A JOURNAL FOR JORDAN
An uplifting, patriotic story of love, loss, and remembrance — for adults only.
Should You Watch It?
A Journal for Jordan is a moving drama about love, family, honor, gratitude, and remembrance. It brings joy, laughter, and tears to a heartfelt story about a mother preserving her son’s connection to his father. The film also honors an American soldier’s sacrifice and pays tribute to Gold Star families.
Its Christian and moral worldview, patriotic moments, and strong performances give the film genuine value. But the content is not a small footnote. The movie includes 16 obscenities, 12 light exclamatory profanities, implied nudity, and a relationship that becomes sexual before marriage.
If you are a discerning adult who can engage those concerns, this is worth seeing; for children and young teens, choose something else.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESNew York Times reporter Dana Canedy tells her son, Jordan, how she met and fell in love with his father, First Sergeant Charles Monroe King. Their romance grows from a family Thanksgiving dinner into a relationship tested by war and separation.
As Dana and Charles prepare for the future, they begin writing the story of their family in a journal meant for Jordan. The journal will become a lasting gift of love, advice, and remembrance.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this film succeeds as a deeply moving drama. It is lovely and well acted, with equal amounts of joy, laughter, and tears. The story’s focus on love, family, honor, pride, gratitude, and remembrance gives its emotional moments real weight.
Directed by Denzel Washington, the film tells a heartfelt, patriotic story about coping with loss. Viewers will be greatly moved by the story it tells.
The Worldview
The film presents a strong Christian and moral worldview, with strong patriotic moments. Dana’s father has been transformed by Christ, and Charles is also a Christian. The movie includes scenes of prayer and references to God and Jesus.
It honors Charles King’s tragic sacrifice for his country and his men. It also serves as a tribute to Gold Star families who have suffered similar losses. The film values love, family, honor, gratitude, remembrance, and commitment.
At the same time, the positive worldview is marred by unbiblical and lawless behavior. Dana and Charles have sexual relations before marriage, and they have a baby before they marry. Their love and grief are treated with compassion, but the film does not present their choices as fully aligned with biblical sexual ethics.
The story’s longing for love, sacrifice, and remembrance points toward the value of self-giving love: “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements
Strong Christian, moral worldview with very strong patriotic content in a story about a couple that gets engaged and has a baby together, with scenes of prayer and references to God and Jesus, but the man dies in war before they tie the knot, so the movie’s positive worldview is marred by some unbiblical and antinomian, or lawless, behavior
Foul Language
16 obscenities (many “s” words) and 12 light exclamatory profanities (mostly OMG)
Violence
Woman watches on TV a large bomb explode where some American troop vehicles were traveling
Sex
A naked man and woman embrace and kiss but camera cuts away, implying fornication, engaged couple has a baby together before marriage (man dies during war, and they never do get married), couple starts kissing in bed, but woman breaks it off, and they go to sleep, and woman tells her boyfriend that her father cheated on her mother at one point, but the father seems to have changed his ways
Nudity
Rear and upper male nudity and implied full female and full male nudity in one scene when nude couple embraces (the woman’s explicit body parts are not visually revealed), plus upper male nudity in other scenes
Alcohol Use
Brief alcohol use
Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse
No tobacco smoking, but sister’s brother and sister are smoking marijuana outside when she goes to talk to them after a holiday dinner;
Miscellaneous Immorality
Engaged couple has two or so heated arguments about his commitment to his men.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Charles leaves Jordan a journal of love and advice. What words would you want your family to remember about the way you love them?
Deuteronomy 6:6–7 · Proverbs 22:6The film honors a soldier’s sacrifice for his country and his men. How does Scripture describe courageous, self-giving love?
John 15:13 · Philippians 2:3–4The story includes sex and a child before marriage. What does biblical faithfulness ask of a couple, and how can Christians respond with both truth and grace?
1 Thessalonians 4:3–5 · Ephesians 4:15Dana and Jordan face grief and remembrance together. Where can people turn when sorrow feels overwhelming?
Psalm 34:18 · 2 Corinthians 1:3–4The Final Word
A Journal for Jordan is a lovely, well-acted drama with a strong Christian and moral worldview, patriotic conviction, and a moving tribute to families who endure loss. Its foul language and sexual content make it unsuitable for children and young teens. For discerning adults, the answer is WORTH THE TRIP — ADULTS ONLY. For another family movie night, see.
