G.B.F.

Name: G.B.F.
Item: G.B.F.
Rating: 3
Author: Tracy Moore

Movie review by

Tracy Moore, Common Sense Media

Common Sense says

age 17+

(i)

Extremely edgy comedy sends up gay best friend stereotypes.

R
2014
93 minutes

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Parents say

age 12+

Based on 1 review

Kids say

age 13+

Based on 19 reviews

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A lot or a little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

Positive Messages

G.B.F. offers positive messages about treating people like human beings -- not accessories -- and turns some stereotypes on their head.

Positive Role Models & Representations

Characters are largely stereotypes -- the jock, the mean girl, the gay best friend, the Mormon -- but some characters are shown as being more developed than their clique would suggest: i.e. attempting to be a good friend, a good mother, an accepting parent, an encouraging educator.

Violence

Sex

A teenage boy lifts the shirt of another teenage boy to snap a picture of his abs. A guy grabs another guy's hand and places it on his crotch. Both same-sex and opposite-sex couples kiss. A teenage boy and girl make out at a party, lying back on a bed. Two guys kiss, then wake up together the next morning, confused as to whether they had intercourse. Lots of innuendo, such as when a parent asks his gay son whether he likes his Popsicle "thick and fruity."

Language

Lots of innuendo, explicit sexual or ethnic references, and sexually or ethnically charged insults, often via abbreviated slang. They range from expressions such as "that's so gay" or calling someone a "vagina enthusiast" or "hetero buzzkill," "homosexy," or "amazeballs" to much crasser insults and plays on words, such as calling someone a "vapid whore's sexless accessory," "fag-off," "faggot," "jizz bin," "half-assed handjob," "desperate psycho bitch," "mucho muncher supreme," "those bitches can suck it," as well as calling an Asian teenager "won ton" and "Gaysian," among other colorful expressions. Elsewhere, the film contains mild profanity such as "s--t," "what the hell," "bitch," and "eff that."

Consumerism

There's some name dropping of labels such as Versace and Gucci, as well as some obviously branded or labeled clothing, such as Chanel gloves.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Casual underage smoking at school and a scene of drinking at a party without consequences. In one scene, multiple teenagers sip on orange Solo cups; in another, a canned beverage shared by many partygoers is said to have alcohol. In one scene at a party, girls are shown stumbling around drunk. An inebriated teenager offers another teenager who's also drunk a ride, but he declines. Two teenagers wake up together, confused about whether they've hooked up due to alcohol consumption. A teenager throws up after drinking too much. A teenager sneaks away from watching a movie with his mother to drink in the kitchen.

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that G.B.F. is a brazen, campy high school comedy with a rapid-fire pace of sexually (and sometimes ethnically) laced insults, expressions, and discussions, as well as swear words like "s--t" and "bitch." There's a scene of underage drinking that leads to a hookup between two guys, as well as some casual smoking. Though it's ultimately a film about accepting people and not treating marginalized groups as trendy accessories, to do this, the film exploits stereotypes and mines them for every drop of irreverence and innuendo to be found. Best suited for mature teens.

User Reviews

Parents say
Kids say

Adult Written bymcnagal June 5, 2015

age 12+

Homophobic site

I find it interesting that the age common sense gave this movie is 16, while the age given to Mean Girls is 14 even though GBF gives more positive messages, and... Continue reading

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Teen, 15 years old Written byMegan C July 5, 2014

age 13+

I personally think that the only reason this movie is rated R is because it is centered around gay people, and for some reason people think that being gay is re... Continue reading

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Teen, 15 years old Written byevypeeps August 19, 2014

age 13+

this is only rated 16+ because there are gay characters

if the sex talk in this movie was regarding straight people, CSM would have rated it 14+, not sixteen. yes, there are drugs, swearing and sex, but not in large... Continue reading

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What's the story?

Shy gay teen Tanner (Michael J. Willett) has just been outed by accident to the entire high school. Now that he's the only known gay student at Northgate Way High, leaders of three different mean girl cliques, led by Fawcett Brooks (Sasha Pieterse), 'Shley Osgoode (Andrea Bowen), and Caprice Winters (Xosha Roquemore) have their eyes set on acquiring him as their own personal G.B.F. -- "gay best friend" -- the latest trend in all the fashion magazines. Now everyone wants a gay best friend, and what's more, everyone's supportive -- a little too supportive. Guidance counselor Mrs. Hogel (Natasha Lyonne) is super encouraging, and Tanner's best friend, Brent (Paul Iacono), who's still closeted at school, couldn't have a more enthusiastic mother in Mrs. Van Camp (Megan Mulally). But Tanner soon realizes that trying to live up to a stereotype, even when it's a positive one, has a downside, especially when his sudden ascent into fabulousness means alienating everyone who liked him when he was just a nobody.

Is it any good?

G.B.F. is a kind of Mean Girls-meets-Clueless for the gay set, with all of the cliquishness of the former but nowhere near enough of the innocence of the latter. G.B.F. can certainly be clever and funny, and it wraps up with a nice shiny bow, but to get there, it takes you through a labyrinth of relentlessly crude humor that pushes well past the edginess of the aforementioned movies with tasteless sexual slurs, plus a little underage drinking and casual smoking.

Mature teens who endure high school every day may delight in how much this film flouts convention with its lewd dialogue. Parents will be rightly squeamish of the maturity level and explicitness of the jokes (seriously -- "jizz-bin"). To the teenager's credit, it's a campy, satirical look at the way our culture often fetishizes certain marginalized groups to their detriment, and it eventually finds its footing and a little heart. But that cultural reward may offer little in the way of solace through the onslaught of this many hand job jokes. Tread warily.

Talk to your kids about ...

Families can talk about the language used in G.B.F. Does it realistically represent the way teenagers talk today, or do you think it verges on satire?
Do you think G.B.F. is an offensive exploration of teenage cliques and stereotypes or a campy, fun take on them? What's the difference? Can you define it?
Do you think it can be limiting to be stereotyped, even when the stereotype is a seemingly positive one? How so? Do you think the film does a good job of demonstrating this? What did it get right? What do you think it got wrong?

Movie details

On DVD or streaming: February 11, 2014
Cast: Megan Mullally, Paul Iacono, Michael J. Willett, Natasha Lyonne, Sasha Pieterse, Andrea Bowen
Director: Darren Stein
Studio: Vertical Entertainment
Genre: Comedy
Topics: Friendship, High School
Run time: 93 minutes
MPAA rating: R
MPAA explanation: Rated R for sexual references.