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Free Style

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 8, age appropriate for kids over 11; suggested age 11.

  • Is it any good?

    2.0

  • Common Sense says

    Teen motocross fan aims big in well-meaning but so-so drama.

Themes in this movie include:   family relationships, friendship, growing up, peer pressure

Why We Rated This on for Ages 11 and Up

The good stuff

  • Messages:

    A young man works around the clock to support his family and achieve his dreams of motocross victory. It's not always easy, but he soldiers on and learns some important lessons.

  • Role models:

    The main character, Cale, is a hardworking teen who's genuinely supportive of his mom and sister. He carries a load that’s probably heavier than most other teens, working long hours to help pay the bills and barely having time for his motocross passion. Other role models are a more mixed bag -- Cale's mother, though devoted, may have lied about something big, and his father is MIA. And Cale's steady girlfriend seems to look down on him for not having a clear path to financial success.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Two friends have a shoving fight, and rivals on the track perform dangerous stunts to outrace each other. A teen damages another person's car in a moment of rage and gets in trouble with the cops. Also some taunting between competitors.

  • Sex:

    Couples kiss. Some close dancing at a teen party. Lots of flirting.

  • Language:

    A few words like “dumba--“ come up, but otherwise it’s fairly clean.

  • Consumerism:

    Lots of motocross logos prominently featured, including Kawasaki and Honda.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    There's some underage drinking at a party the main character delivers pizza to (and then proceeds to walk around while looking for someone), but he doesn't partake.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Free Style

Parents need to know that coming-of-age sports drama Free Style is grittier than what tweens and teens who "met" star Corbin Bleu through the hit High School Musical movies might expect. Although there’s little swearing ("dumba--" is as strong as it gets) and the romance is pretty tame (expect a bit of kissing and flirting), there's a brief scene of underage drinking, and the themes are more mature than tween-targeted Disney fare -- including financial struggles, family and friendship stress, and the challenges that can come with being biracial. The motocross races have a fair bit of action, with the main character and his rival performing some dangerous stunts in an effort to outdo each other.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about whether Cale’s predicament -- and his goal -- seems realistic. What do you think you'd do in a similar situation?
  • Is the film’s depiction of teen relationships accurate? How does it compare to the version you've seen in movies like High School Musical?
Tools and tips that can help

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    golder
    I rate this title on for age 6 and give it 1.0

    why not

    sure

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  2. Parent Reviewer
    chrrr
    I rate this title on for age 8 and give it 2.0

    yes

    ok

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate

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