Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Big financial scam hurts family; language, drinking.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Crypto Boy
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In CRYPTO BOY, Amir (Shahine El-Hamus) wants to help his father Omar (Sabri Saad El-Hamus) make their Amsterdam burrito restaurant a success, but Dad does nothing but denigrate his son, relegating him to making food deliveries. When a large, gentrifying developer buys their building and ups the rent, Omar finally does as Amir has long advised and updates the place, never acknowledging it was Amir's idea. On the side, Amir sells useless potions to gullible teens, demonstrating that he's a glib scammer. He talks a crypto mogul into giving him a job, but he can't see that the mogul is also a scammer, on a much bigger and more audacious scale. What will happen to Amir, Omar, and the innocent fraud victims?
Is It Any Good?
While Crypto Boy is well-made and well-acted, the story is so predictable it saps the narrative of the power to pack a punch. We can see the outcome from the start, and that affects how we see the main character. If we are able to see the tragedy ahead, why can't he? If Amir is so smart and capable, why did he never consider the possibility that a get-rich-quick scheme might not be legit?
This problem is further compounded by the fact that early in the film, Amir is introduced as a scammer himself, selling useless, even harmful, potions to dumb teens. Yet that persona of fraudster-on-the-take is completely lost as he appears to be a complete innocent with sterling scruples once he takes a job with a large-scale criminal.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why Amir never suspected that the crypto company might be a scam. If you were offered an investment opportunity, what research would you do?
The internet offers lots of advice on how to avoid scams. Why do you think neither Amir nor his friends bothered to look into the crypto company?
When the movie begins, Amir himself is portrayed as a kind of scam artist. Does it seem as if the movie morphs his character into someone who would never scam anyone? Do the characters seem one-dimensional and over-simplified? How so?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : October 19, 2023
- Cast : Shahine El-Hamus , Minne Koole , Sabri Saad El-Hamus
- Director : Shady El-Hamus
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- Run time : 103 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : October 26, 2023
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