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Parents' Guide to

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 18+

Teen-party slasher movie with drinking, drugs, sex.

Movie R 2013 91 minutes
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 1 parent review

wonder dove
wonder dove Adult
October 18, 2013
age 16+

Nothing special.

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane was an okay watch, but nothing special. I like Amber Heard and think she's a terrific actress, however the film was not that great in my opinion. The summary sounds better than it actually is. Mandy Lane (Heard) is liked and admired by all the boys, except she has nothing to show for it except a pretty face. She comes off rather boring because she doesn't talk much and she's shy, which is why I think she's most interesting to all the boys - she's the quiet, mysterious one that has no interest in anyone. Mandy is invited to a rowdy weekend party at a secluded ranch by her friends in a group of about 6 or 7. A security guard named Garth (Anson Mount) also works there. When strange occurrences start happening the first night, each person starts getting killed off one by one. The killer is rather predictable. The ending has a nice twist. Language has lots of cursing including plenty of f-words followed by harsh name calling type words. Violence is gory and includes bloody stabbings, gunshots, references to suicide, a character jumps off a roof that ends bloody, a human tooth covered in blood is found on a dirt road, gun shoved into person's mouth which chokes them then leads to a broken jaw, sick cattle are shot, eyes are slashed, a brutal beating in a pit of mud and carcasses is seen. Sexual content includes a topless teen, some bathing suit scenes, a girl gives a guy a hand job behind a newspaper, oral sex implied, girl in a bra and panties, some crude jokes throughout. Drugs include cocaine/pill snorting, pot smoking, prescription drug use and heavy drinking. Content is too harsh for under 17!

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

High schooler Mandy Lane (Amber Heard) doesn't drink, do drugs, or have sex, but is still an object of mystery and desire among boys. One young man invites her to a house party, and she agrees, but only if her best friend, the nerdy Emmet (Michael Welch) can come along. There, Emmet is involved with an accidental death, and Mandy stops speaking to him. Months later, she is invited to a weekend party on a ranch, which promises much drinking, drugs, and sex. She decides to go, and tries to stick to her personal values. An older, alluring ranch hand, Garth (Anson Mount), begins to throw things off balance within the group, and before long, strange things begin to happen, and dead bodies begin turning up. Will Mandy survive?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (4 ):

This movie is well-made, with more effort placed on building tension than on creating bloody payoffs. Director Jonathan Levine made his feature debut with this movie, and he has since gone on to make very entertaining movies like 50/50 and Warm Bodies. Like many others of his generation, he's clearly a horror fan and is paying tribute to a genre he loves.

The ending is fairly clever, but is not the story's major selling point. Rather, it's the Mandy Lane character who is the most interesting element. Traditionally, in slasher movies, the virginal girl is the "final girl," or the one who escapes punishment. Levine and screenwriter Jacob Forman create a character that's pure, but somehow still confident, alluring, and mysterious. She provides the counterpoint for everything else in the movie, and Amber Heard's considerable screen presence is a key factor. This could become a cult classic.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the movie's violence. What is the appeal of watching this kind of violence? Is there anything that you can't bear to watch? Why is that?

  • What is the appeal of horror movies involving teens? How are they different from movies about families or grown-ups? Who is the audience for movies like this?

  • Is Mandy Lane a good role model? Is she an admirable character because she refrains from teen sex, drinking, and smoking? Do you know anyone like her?

Movie Details

  • In theaters: October 11, 2013
  • On DVD or streaming: December 3, 2013
  • Cast: Amber Heard , Anson Mount , Whitney Able
  • Director: Jonathan Levine
  • Inclusion Information: Female actors, Bisexual actors
  • Studio: Radius TWC
  • Genre: Horror
  • Run time: 91 minutes
  • MPAA rating: R
  • MPAA explanation: strong disturbing violence, pervasive drug and alcohol use, sexuality/nudity and language - all involving teens
  • Last updated: March 3, 2022

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