GOOD BOYS PARENT MOVIE REVIEW
I planned on totally hating this movie with my every being. But dang it, Seth Rogen, for all the ways you #@^%! me off, I still can’t quit you. I laughed. I hate myself for that admission, but the movie had some heart underneath all the crap. Good Boys Parent Movie Review will help you decide if your kids should see this one. TL:DR version: they should NOT.
Table of Contents
About Good Boys
Three sixth grade boys who’ve been BFFs since kindergarten need to learn more about kissing before they attend their first big middle school party. Through a series of events, they are chased by teen girls who want their drugs back, skip school, use sex toys as weapons, and finally end up learning a little about growing up.
Rated R
Runtime: 89 Minutes
Good Boys Review
So… this movie. Conflicted is the best way to describe how I felt leaving the theater after Good Boys.
Because I laughed a lot and I feel terrible for admitting that. There are so many issues with making movies like this- while not marketed for kids, it does hold an appeal to them and some parents might actually think this is ok. And I wish that just wasn’t the case.
When I saw the trailer a few months ago, my first thoughts were: WHY?!
Why was this allowed to be made?
Why were parents allowing their TALENTED children- CHILDREN!!!- to be in this awful movie?
And honestly, Seth Rogen, why do you gotta be this way all. the. time? And why are you bringing kids into this mess?
But I wanted to see it and give it a shot – or at least have something to really rant and tear into this summer.
Here’s the thing: there was a surprising amount of heart in this extremely crass movie. Heart and laughter and lessons and love and, dang it, Seth. WHY.
If we can look past the language (um, over 50 uses of the F word and I know I missed a ton) and some of the sight gags (gags- literally- with sex toys that make the kids retch) then this movie has a good story to tell.
And I do think you could have taken out most of the language, all of the sex and sex toys references, and still have a hilarious and charming movie that would appeal to a bigger market. And hey, some kids might have been able to see it as well.
But.
All of that is in this movie and it’s played out on screen with kids who are 11-years-old and that is where the biggest problem lies.
When the kids act like children, it’s a great movie. But when they are being frat boys- it’s just gross. I can’t get past their ages and I really hope you can’t either.
My reaction to this movie is exactly the same reaction that the cop gives in the convenience store. A big fat eye roll.
Good Boys Movie Review On The No-Guilt Fangirls Podcast
When Can You Pee During Good Boys?
One of the best things I can say about Good Boys is that it’s pretty short. If you go into this and decide it’s really not your thing, just know that it is over quickly.
Even if it feels like forever.
But if you need to run and pee during Good Boys, here are the best times to do so without missing too much of the action.
- When the kids first try to get the drone back around 21 minutes in
- When they decide to skip school in the bathroom around 30 minutes in
- When the drone lands and Dad calls around 60 minutes into the movie
Are Their End Credit Scenes in Good Boys?
Nope, not in this one.
Which I was surprised to see. There had to be plenty of bloopers and cut scenes to add in here (and, yeah, I hate myself but I would have watched them.)
Good Boys Parent Movie Review
I’m sure no one is over here thinking Good Boys is kid-friendly. But just how bad was it?
Oh, it’s bad.
Sex toys- if your kids don’t know what these are, they will see them and have questions. If you let your kiddo watch this one, be prepared to answer them.
Language- off the charts. Like, Shaft levels use of the F word. But not by Samuel L. Jackson but by adorable 11-year-olds. So. Nope.
Sexual Scenes- no one gets naked on screen but we talk a lot about sex in this movie. And a “CPR Dummie” aka- a blow-up sex doll- does flash a bare boob.
Underage drinking- “sips of beer” record (3 sips, by the way)
Drug use- yup. There was a lot of focus on the teen girls and their need to score drugs for a concert and ugh, nope.
Bottom line: no one needs to let their kids see this one. 17 and up, parents! Don’t make me judge you.
Rating: 6.5 (look, there were some great acting and a lot of heart underneath all the crap so I can’t HATE it!)
Patty Holliday is a parent movie reviewer, writer, and podcaster living in the Washington, DC area. Her goal is to bridge the gap between casual fandom and picky critic with parent movie and television reviews. As a lifelong fangirl and pop culture connoisseur, she’s been creating online since 2009. You can find her work at No-Guilt Disney.com, No-Guilt Fangirl.com, No-Guilt Life, and as host of the top-rated No-Guilt Disney Podcast.