Common Sense Media Review
By Tara McNamara
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Racy student-teacher thriller flunks; very strong language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Miller's Girl
What's the Story?
In MILLER'S GIRL, smart high school senior Cairo Sweet (Jenna Ortega) tranfers into Mr. Miller's (Martin Freeman) English literature class. Miller finds her to be an exceptional student with a promising future, and the two connect over the work of literary innovator Henry Miller. But a midterm assignment stirs up the complexity in their relationship, exposing the core of their true nature.
Is It Any Good?
While this thriller is literary minded and uses 20 $1 words per sentence, the writing is terrible, and the effect is cheap. Writer/director Jade Halley Barrett brings back all of the ickiness of the 1960s-'80s, when movies and TV commercials portrayed tween and teen girls as sexually provocative and available to men. The question is, why?
Students and fans of Henry Miller's provocative work and unique writing style may get something out of this bad romance. But for everyone else, it's unenjoyable and cringey on all levels. Funnymen Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg may have produced this sexually inappropriate thriller, but it's not funny, and it's not satire.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Miller's Girl shows the power of words. How are words used to cut, to encourage, to arouse, to destroy, etc.?
Talk about Henry Miller's literary style. Why were his books banned in the United States for decades? Do you think books should be banned?
Teens: How would Ciaro fit in at your school? Do you think she'd seem cool? Why do you think she only has one friend in the movie?
The movie blends Henry Miller's biographical details and published work to create a work of fiction similar to his writing style. How do we classify this? Is it historical fiction, like Shakespeare in Love? Or is it just fiction? Do you think it works? What author would make an interesting subject to try this technique?
Are smoking and drinking glamorized here? Why, or why not? Are there realistic consequences? Why does that matter?
Movie Details
- In theaters : January 26, 2024
- On DVD or streaming : February 16, 2024
- Cast : Jenna Ortega , Martin Freeman , Gideon Adlon
- Director : Jade Halley Bartlett
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Lionsgate
- Genre : Thriller
- Run time : 95 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : sexual content, language throughout, some teen smoking and drinking
- Last updated : January 25, 2024
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