Ass Backwards

Name: Ass Backwards
Item: Ass Backwards
Rating: 1
Author: Jeffrey M. Anderson

Movie review by

Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media

Common Sense says

age 17+

(i)

Language and edgy humor in dumb beauty-pageant spoof.

NR
2013
85 minutes

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age 10+

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Official trailer

Ass Backwards

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A lot or a little?

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

Positive Messages

In the midst of all the stupidity, there is a message about the falseness of beauty pageants, and how we should not rely on others to feel good about ourselves.

Positive Role Models & Representations

The characters here are supremely dumb and totally deluded, for the sake of humor.

Violence

Sex

No sexual situations, aside from some awkward kissing, but the movie has some sexual innuendo. The characters are briefly seen from behind, at a distance, peeing on a sidewalk. One character plays a kind of "cage dancer" in a club, though she doesn't strip. The other is a professional egg donor. A minor character admits to being a sex addict. A topless woman is shown dancing with black tape over her nipples. The song "I Touch Myself" is heard.

Language

"F--k" or "f---ing" are used several times, as well as "s--t." "God" and "Jesus" are used a few times as exclamations. We also hear "bitch," "damn it," and "c--ksucker" -- and of course, the title.

Consumerism

Craigslist is mentioned, and a soda machine stocked with Pepsi and Mountain Dew is shown.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

One of the main characters takes hormone injections with hypodermic needles. In one scene, she gives them up and drops her purse among a group of children. They pick up the hypo needles and look puzzled. A minor character, a reality TV star, is said to be a meth addict. He is shown smoking -- and drinking whisky -- in one scene.

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Ass Backwards is a crass comedy written by and starring June Diane Raphael and Casey Wilson. The characters are incredibly dim hopefuls in a beauty pageant, and through all the silliness, there is a brief message about how women should not rely on others to decide how beautiful they are. Language is the major issue, with many uses of "f--k," "s--t," and a use of "c--ksucker," as well as exclamatory mentions of "God" and "Jesus." There's some very mild, brief nudity, and some sexual innuendo. One character is a "cage dancer" in a club and another takes hormone shots with hypodermic needles (her needles fall into the hands of some dismayed children in one shot). A minor character is said to be a sex addict and a meth addict. He is shown smoking meth and drinking whisky in one scene.

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Kid, 11 years old January 2, 2014

age 10+

apropiate for kids or not

this movie has a good amount of language and very little sexual content and in one seen do drugs. I think this movies apropiate for kids from the age of 10 +

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What's the story?

Kate (June Diane Raphael) and Chloe (Casey Wilson) are best friends living in New York. Kate makes a living as an egg donor, and Chloe works as a dancer in a glass cube at a nightclub, but they kid themselves about how well they're doing. They're both haunted by losing a beauty pageant as girls, so when they hear about an anniversary pageant, they hit the road to enter it, and try to undo history. Of course, they have several misadventures and meet several colorful characters before they finally arrive at the pageant. But can they undo the mistakes of their past, and if not, will it matter?

Is it any good?

Comediennes June Diane Raphael and Casey Wilson wrote the screenplay for ASS BACKWARDS, their first since the horrendous Bride Wars -- and they have not shown improvement. This time they star as two very dumb characters, and the movie's one joke is that they don't quite realize how pathetic they are. This kind of joke could work if the characters were charming and had the ability to win over other characters, but these women remain stupid and annoying throughout. No one likes them, and for good reason.

The movie actually opens and closes with the friends peeing on the sidewalk, which says volumes. (They use the lazy writer's technique of starting the movie with a flash-forward to an exciting scene, rather than the actual opening, which is rather dull and unfunny.) For some reason Jon Cryer, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Alicia Silverstone signed on for this, and even they can't generate any laughs. The movie's only benefit is a last-minute commentary on beauty pageants.

Talk to your kids about ...

Families can talk about the nature of beauty pageants. What are the good and bad aspects of beauty pageants? What do the characters learn here?
What does the movie have to say about female body image?
Since the two lead actresses wrote the movie and their own roles, what positive female attributes (or negative stereotypes) can be seen? What's funny about characters that are not very smart?