Common Sense Media Review
By Monique Jones
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Salty romcom about grief counters female stereotypes.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
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Cora Bora
What's the Story?
CORA BORA follows Cora (Megan Stalter), a singer-songwriter who moved to Los Angeles to try to make it but ends up bungling all of her opportunities and serial sleeping with people from dating apps. When she realizes that Justine (Jojo T. Gibbs), her girlfriend back in Portland, is in a new relationship, Cora hightails it home to try to keep Justine in her life. But once she gets there, she has to retrace the grief of her past while navigating a new friendship with the empathetic Tom (Manny Jacinto).
Is It Any Good?
This romcom isn't necessarily laugh-out-loud funny, but it is somehow entertaining to watch Cora mess up several areas of her life due to her unaddressed trauma and grief. (Ha ha?) Cora's characterization in Cora Bora is a victory over stereotypes about women in film, especially fat women, who are often seen as undesirable or the "funny friend." Here, Cora is sexually active, free-spirited, complex, and, in many ways, problematic to herself and others. That said, those same problematic actions can make it hard to root for her during much of the film—you may find yourself anxiously waiting for her to get her act together. But that's probably the point: We know that Cora needs to learn from her bad behavior, and, thankfully, she eventually does. A funny, diverse supporting cast rounds out the film; fans of Stalter from Hacks, Gibbs from Twenties, and Jacinto from The Good Place will be glad to see them together on-screen. Overall, Cora Bora is a fun film, albeit one with a purposefully frustrating main character.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Cora's emotions in Cora Bora. What mistakes does she make in her relationship? What fuels her emotional reactions? Is she relatable?
What makes Cora a counter-stereotypical character? Did you notice positive diverse representations in the film?
How do Cora's actions affect her friends and family? How does she tackle her grief and start to make amends to her friends?
Movie Details
- In theaters : June 14, 2024
- On DVD or streaming : July 12, 2024
- Cast : Megan Stalter , Jojo T. Gibbs , Ayden Mayeri , Manny Jacinto
- Director : Hannah Pearl Utt
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Bisexual Movie Actor(s) , Queer Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s) , Middle Eastern/North African Movie Actor(s) , Asian Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Brainstorm Media
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 92 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : July 11, 2024
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