Parents' Guide to How to Deter a Robber

Movie 2021 NR 85 minutes
How to Deter a Robber movie poster

Common Sense Media Review

Alistair Lawrence By Alistair Lawrence , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 15+

Low-budget home-invasion comedy has language, violence.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 15+?

Any Positive Content?

Enjoy 3 free reviews when you get the Common Sense Media app .

Parent and Kid Reviews

What's the Story?

HOW TO DETER A ROBBER finds teen couple Madison (Vanessa Marano) and Jimmy (Benjamin Papac) having to deal with a home invasion in a remote town during Christmas.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

With the first Home Alone movie rightly regarded as a classic, and its various sequels and reboots suggesting there's always an audience for a Christmas crime caper, it's unsurprising that this film got green-lit. But everything about How to Deter a Robber is so derivative that it offers zero surprises or suspense. Debut writer-director Maria Bissell would've benefitted from spending more time on developing the movie's core group of five characters. In particular, the relationship troubles of Marano's defiant Madison and Abbie Cobb's people-pleasing home invader, Christine, who is the most original voice of the piece but barely utilized.

Likewise, Papac gets one scene to show that there's more to goofy boyfriend Jimmy than meets the eye. But it's quickly forgotten before we return to a comedy-thriller plot that's missing both laughs and excitement. Between its booby-trapped house that fails to spark into life and dialogue that rarely offers more than mundane squabbling between family members, How to Deter a Robber is one of those Christmas presents likely to end up in the returns pile.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

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

How to Deter a Robber movie poster

What to Watch Next

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