 | 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. |
Sydney White
- Review Date: January 21, 2008
- PG-13
- Genre: Comedy
- 2007
Common Sense Media says
Tween star hits college; drinking, hazing ensue.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this take on Snow White is tween favorite Amanda Bynes' most mature movie to date. She's as sweet and down-to-earth as always, but the film's focus on college Greek life includes drinking (one character is applauded for breaking a "keg stand" record) and catty "mean girl" behavior (hazing, cruel put downs, and more). Characters use words like "bitch," "ass," and "ho"; there's some kissing, flirting, and innuendo; and characters obsess about the school's online "Hot or Not" list. All of that said, the movie's messages about accepting people for who they are and being yourself are on target for tweens and young teens.
What's the story?
A modern take on the classic fairy tale about a jealous queen, a displaced princess, and seven quirky guys living together in the woods, SYDNEY WHITE follows tomboy Sydney (Amanda Bynes) as she leaves for college, determined to follow in her deceased mom's footsteps and pledge Kappa Phi Nu sorority. And pledge she does -- much to the dismay of ice queen chapter president Rachel Witchburn (Sara Paxton), who takes an instant dislike to Sydney when she sees "her" guy, Tyler Prince (Matt Long), flirting with the newcomer. Rachel vows to make Sydney's life miserable, and she does it so well that Sydney ends up out in the rain with nowhere to go ... except the ramshackle house known as The Vortex, which seven sci-fi-loving "freaks" call home. The guys -- allergy-prone (aka "Sneezy") Lenny (Jack Carpenter), eager Tiger Scout (aka "Dopey") George (Arnie Pantoja), angry blogger (aka "Grumpy") Gurkin (Danny Strong), cheerfully sex-obsessed (aka "Happy") Spanky (Samm Levine), jet-lagged (aka "Sleepy") Embele (Donté Bonner), shy puppet wielder (aka "Bashful") Jeremy (Adam Hendershott), and mad-scientist-in-training (aka "Doc") Terrence (Jeremy Howard) -- don't have much experience with girls, but Sydney's frank nature and positive outlook win them over, and soon she's urging them to run against Rachel for Student Council and really make a difference. Meanwhile, Sydney gives Rachel a run for her money on the school's online "Hot or Not" list, turns her fellow Kappa pledges on to the pleasures of eating a real breakfast, embarks on a tentative relationship with Tyler, and beams perkily in almost every situation.
Is it any good?
There's a reason Amanda Bynes is beloved by tweens everywhere. She's down-to-earth, funny, and cute as a button -- plus, she actually looks like a real person, rather than a stick-thin waif. She puts her abundant charm to good use as Sydney in this fairy tale update that is clever and amusing in spots and overly precious and cutesy in others.
Sydney White's story is hardly groundbreaking, and the stereotyped characterizations get a bit old -- in addition to the shallow, blond sorority sisters and Klingon-fluent nerds, the movie presents a parade of single-note student groups (the ROTC kids are buff and stoic, the Jewish kids all have side-curls and dance the horah, etc.) -- but the movie has its moments. Some of the Snow White references are funny, if verging on crude (like when the Vortex gang marches past Rachel in a line, greeting her with a chorus of "hi, ho"s), and the cast is genuinely appealing. Tweens who are used to seeing Bynes in movies like What a Girl Wants may not be quite prepared for Sydney White's boisterous fraternity party scenes or the Kappa sisters' cruel pledge hazing, but teens who've grown up with the star since her days on All That and The Amanda Show may have just found their new favorite slumber party movie.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about who this movie is targeted at. Do you think filmmakers intend for Bynes' legion of tween fans to watch this college-centric comedy? If so, why do you think they included strong language and drinking? If not, who is the target audience? Kids: What made you want to see this movie -- the story? The cast? The ads you saw on TV? Is that what you think college is really like? Would you want to join a fraternity or sorority based on what you saw in this movie? Why or why not?
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AGE
Another great Amanda Bynes movie!
Okay, some of the stuff may not be totally appropriate, but it isn't a bad movie, especially for PG13. I've probably seen it about 3 or 4 times, and the laughs never get old. I'd recommend it for any family with tween girls!!
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AGE
:)
THis is my all time favorite move! its laugh out loud funny
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AGE
love it
the bad stuff: sexy stuff and references, kissing, mean attitude, language, consumerism
the good stuff: positive role models,
the movie: it was great, i rented it twice on my ipad. Off for ages 9 and under, iffy for ages 10 and 11, on for ages 12 and up.
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AGE
Great!
Great Movie one of my favs some sexual content but not too bad. Lanuage isn't to bad lots of brand names like prada channel and gucci. The "keppas" are very bad role models ( mainly their leader Rachel witchburn) but the main message is to be yourself and embrace the geek in all of us.
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| Studio: | Universal Pictures |
| Director: | Joe Nussbaum |
| Cast: | Amanda Bynes, Matt Long, Sara Paxton |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 100 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | September 20, 2007 |
| DVD release date: | January 22, 2008 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | some language, sexual humor and partying. |
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