Parents' Guide to

Beastly

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Lackluster romance is heavy on lessons about superficiality.

Movie PG-13 2011 95 minutes
Beastly Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 13+

Based on 15 parent reviews

age 13+

Cute teeny-bopper fantasy flick!

I already knew this was going be a cheesy made-for-TV chick flick by viewing the trailer but I still wanted to see it. It wasn't that bad for a teen fantasy story about love and acceptance, but it still felt corny to watch as a young adult. Yes, I do think most tweens and some teens would like this. Mary-Kate's character was just too laughable. Vanessa Hudgen's character felt weak and Alex Pettyfer's monstrous character was probably the most realistic. I did however, like the messages throughout about what you put out there will come back at you, loving and accepting yourself and those around you. Treating others how you would like to be treated...etc. so I scored it 3 stars! Would I recommend it to teens? Absolutely. Violence includes an off-screen shooting which kills a man. Lots of arguments. Some bullying at a school. Sexual content has a guy seen shirtless a few times, some innocent kissing by couples and flirting. Language consists of some common curse words but I do not recall any "f" words used. A scene at a party with underage drinking (nothing wild). Also a reference to witchcraft used for good/learning purposes. Okay for 13 and up!!

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much sex
Too much swearing
age 14+

14 and up.

this science fiction love romance movie stars with Vanessa Hudgens beastly is an average science fiction romance movie that talks about love good for your older teens and parents the only concerns that you need to know is that beastly has some few sexual innuendos there's also some mild language used and some underage drinking used.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (15):
Kids say (53):

BEASTLY lives up to its name: It's inert, unexciting, and sometimes laughable, and not in an intentional way. When the best part of your movie is a supporting actor who appears to be channeling his most popular character from a sitcom -- in this case, Neil Patrick Harris as Will, who seems like a blind version of How I Met Your Mother's Barney -- you know you're in trouble.

Start with the movie's definition of ugly, for instance. Rather than make pretty boy Pettyfer downright hideous (which is called for in this case), Beastly wimps out and goes for a tattooed, slashed, punk-rock skinhead look, with a dose of allergy-induced-looking inflammation here and there. Then there's the tone, which is ambivalent at best. Is Beastly a supernatural mystery, a high school drama, or a romcom? (Our money is on supernatural mystery, which it abandons fairly quickly.) And what about chemistry? Pettyfer and Hudgens have none. Some storylines, like Kyle's dynamic with his father (Peter Krause), seem promising, and the film's look isn't half-bad (it has a brooding, midnight-in-the-city vibe). And Harris is always a win, whatever role he plays. But honestly, Beastly is pretty blah.

Movie Details

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