Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Teens seek payback in dark comedy; language, sex, drugs.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Do Revenge
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 8 parent reviews
Based on 35 kid reviews
Kids say this movie is surprisingly engaging with strong acting and a captivating plot twist, but it's loaded with mature themes including excessive swearing, drug use, and sexual references, making it unsuitable for younger viewers. While many enjoyed the humor and aesthetic, a common concern is the lack of positive role models and the portrayal of teenagers as shallow, leading some to question the movie’s overall message and its appropriateness for teens.
- mature content
- strong language
- unexpected twists
- not for kids
- good performances
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
When a nude tape she made for her boyfriend (Austin Abrams) is leaked to the entire school, at the start of DO REVENGE, social queen Drea (Camila Mendes) is ostracized from the popular clique at the exclusive academy she's only able to attend thanks to a scholarship. She meets outcast Eleanor (Maya Hawke), who is about to transfer to the same academy. Eleanor reveals she was made to feel like a predator at age 13 when a girl (Ava Capri) accused her of holding her down to kiss her. She and Drea hatch a plot to act out revenge on the perpetrators of their public shaming. But all is not as it seems, and revenge always sounds better than it feels.
Is It Any Good?
This dark comedy falls into a new class of teen films that ironically take on the teen film genre, a meta exercise that almost goes too far but has some entertaining aspects and a talented cast. Looking like a carbon copy of her mother (Uma Thurman), Maya Hawke stands out among a well-selected group of attractive young actors in Do Revenge. She's believable in her character's various iterations -- awkward outcast, psychotic social climber, vulnerable friend, and lesbian wannabe lover. Likewise for the smarmy Abrams and narcissist Mendes. But no single character comes across as true or even likable, except maybe Talia Ryder as the straight-talking lesbian younger sister.
That's because the actors are asked to play out a script purporting wildly excessive behavior among 17- and 18-year-olds, not to mention cynical advising from the sole adult (the headmistress, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar). Of course, it's all purposefully exaggerated, like their exclusive academy's hilarious pastel school uniforms (capes, berets, and bowties, oh my!), but the embellishments undercut attempts at eking out true emotion from the characters or hitting the mark with political subtexts about gender inequality and class injustice. In short, it's hard to take any of this seriously or care very deeply, but it's equally hard to deny that some fun -- guilty perhaps -- is had in the process.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the representation of teenagers in Do Revenge. Does it feel realistic? If not, is that intentional, and why?
This film is said to have been inspired by Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train. Have you seen that film? How do the two compare?
What other teen films does this movie remind you of, and why?
Have you seen any of the actors from this movie in other films or series? How did their characters differ?
How are music and wardrobe used to set a tone and a mood in this film?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : September 16, 2022
- Cast : Maya Hawke , Camila Mendes , Austin Abrams
- Director : Jennifer Kaytin Robinson
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Friendship , School ( High School )
- Run time : 120 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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