Parents' Guide to

Everyone Says I Love You

By Ellen Twadell, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Modern musical will not interest teens.

Movie R 1996 101 minutes
Everyone Says I Love You Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

See all
age 17+

Based on 1 parent review

colten97
colten97 Parent of 13-year-old
October 10, 2012
age 17+

Everybody should say 'I love you' to this film!

I must say that musicals don't really appeal to me, maybe it's because I'm young and am accustomed to more action and special effects from today's typical style... but this movie totally surprised me! The star cast including Drew Barrymore and Julia Roberts is what initially allured me to give this movie a chance and I'm glad I did. Now I know why Woody Allen is considered a genius. I mean I've seen parts of some of his earlier films and they didn't really draw me in either, but this one is truly a winner. Woody Allen chose his cast well, he obviously has a good sense of judgement in that area. The music and singing was actually a welcoming change for a film. I never thought I would like a musical so much. Each character's life was perfectly intertwined with all the others and the plot moved along in an up-tempo beat. It was also nice to be brought to France & Italy via cinematography. It seemed musicals were somewhat of a trend the year this film came out, because that's also when "Romeo & Juliet" starring Leonardo DiCaprio surfaced too. It was a good turn of events to educate younger generations into appreciating a more old-fashioned genre of film that was almost extinct until this film came along and rebirthed it.

This title has:

Too much swearing
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

EVERYONE SAYS I LOVE YOU is Woody Allen's homage to musical comedies of the fifties and sixties complete with song and dance numbers and familiar plotlines. The movie centers around a wealthy extended family, the Berlin/Dandridges, replete with exes, half-siblings, and significant others. Plucky D.J. (Natasha Lyonne) narrates, recounting stories of her woebegone father Joe (Woody Allen), who is looking for his dream girl in the midst of a nasty breakup and her sister Skylar (Drew Barrymore), a romantic woman who is torn between her sweet lawyer fiance (Edward Norton) and a charming ex-convict (Tim Roth). D.J. is fickle, keeping her romances as light and pretty as the movie itself. Other members of the family support the film's theme of romance, from the solid and graceful marriage between D.J.'s mother and stepfather to the first loves and heartbreaks of D.J.'s teenage sisters.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (1):

This is a lovely movie, albeit a little silly. The family's over-the-top antics make the musical numbers in a sense more realistic. In keeping with Allen's obsession with the musical past, classics love songs from the twenties and thirties are present throughout the film - the most familiar one being "I'm Through with Love," made famous by Marilyn Monroe's rendition of it in Some Like It Hot.

Both the lead and supporting cast (featuring Julia Roberts, Goldie Hawn, Alan Alda and a very young Natalie Portman) do a game job of singing and dancing on their own. Typical Woody Allen's dialogue sparkles between musical numbers, and the acting is top notch.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the family featured in the film, a loving collection of eccentrics. How do individuals make their place in a large group? How can a family develop the same closeness and equality that the Berlin/Dundridge family has? Families can also discuss the relationship between Joe Berlin and Von Sidell. Is Joe right to use what he knows about Von to woo her? Does it make either of them happy?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate