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Parents' Guide to

Going for Gold

By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Predictable underdog cheerleading tale set in Australia.

Movie NR 2018 93 minutes
Going for Gold Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

  • Going for Gold Movie: Scene #1
  • Going for Gold Movie: Scene #2
  • Going for Gold Movie: Scene #3

Community Reviews

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age 8+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Tali H.
Tali H. Parent of 6 and 9-year-old
June 11, 2023
age 8+

Teamwork makes the dream work

Romance, teamwork and drama. This movie perfectly captures a competitive cheer squad through the ups and downs of their team.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
G M.
G M. Parent
February 11, 2023
age 8+

Fun movie for the gymnastics, dance and cheer lover. My eight year old is really into gymnastics right now and was going to watch this as a compromise. We were really happy to see that it has a ton of gymnastics along with cheer. Yes there were some mean girls but the main character was positive. The outfits weren't too revealing and she and I both had fun watching it.

See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In GOING FOR GOLD Emma's (Kelli Berglund of Disney's Lab Rats) Air Force dad keeps moving, making it difficult for her to make stable, long-lasting friendships. They pick up and relocate to Australia from California, where perky and outgoing Emma immediately meets perky and outgoing Hannah (Emily Morris of Raising the Bar) and A 2nd Chance), who, like Emma, is a gymnast. When gymnastics rival Charlotte (Daisy Anderson) gets Hannah's team disqualified, Emma suggests she switch to cheerleading, exactly what Emma had done back in the States. Hannah and Emma recruit teammates from belly-dancing, hip-hop, soccer, and football, and start to train together. Their first performance is shaky but when Emma shows the leadership to bring the team together, they are able to give a prize-winning performance and even reconcile with the now apologetic Charlotte. Emma and Ethan (Boone Sterck) begin dating and Dad announces they can stay in Australia for longer than originally planned.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (4 ):

This movie feels like it was dumped straight out of the Lifetime-Nickelodeon-Disney teenage angst Jell-O mold straight onto Netflix. The mold reflects the thinking of some calculating engineering department's checklist: A teen moves somewhere new and has to prove her/his worth and talent through a series of tests and competitions. There is always a villainous rival, a sympathetic new friend, a love interest and, often, a clueless and uninvolved single parent. Going for Gold checks every box, which means not much imagination or creativity was required in the making of this thing. The big decisions? Is the protagonist a boy or a girl, does he/she move to another state or another country, is it gymnastics, bull riding, equestrian jumping, or cheerleading? It doesn't much matter, which is why this movie doesn't much matter, either. Note that the same writer-director, Clay Glen, also created two other movies in the same mold: Raising the Bar and A 2nd Chance.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how difficult it is to pick up and move to a new home for kids and teenagers. Do you think Emma is good at making life adjustments in Going for Gold?

  • Have you ever had to move? If so, what was the hardest part about it. If you haven't, what do you think would be challenging about starting over somewhere new?

  • How does this compare to other movies you've seen about cheerleading? Why are there so many movies about this sport?

Movie Details

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