Parents' Guide to

Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh

By Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Stepbrothers' hijinks are jolly -- just not very realistic.

Movie G 2008 90 minutes
Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 8+

Based on 4 parent reviews

age 8+

very good

no swearing, drinking, or sex (other than a couple of kisses) Older tweens will understand the fantasy nature of what they see, but littler kids may need a few reminders about responsible teen behavior. As in the sitcom, responsible Josh repeatedly falls victim to his impulsive stepbrother's antics, and while the situations are always spun for laughs, this time Josh lands in federal prison -- and both teens wind up in court. Felonies aside, even some of the guys' everyday actions are pretty iffy, including driving erratically, not wearing seatbelts, and lying to make their sister help them evade a parole officer. Predictably, none of this behavior results in any relatable, lasting consequences.

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
age 9+

Not very funny.

Messages: Crude. Violence: Minor. Sex: Drake and Josh walk home naked.

This title has:

Too much violence
Too much sex

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (27):

With its holiday fun, spirit of giving, and a couple of toe-tapping tunes from charming guitarist Drake, this movie's sure to appeal to the tween crowd. Bell and Peck won over young fans with their comic portrayal of mismatched stepbrothers during Drake & Josh's four-year run, earning the show two Kids' Choice Awards for Favorite TV Show. MERRY CHRISTMAS, DRAKE & JOSH will surely please the duo's established tween fans by reuniting the entire original cast and not missing a beat with the characters' trademark tomfoolery.

That said, despite the fact that Drake and Josh are now seasoned teens (apparently old enough to be trusted at home alone, anyway), they indulge in a fair bit of iffy behavior in the name of comedy, including driving erratically, not wearing seatbelts, evading a law officer, and breaking into a federal prison. In the real world, most of the brothers' actions would result in far more serious consequences than they suffer in sanitized TV land. Older tweens can probably put the exaggerated content (and, at times, acting) into context, but if they're not already fans, they may be turned off by the corny plot and overacting. If your kids do end up watching, it's worth having a talk afterward about responsible behavior and real-life repercussions.

Movie Details

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