Parents' Guide to Crush

This is a well-intentioned movie with some solid actors and a refreshingly diverse cast who deserved fleshier characters and a more rounded story. The likable actors make Crush watchable, but the film's world feels largely superficial. It also seems like anything goes at their high school. Partying and sex are promoted by parents, and the characters drink and smoke with surprisingly little reflection -- in contrast to how minutely attuned they are to questions of their own and each other's sexual identity. Paige's homosexuality is her dominant character trait for the first chunk of the movie. When she begins to really connect with AJ, the film gets a bit deeper.

For the adults, unfortunately, the film barely scratches the surface, despite a trio of talented comedic actors. The cynical school coach is hilariously played by Aasif Mandvi, and Michelle Buteau deserved a bigger role as principal. But Will & Grace's Megan Mullally is strapped with a mom character who is meant to be hipper than her daughter, but who comes across as pandering (outside of one meaningful advice scene). There are plenty of better films and series out there tackling same-sex teen romance, from Love, Simon and Love, Victor to Sex Education and Heartstopper.