Max Keeble's Big Move

Movie review by Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Max Keeble's Big Move Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 6+

Slapstick humor and fun premise kids will love.

PG 2001 86 minutes
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Parents say

age 6+

Based on 6 reviews

Kids say

age 7+

Based on 10 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this movie has some crude humor, including a jockstrap, vomit, whacking someone in a sensitive area, and some schoolyard language. Kids do foolish and dangerous things, including riding a bicycle down cement steps, sucking helium, breaking into school at night, putting chemicals into a character's breath spray, and operating machinery. Kids are harassed by bullies in various ways, including a "swirlie." One of the bullies is black, but so is the friendly manager of the animal shelter.

Community Reviews

CarolinaRen
CarolinaRen Adult
June 19, 2009
age 8+

Crude, rude, disappointment. Total "garbage in.

We turned this movie off within the first half hour. The kids are RUDE, CRUDE and obnoxious ... it's not even funny. And they're just starting sixth grade? Unbelievable. Also, despite there being no sex, there is blatant sexuality, which I feel sends inappropriate message to young children who have not yet learned about the birds and bees. The main character has the hots for an very tall older girl, who sticks her chest way out and wiggles over to him ... and we turned it off when a female science teacher, with her hips swaying seductively, slinks to the cabinet to get a bottle of pheremones, "nature's dating service," she says in a deep, sexy voice with cartoonish sexy music playing in the background. That's just a little too much for my kids, who are just starting fifth, fourth and third grades.
3 people found this helpful.
Jace N
Jace N Adult
October 8, 2018
age 4+

Funny for all ages

I disagree with other reviews that this movie is for older kids. My younger ones enjoyed it and got some good laughs. There were two nut shots in which Max hit the Icecream man in the nuts and the principle had a squirrel bite his well..... nuts. Maybe this is what others are calling inappropriate but I don’t see anything wrong with this sort of humor
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Max Keeble (Alex D. Linz) is filled with hope on his first day of middle school, but things just refuse to go right. The school bully, who telegraphs each day's victim by emblazoning the name on his t-shirt, has selected Max as his starting point. His dream girl is a foot taller than he is and barely knows who he is. The animal shelter near the school is about to be shut down. An evil ice cream truck driver is after him. When Max finds out that his family is going to move to Chicago in just two days he is angry and sad until it occurs to him that this presents an opportunity for revenge without consequences. Before anyone can catch up with him, he'll be gone. Max and his friends Megan (Zena Gray) and "Robe" (Josh Peck) set up a variety of pranks and enjoy them very much. But then it turns out that Megan and Robe do not have the "plausible deniability" Max promised. And that Max is not moving after all.

Is It Any Good?

I smiled a couple of times and can even say I enjoyed myself, but MAX KEEBLE'S BIG MOVE is clearly a movie that no adult will ever be able to get the way a kid does. An adult is going to sit there and say, "Wait a minute! Why doesn't he just tell his parents?" or "No principal ever acted like that!" But a kid knows that none of that matters, any more than it mattered that no kid could ever string up the booby traps of "Home Alone." This movie is just for fun, and it fits the bill.

Kids all around me laughed happily at the slapstick humor, especially the scenes with the evil principal, Mr. Jindraike (Larry Miller) and the cafeteria food fight. They loved seeing the school's two bullies (one throws kids in the dumpster, one takes their money) get their just desserts. Lindz has a lot of personality and he keeps us rooting for Max.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about why some kids act like bullies and why other kids let them. Some adults can act like bullies, too. The movie makes it clear that Max's father has to learn how to deal with a bullying boss. What is the best way to respond to a bully? When should you ask adults for help? The janitor tells Max that "any kid can make a mess -- it takes a man to clean it up." And Max tells the kids that they should not bully the bullies when they get the chance because that would make them bullies, too. Families may want to discuss this in light of America's consideration of the response to terrorism.

Movie Details

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