Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
British teens talk sex, swear, drink in mediocre romcom.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
How to Date Billy Walsh
What's the Story?
Amelia (Charithra Chandran) and Archie (Sebastian Croft) have been best friends since birth in HOW TO DATE BILLY WALSH. Amelia is 17 and looking to experience her first kiss. When new kid Billy Walsh (Tanner Buchanan) arrives from Los Angeles, Amelia sets her sights on him. Trouble is, so have most of the other, much more popular girls at her school. Meanwhile, Archie has been in love with Amelia for as long as he can remember.
Is It Any Good?
This fusion of tropes and ideas already seen in series like Sex Education, Never Have I Ever, and Heartstopper never gels despite its two promising leads. How to Date Billy Walsh stars Croft and Chandran both have plenty of potential, but they are held back by a script overburdened with clunky humor, wannabe quirks (like Archie's clichéd fourth wall breaking), and overly curated sets (Archie's over-the-top bedroom and mafia-esque butler go largely unexplained). Some of the teens here are quite cruel to each other, and in ways that go unpunished, making it hard to root for them. Other aspects involving AI, livestreams, and emojis feel like an older person trying awkwardly to speak to a younger generation.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about being the new kid in a school, like the titular character of How to Date Billy Walsh. Do new kids usually come in at an advantage or disadvantage socially? How so? Do you have any personal experience with this?
Does this film portray teenagers realistically, in your opinion? Why, or why not? Can you give examples?
What films like this one, starring teenagers looking for love (or sex), have you watched? How does this one compare?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : April 5, 2024
- Cast : Sebastian Croft , Charithra Chandran , Tanner Buchanan
- Director : Alex Pillai
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Indian/South Asian Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Prime Video
- Genre : Romance
- Topics : Friendship , School ( High School )
- Run time : 100 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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