Parents' Guide to Bart Got a Room

Less crass than some of its peers, and with a warmth and sense of nostalgia, this coming-of-age comedy will likely appeal to older adults as much as younger teens. The titular Bart in Bart Got a Room barely features—it's Kaplan's Danny and his relatable obsession with comparing himself to others and trying to work his way up the social pecking order that fuels much of the cringeworthy chaos here. His relationship with his father (Macy) is particularly sweet and funny—reminiscent of the Levensteins in American Pie—a clueless and embarrassing dad trying his very best to guide his equally clueless and embarrassed son through adolescence. There's also a hint of Superbad in the setup of the film and the obsessive underdog quest to make everything perfect for one mythical, life-changing night that could alter the characters' high school narrative. The film counts down the months, weeks, days, and then hours to the prom, as Danny gets increasingly desperate, and while the ending is predictable and a touch sentimental—and the story certainly isn't short on stereotypes—this is a feel-good movie that has gone largely overlooked.