 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Malibu's Most Wanted
- Review Date: September 7, 2003
- PG-13
- Genre: Comedy
- 2003
Common Sense Media says
Dumb movie, but some funny moments for teens.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the questionable material in this movie is relatively mild for the genre. We see a man lying down with two women, but fully clothed and doing nothing more than kissing. A couple appears to be engaged in oral sex but really is not. The only nudity is a glimpse of some tush clevage. There is comic peril, including a lot of gunplay, but no one is hurt. Characters use bad language, but nothing as raunchy as in real rap songs.
What's the story?
MTV's Jamie Kennedy plays Brad Gluckman, son of a wealthy man (Ryan O'Neal) who is running for governor. Brad and his friends are posers (sometimes known as wiggers) who adopt the clothing, slang, and outlook of black rappers from the poorest and most violent communities. He insists on being called B-Rad, and has made a demo album called "Mali-booty." This is an embarrassment to the campaign, so the candidate's political advisor (Blair Underwood) hires two classically trained actors to pretend to be real gangstas and "scare the black out of" Brad and turn him back into acting like Richie Cunningham (from television's "Happy Days"). The actors (Taye Diggs and Anthony Anderson), despite the fact that rap style is even more foreign to them than it is to residents of Malibu.
Is it any good?
Yes, MALIBU'S MOST WANTED is dumb and yes, it's a 15-minute skit stretched out to 80 minutes, but I have to admit it -- it is very funny. Subtle and sophisticated are not terms that belong anywhere near this movie, but I have to say that compared to the numbingly formulaic "black people teach white people about how much more there is to life" themes of recent films like Bringing Down the House and Head of State, this movie is more even-handed and generous-hearted. And unlike those other movies, it has enough confidence and respect for the audience to put some of its best jokes in throwaway lines instead of spotlighting them with everything but a drum roll.
The relationship between Diggs and Anderson's characters is deliciously loopy as they evaluate each others' performances in the midst of complete catastrophe. Snoop Dog makes a surprise appearance that only those who can recognize his voice will catch. And if the movie's final message is, "Be yourself, even if that self is a talentless poser whose appreciation of another culture is all-encompassing," at least that message is kind of sweet.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about why people are drawn to other cultures and when it is possible to "be yourself" by immersion in a culture that is not your own. There is a long tradition of white performers co-opting the music and humor of ethnic performers. How do the themes of this movie relate, for example, to "8 Mile," starring and inspired by Eminem, a white rapper?
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AGE
amazing
its a funny movie for the whole family
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AGE
hilarous
this is a hilarious movie about wiggers that duznt ruin itself w/ a corny ending.
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AGE
R Material
So much bad language. Some drinking. Lots of shooting guns, car smashes into a house. Making out, checking out body parts, brad fantasises about liking a womens brests.
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AGE
I think it is a great movie. I think any age child can watch it as long as you let them know that the things in the movie are not real but are just make believe.Same with any movie so don't be snobby parents and keep your kids from exploring and learning about the world because everything can be translated into a positive message or image.So stop holding your kids back and let them learn.
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| Studio: | Warner Bros. |
| Director: | John Whitesell |
| Cast: | Blair Underwood, Jamie Kennedy, Ryan O'Neal |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 100 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | April 18, 2003 |
| DVD release date: | September 9, 2003 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | sexual humor, language and violence. |
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