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Love Don't Cost a Thing

(2003, Rated PG-13, Comedy, Starring Nick Cannon, Kenan Thompson, Christina Milian)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 17, age appropriate for kids over 99; suggested age 16.
  • Is it any good?

    1.0
  • Common Sense says

    Missed opportunity full of dubious messages.

Why We Rated This off for Ages 16 and Under

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Young men are repeatedly told that they should be players, not respecting their female counterparts as people but seeing them instead as objects. Some crude humor.
  • Violence:

    Tense and uncomfortable scenes.
  • Sex:

    Some crude sexual references. A father pressures his son to have sex.
  • Language:

    Some strong language.
  • Consumerism:

    Owning brand-name merchandise is very important for popularity.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    References to drug use.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Love Don't Cost a Thing

Parents need to know that there are plenty of flinch-inducing situations including one where Al's father pressures his son to have sex without any regard to his son's emotional maturity or to the strength of the relationship his son might have. The most painful of these scenes involves Mr. Johnson demonstrating how to put a condom on a bottle with one hand while keeping the attention of an imaginary girlfriend. Young men are repeatedly told that they should be "players", not respecting their female counterparts as people but seeing them instead as objects. Finally, the movie seems to buy into a high school notion of merit, with a person's worth measured by who they are dating and which expensive labels they wear.

Read our full review by Nell Minow

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Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about Paris' view on popularity. They might also want to discuss why Paris was unable to express her aspiration to be more than "an NBA wife" and why her friends might resist the idea of her wanting to be something beyond their ken, such as becoming a songwriter. How does the relationship between Alvin and his father change over the course of the movie?

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 3.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content

    THIS MOVIE ASHOES CONDOMS

  2. Teen Reviewer Age 17
    Lives in Oregon
    I rate this title off for age 2 and give it 0.0

    bad

    this is a really bad movie for kid to watch and i don't think anyone the age of 17 should watch this movie. and the 1st one was better

  3. Adult Reviewer
    Lives in Massachusetts
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 3.0

    LOVE DON'T COST A THING

    Being a fan of cutsey teen films and gross outs (i.e. AMERICAN PIE), thought this movie was cute and interesting. But I was absolutley appaled by a PG-13 rating on a film that has references to sex, men beinging "playas", and the worst part: a father showing his son how to put a condom on while keeping your girlfriends interest to have sex(WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). I expected this to be lighthearted, but in return I got an R-Rated, Sexfest, Sean John commercial.

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