Common Sense Media Review
By Tara McNamara
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Drama about grief lacks connection; teen drinking, pot use.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Dear Zoe
What's the Story?
In DEAR ZOE, following the car accident death of her little sister on Sept. 11, 2001, Zoe, 16-year-old Tess (Sadie Sink) tries to escape her grief by moving in with her estranged father, Nick (Theo Rossi). Moving from the suburbs of Pittsburgh to the scrappy town of Braddock, Tess hopes that a change of scenery will offer a chance to heal.
Is It Any Good?
This drama serves up meaty discussion topics but doesn't really dig in to the questions those topics raise. For instance, when a mass tragedy like 9/11 happens, are the lives of others who also happened to die on that day forgotten? Does living or working in an affluent area make you "safe"? If someone just barely scraping by sells drugs to survive, is that wrong, and does that make them a "bad" person? And what makes someone a good parent?
While it could be understood that narrator Tess is a teen who's just living her life, with deeper analysis reserved for her future self, that doesn't fully translate for teen audiences. The story is told through the portal of Tess' journal, a tool intended for self-reflection. So if Tess isn't having these thoughts or realizations, teen viewers won't, either. While Sink does her job of relaying what's on the page, the directing, somehow, doesn't offer viewers an understanding of what's going on with Tess in between the lines. Audiences might understandably expect some sort of deeper message to sink their teeth into -- like how can you process grief and find a way to move on? That opportunity, too, is left on the table.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Tess moves through the stages of grief. Does the way loss is represented in Dear Zoe feel realistic?
How do you think the movie's characters might be "labeled" in the real world, and how do these characters compare? How do they undermine stereotypes?
Does Dear Zoe glamorize underage drinking and drug use? Are there realistic consequences? Why does that matter?
Movie Details
- In theaters : November 4, 2022
- On DVD or streaming : November 4, 2022
- Cast : Sadie Sink , Theo Rossi , Kweku Collins
- Director : Gren Wells
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Middle Eastern/North African Movie Actor(s) , Multiracial Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Freestyle Releasing
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Book Characters , Family Stories ( Siblings )
- Run time : 94 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : some teen marijuana use
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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