By S. Jhoanna Robledo , based on child development research. How do we rate?
Crude, boorish comedy doesn't make the grade.
Parents need to know that this crude comedy -- which may be on older tweens' and younger teens' radar thanks to star Drake Bell of hit TV show Drake & Josh -- is a non-stop parade of boorish behavior, inebriation, and sex. Young men obsess about sex and ogle women (who mostly come across as window…
Plenty of randy content, including lesbian hookups, topless girls on parade (onl
Drinking, Drugs & SmokingPlenty of drinking and some drug use. Drinking is portrayed as cool and perhaps
Four-letter words galore, including "d-ck," "s--t," "f-
Violence & ScarinessFraternity brothers haze newcomers by slapping them, hitting them, shooting at t
Products & PurchasesSome signage for the university, cereal boxes, and a few other products, but not
Teens lie their way into a party- and sex-filled weekend. It's outright bacc
Plenty of randy content, including lesbian hookups, topless girls on parade (only sometimes wearing pasties), hand gestures signaling masturbation, men shown pleasuring themselves under covers, quick cuts to a man enjoying a blow-up doll, couples simulating sex, deep kisses, oral sex referenced through body movements, strippers, and more.
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Plenty of drinking and some drug use. Drinking is portrayed as cool and perhaps even a way to be popular. Keggers are the raison d'etre here, and underage kids are shown imbibing in many different ways (playing "quarters" beer bongs, etc.). Lots of depictions of various stages of inebriation. Some characters openly smoke weed, and both teens and adults get high inhaling nitrous oxide balloons.
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Four-letter words galore, including "d-ck," "s--t," "f--k," and multiple variations on them. Also lots of use of "bitch" and "ass."
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Fraternity brothers haze newcomers by slapping them, hitting them, shooting at them with paintball guns, humiliating them verbally and physically, throwing them into pig excrement, and forcing them into strange sexual situations. Some screaming among friends.
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Teens lie their way into a party- and sex-filled weekend. It's outright bacchanalia: Men and women hook up at the drop of a hat, with both opposite and same-sex partners. Some homophobic jokes, as well as sexist ones.
Parents need to know that this crude comedy -- which may be on older tweens' and younger teens' radar thanks to star Drake Bell of hit TV show Drake & Josh -- is a non-stop parade of boorish behavior, inebriation, and sex. Young men obsess about sex and ogle women (who mostly come across as window dressing). There's plenty of nudity -- big-breasted women (some in pasties) and men's behinds -- as well as crude sexual jokes (topics include sex toys and masturbation) and tons of swearing. Drinking seems to be the only thing there is to do at universities; underage characters swill alcohol constantly, and one character praises a girl by saying she "drinks like a college girl." Characters also smoke weed and inhale nitrous oxide. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
College
Official trailer
Based on 3 parent reviews
79awesome Parent of 6, 15, 15 and 16-year-old August 22, 2013Kevin Brewer (Drake Bell) is a straight-arrow high school senior who gets dumped by his excitement-seeking girlfriend. So when a classmate regales Kevin and his friends -- loudmouth Carter (Andrew Caldwell) and geeky Morris (Kevin Covais, of American Idol fame) -- with tales of a wild weekend at Fieldmont University, he decides it's the perfect opportunity to let loose, too, and perhaps make his ex jealous. Never mind that they're supposed to be touring the college for educational purposes, and that Morris is due for an interview with the dean so he can seal a scholarship offer.
Obnoxious to the core, COLLEGE is a medley of cliches about university life. Make no mistake: The charming stars of Nickelodeon's beloved Drake & Josh are both clearly trying to shirk their wholesome alter-egos. But at least Josh Peck took on the intriguing (if flawed) indie The Wackness. Bell, on the other hand, is stuck in this crude morass. The cliches begin with the evil fraternity president and his equally loathsome buddies who abuse the three friends beyond belief (their methods include making the guys clean feces-encrusted toilets; forcing them to drink shots from a hairy, naked, fraternity brother; taping one of them naked to a statue; throwing them nearly naked into a sty soon to be invaded by stampeding pigs; and much more). Then there's the trio of ladies who see past the guys' gawky high-schoolness and desperate need to fit in and fall in love with them. And there's the pivotal moment when they exact vengeance. (Wasn't there a movie about this already called Revenge of the Nerds?)
All of that said, the three leads are amiable enough, especially Bell, who has an ease about him that has always worked for his characters. Covais (dubbed Chicken Little in his Idol run) is surprisingly deft. And though Caldwell sometimes overdoes his schtick -- he's clearly (and often painfully) doing an imitation of Jack Black or Chris Farley -- the guy does have a way with the punchlines. But the actors all deserve a better movie, one that doesn't rely on tired shorthand to capture the insanity -- not inanity -- of college life.
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
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