Parents' Guide to

Boys and Girls

By Beth Pratt, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 14+

Silly star crossed sex obsessed love flick.

Movie PG-13 2000 97 minutes
Boys and Girls Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

See all
age 14+

Based on 1 parent review

wonder dove
wonder dove Adult
October 19, 2013
age 14+

Teens will enjoy this one!

This film was a favorite 10 years ago! I still think it's great today and it's just fun to watch when you're in the mood for a funny, romantic teen comedy. It must be the 90's feel even though it's a year 2000 film. It's a love it or hate it kind of movie. It's very entertaining, fun and straight forward. It's basically about two friends Ryan (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) and Jennifer (Claire Forlani) who first meet on a plane at about 12 years old. Jennifer is outspoken and outgoing while Ryan is laid back and more on the serious side and is also disguised as a nerd. They're definitely opposites. They meet years later in college and quickly bond, however Ryan isn't as excited as her to meet again but after hanging out together on campus and talking about everything from relationships to every day life, their true feelings start to surface. Meanwhile, Ryan struggles to help his best friend and roommate Hunter (Jason Biggs) who's real name is Steve, to become more confident by being himself especially when it comes to meeting girls (Hunter/Steve has never had a girlfriend). And Jennifer's best friend Amy (Amanda Detmer) is also insecure and often gets jealous that Jen is spending more time with Ryan than she is with her. When a romantic fling happens one night, Jennifer admits it was a mistake which deeply affects Ryan and causes him to drift apart from her. After graduation, they meet again to figure out what they really want. Language is not too bad with a bit of mild cursing (no f-words). Violence includes a football player chasing Ryan dressed up as a mascot and injures him which appears like bullying, a girl slaps Ryan in the face for cheating, Hunter hits a guy at a bar in the head with a ball while playing pool and then beats him in the crotch with the pool cue stick - some guys are later shown chasing him, Jennifer smashes her ex-boyfriends music equipment after a break-up, Hunter talks about pretending to start fights to attract girls, Ryan puts some "fake crying" drops into his eyes and ends up going to a medical clinic, some complaining and arguments throughout. Sexual content has lots of sex talk (not graphic - just typical teen stuff), references that a college-aged girl often sleeps with guys she's not with, Ryan cheats on a girl he met at a party but confesses, two people go to bed together and there is kissing shown with characters undressing each other but nothing more, lots of talk about girls and how to attract them, reference to a girl having a shower with a guy but nothing is shown, Jennifer's best friend Amy kisses her out of frustration then apologizes. There is social drinking and rather tame party scenes. Fine for the 14+ crowd!

This title has:

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

What's the Story?

Spanning four years, BOYS AND GIRLS follows the changing relationships of a group of college friends. Ryan (Freddie Prinze, Jr.) is serious about school, while his childhood friend Jennifer (Claire Forlani) takes advantage of living away from her parents by turning into a party animal. They couldn't be more different, but Ryan and Jennifer find themselves turning to each other when their other relationships fail. Meanwhile, Ryan's insecure roommate Hunter (Jason Biggs) lies about everything in his attempt to attract girls, including his name (it's actually Steve). He pretends to be a priest at one point and even dons an ill-fitting leotard to meet girls at ballet class.

Is It Any Good?

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

One of the movie's biggest problems is the casting of British actress Claire Forlani, who seems uncomfortable playing a free-spirited American college student and too old for the role. Similarly, Prinze isn't quite convincing as the uptight Ryan, and he's not convincing as a nerd. American Pie's Jason Biggs steals the show with his portrayal of Hunter.

Robert Iscove, who directed She's All That, must have been asked to make another movie exactly like it. His use of Freddie Prinze, Jr. and the lovers-from-different-worlds story are obvious repeats, and the movie's bizarre, choreographed dance scene seems to be recycled from She's All That's prom scene.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether they think this film realistically depicts college life. In general, how does the media portray college and young adults? Also, what do you think about Hunter's lying in order to attract women? Why do you think he resorted to that tactic?

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.

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