Jamie Kennedy's Blowin' Up - TV-14
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Common Sense Note
Parents should know that this partially scripted "reality" series is rife with bleeped-out curses. What's more, star Jamie Kennedy and his sidekick are pretty irreverent, and their actions border on rude and unprofessional. Most of this is done with the intention of getting laughs, but given that the series -- which is, at heart, a mockumentary -- is presented as a reality show, some of the comedy might be lost on viewers. The rap/hip-hop community and culture is satirized non-stop.
Families can discuss why it's important to treat friends and colleagues with respect. When is it OK to joke, and how do you fix things when you've crossed the line? Parents can help kids figure out the best way to achieve their goals. Families can also talk about the nature of the show. How much of what you see do you think is actual reality, and how much was scripted? Does it matter which is which?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Lucy Maher
In MTV's JAMIE KENNEDY'S BLOWIN' UP, the actor and his sidekick, Stu Stone, troll the streets of Los Angeles in search of a record deal.
Fans will recognize Kennedy from his work on the Scream movies, as well as Malibu's Most Wanted (also a hip-hop parody) and his TV show, The Jamie Kennedy Experiment. In Blowin' Up, he takes viewers behind the scenes as he attempts to kickstart a hip-hop career. To this end, he and Stone take meetings with top music producers and artists such as Method Man, Bow Wow, and Ice T, hoping to land a recording contract. (Plenty of other famous faces crop up, too, from George Lucas to Mena Suvari to Tracy Morgan.)
With this half-hour mix of reality and scripted laughs, Kennedy joins C-list stars such as Tori Spelling and Blink 182's Travis Barker in self-promotion under the guise of entertainment. Hip-hop fans and those obsessed with celebrities might find Blowin' Up amusing, but parents tuning in with kids might wonder why MTV devoted even five minutes to this inane show. Even though it's obvious Kennedy is playing up his naiveté for laughs, he comes across as a dim bulb unable to hold his own among music's heavy hitters.
Fans of Blowin' Up might want to check out The Shop and So NoTORIous (Spelling's show, which is a similar mix of comedy and reality).
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentSongs make references to female body parts; scantily clad men and women; "caught on tape" footage of star in bed with women. |
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LanguageMany curses are bleeped out. Un-bleeped language includes "ass," "twerp," and "moron." |
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Social BehaviorThe stars goof off and don't seem to take achieving their goal seriously -- which is part of the joke, but still sends a mixed message. |
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