Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Adults drink, smoke in sweet 1981-set coming-of-age tale.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Casey Makes a Mixtape
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In CASEY MAKES A MIXTAPE, music-obsessed, mature-for-her-age 13-year-old Casey (Presley Richardson) is shipped off to live with her grandparents (Jennifer Griffin and Brad Leland) for the summer. Her unreliable mom (Arianne Martin) has flown off to Paris with yet another new boyfriend, while her dad is in prison for robbery. Casey is none too happy about the move, but she quickly makes new friends, neighborhood kids Craig (Julian Hilliard) and Carrie (Kennedy Celeste). She remains obsessed all summer with trying to finalize her latest mixtape.
Is It Any Good?
This film is like a little time capsule of what it was to be 13 in the early 1980s. Casey Makes a Mixtape captures the languid days of pre-iPhone summers, the aggravation of uncomprehending or unreliable adults, the tech hassles of trying to record a song from the radio or take a call on the landline before your grandma hangs up in the other room. (One goof might be tape on a tennis court that suggests pickleball, which wasn't widespread in those years.) But that's nitpicking. Casey is a sweet and likable character whose story, despite no major events happening in the film, will draw you in.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the year in which Casey Makes a Mixtape is set, 1981. What aspects brought that era to life for you? Was there anything that didn't feel right for the time period? How is it different from being 13 today?
What did you think about the outcome of where Casey ended up living?
Why is Casey called a "tomboy"? Do people still use this term? Why or why not?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : October 14, 2025
- Cast : Presley Richardson , Julian Hilliard , Kennedy Celeste
- Director : Blake Calhoun
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Prime Video
- Genre : Family and Kids
- Topics : Family Stories , Friendship
- Run time : 96 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : October 27, 2025
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