Parents' Guide to

According to Greta

By Sandie Angulo Chen, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Duff's take on a suicidal wild child is bland, forgettable.

Movie PG-13 2009 90 minutes
According to Greta Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 13+

Based on 5 parent reviews

erinphostene
erinphostene Adult
April 25, 2012
age 10+

Best movie ever

the best movie ever ross is so convincing and has a postive message. some scenes are a little two strong but the male lead stoped from having intercorse

This title has:

Great messages
Too much swearing
slala2
slala2 Adult
August 28, 2011
age 14+

good for families

Families can relate this movie to their lives. It shows how precious life really is and how important family is, life is and treating our family with respect is.

This title has:

Too much sex
See all 5 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Greta (Hilary Duff) is a rebellious, openly suicidal teenager forced to spend the summer with her grandparents Katherine (Ellen Burstyn) and Joseph (Michael Murphy) in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, a quaint beach town full of old Victorian homes and even older residents. Never apart from her journal, Greta keeps a bucket list of sorts, except they're all things she'd like to accomplish (get in a fistfight, lose her virginity) before she kills herself. After Greta talks her way into a gig as a waitress at a local seafood restaurant, she falls for a sweet-but-edgy chef's assistant Julie (Evan Ross). As they grow closer, Greta believes Julie is the perfect guy to take home to her grandparents, especially because he's African American and a reformed ex-con. Much to Greta's dismay, the earnest Julie wins over her grandparents, who know he's more together and ambitious (he wants to eventually open a restaurant) than their impetuous granddaughter. Once Greta admits she wants to commit suicide, Julie does his best to dissuade her and even informs her frustrated grandparents about her disturbing plan. Will Greta find the will to live?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (5):
Kids say (8):

Duff is by far the weakest link in this cast, and since she's the titular character, the movie ultimately falls flat. It's pretty disturbing when as a viewer you don't really care whether the protagonist offs herself or not; Greta is so unlikable and annoying that despite all of her narrated journal musings, she's so blase about suicide that you never once truly imagine her doing it. As Julie, Ross delivers a solid performance as the story's voice of reason, explaining to Greta that usually people who truly want to commit suicide just do it without necessarily informing everyone they know about their plans. Grandparents Burstyn and Murphy are such good actors, a much preferable movie would've switched the focus on their playful, still-passionate marriage as they deal with their off-putting, melodramatic granddaughter.

Melissa Leo cameos as Greta's mother, making it even more obvious how ACCORDING TO GRETA is like an unnecessary sequel to Georgia Rule (wild-child granddaughter -- check; stern but loving grandparents played by Academy Award winners -- check; well-heeled mother with husband troubles -- check). By the time the highly predictable, family-wide confrontation about Greta's dead father, her faux-suicidal tendencies, and her desperate need for structure and stability rolls around, it's hard not to imagine which former teen-star will tackle this exact role next. Amanda Bynes, don't do it!

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about suicide, in particular how Greta's father's death obviously impacted her own suicidal plans. What do you think about Greta's casual attitude about suicide? How does her attitude differ from Julie's, whose best friend did commit suicide?

  • How is Greta and Julie's romantic relationship depicted? Is it unbelievable that a guy would not accept his girlfriend's advances? What are the compelling reasons Julie refuses to have sex with Greta in that scene in her room?

  • Greta's grandparents ultimately help her in a way that her mom doesn't. How is the grandparent-grandchild relationship depicted?

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate