for teens watching with a parent, with more crude content than its sweet reputation suggests. Ruby, the only hearing member of a deaf fishing family, must choose between helping them and pursuing music. Her family's humor is frank: Ruby and a friend overhear her parents' loud sex with some movement visible, her parents mime condom use while grilling her boyfriend, and sexual jokes are common. Expect an f-word and many s-words, often signed, plus a dad who smokes a joint. Those elements are why we suggest 13.
What's in it
Violence
ModerateA brief bar fight with hard punches leaves a man with a black eye. A tense Coast Guard boarding, family shouting matches and classmates mocking Ruby round it out. No serious injuries.
Language
ModerateOne f-word and around 15 s-words by one count, with another guide counting more than 30 obscenities overall, along with insults and a few misuses of God's name. Much of it is signed and shown in subtitles.
Sex and nudity
ModerateRuby and a friend overhear her parents having loud sex, with some movement visible. Ruby's adult brother and her high school friend make out in a bar, clearly heading toward sex. Graphic signed talk about condoms, jock itch and anatomy, crude jokes, and shirtless men.
Drinking, drugs and smoking
StrongRuby's father smokes a joint in public, insisting it is medical, and someone mentions smoking a bowl. Adults drink beer and wine, several people smoke cigarettes, and an underage character works in a bar.
Scary or intense scenes
MildA tense moment at sea when authorities board the family boat, plus emotional family conflict over Ruby's future. Nothing frightening for teens.
Sensitive topics
- Bullying
Worth talking about
Ruby feels torn between duty to her family and her own dreams. Ask your teen how families can support each other without one person giving up everything.
On our lists
Similar picks around 13+
Checked October 13th, 2026 against Common Sense Media, Plugged In, the MPA, Wikipedia, movieguide.org. The age is our judgment, not an official rating, and every family draws its lines differently: read the notes, not just the number. Spotted something we missed? Tell us. How we rate.