My Fake Boyfriend
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My Fake Boyfriend
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that the title character in My Fake Boyfriend is a virtual internet persona on social media designed to help a man break off a toxic relationship with his serially philandering real boyfriend. The fictional "relationship" goes viral, making it tough for the man to pursue an actual prospective boyfriend. Sexual references abound and language includes one use of the word "f--k." More frequent references are made to "d--k," "pr--k," "c--k," "penis," "vagina," "butt," "suck," "s--t," "hell," "bastard," "bitch," "sloppy seconds," "boner," and "banging." There's kissing. Shirtless men are seen. Characters joke about "penises" and the comic side of every sexual reference. In one brief scene, played for comedy and without any overt sexuality, a man is seen from the chest up, bound to the bedposts in a seemingly consensual situation. His partner, seen even more briefly, wears a leather harness that reveals posterior cheeks for an instant. References are made to "d--k pics" and for a second a blurred, pixilated image is shown of an animated penis.
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What's the Story?
In MY FAKE BOYFRIEND, Andrew (Keiynan Lonsdale) is a stunt man on a schlocky TV show, a job he got because his boyfriend Nico (Marcus Posner) is the muscular star of the series. Nico is a controlling and manipulative philanderer who entices Andrew back into bed every time Andrew breaks off the relationship. Andrew's lifelong best friend Jake (Dylan Sprouse) and Jake's girlfriend Kelly (Sarah Hyland) try to help Andrew stay away from Nico, but he keeps relapsing until his friends adopt the "nuclear option" creating Cristiano, a virtual, globetrotting, rhino-saving social media influencer who quickly gains followers, sponsorship deals, and admiration. Andrew musters the courage to dump Nico but the public "relationship" takes Andrew off the market just when he meets a really nice guy, Rafi (Samer Salem), a hunky chef and restaurateur. Andrew wrestles with telling Rafi the truth and Jake must decide whether to let go of the fake person he's come to identify with.
Is It Any Good?
The cast of My Fake Boyfriend is an energetic and likable bunch and their collective charm and enthusiasm makes this far more watchable than it has any right to be. It feels like one of those wacky episodes of a Sprouse twin Disney channel sitcom in which the plucky protagonists come up with wild ideas that just get everyone into trouble.
This time the 90-minute run-time stretches way past credulity and the audience's patience. The familiarity might be why Sprouse seems so at home as someone who was creative and smart enough to have hatched an absurd scheme yet is also dumb enough to see the virtue in maintaining the hoax. Lonsdale does what he needs to do, but he has the least flashy role, the nice guy who isn't that great at dating but truly wants to be in love. The obvious solution to Andrew's problem is for him to tell Rafi he's broken up with the virtual Cristiano. But no one think of that.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the movie's emphasis on the importance of love and the difficulty of finding it.
How the does the movie contrast Nico's desire for numerous sexual conquests with the other main characters' focus on love and commitment?
The gimmick -- the invention of a virtual person -- goes too far at times. How does this affect the audience's enjoyment of the movie? Would it have been better if the plot had been more realistic?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: June 17, 2022
- Cast: Keiynan Lonsdale, Dylan Sprouse, Samer Salem, Marcus Rosner, Sarah Hyland
- Director: Rose Troche
- Studio: Lionsgate
- Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 90 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: sexual material and language
- Last updated: July 21, 2022
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