Eighth Grade

I cannot believe this only got 3 starts for the sexuality. Common Sense really dropped the ball. A 13 year old boy telling a girl he likes girls that are “good at b$ow j$bs” and the girl say she is “great” at them. Very graphic scene of a boy masturbating under his shirt in class and various other uncomfortable sexual situations. If you think this is normal for 13 year olds, you aren’t raising your kids right. This movie has references, scenes and language more in common with 80s t&a conedies like Porkies and Fast Times. DO NOT WATCH with your kids

I would normally never let my 5th grade daughter watch an R rated movie. But some of her friends have seen this movie with their moms. So when she asked to watch it, I thought better to watch it with my commentary than to just be hearing about it from her friends. I’ve read articles in Psychology Today by Fred Kaeser who advises talking to your child about a lot of this stuff at her age which I agree makes sense. Let them learn from you, get your take, and then they have a more grounded view of what’s appropriate from the start. I paused the movie about 7 times to define words and comment on the characters’ behavior. She didn’t want more than a very brief explanation of anything (she made faces and said yuck mom). My daughter was most appalled by how the girl treated her dad, so we talked about mutual respect more than anything else. I suspect my daughter is going to start getting attention from boys soon, so to me, this movie was invaluable to help her understand how some boys perceive some girls. I don’t think I could have explained that in a way to make her understand. But this movie nailed it. I know she doesn’t fully get it yet, but when I remind her to her be careful how you behave and you’re in charge of your body, I think we will refer back to this movie.

Painful to watch, difficult to stomach...sometimes a film is too real, regardless of what age you are. This film catapults you back to eighth grade or whatever time you experienced maximum insecurity. This film offers a glimpse into the life of an age group that is constantly changing and which I'm sure now, a year later, is somewhat out of date, but the punch in the gut realism hits you squarely where you live.

There is some sexual content and swearing but there is also great messages and role models.

This is a brutally honest movie about the reality of being an eighth grader in today's world. Though marketed towards teens, anyone can watch it. The R rating is just a suggestion. On the movie itself, it was a truly touching and beautiful film. My 9 year old would not stop talking about it, even days after she watched it. 10/10

Too much sexually explicit content!

While there are definitely aspects of the film that would cause awkwardness between parents and teens watching together, it is a must-watch. Bo brings up many issues that affect teens nowadays, which need to be unpacked in serious conversations with your child.

This movie certainly has some cringe-worthy scenes, but watching this with my daughters (aged 12 & 13) led to several conversations that I'm not sure I would have had otherwise. At times I had to hit pause and say- "It's alright to tell a boy no and not feel bad about it", for instance. Or- "It's not okay to take pictures like that with your phone", for instance. And for this, I am thankful to the movie. What makes it work is the incredible, winning protagonist who my kids just adored.