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Parents' Guide to

Opening Night

By Frannie Ucciferri, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Uneven backstage Broadway comedy has sex, swearing.

Movie NR 2017 90 minutes
Opening Night Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 18+

Based on 1 parent review

age 18+

Great movie for musical theater living adults.

This is a fun, but very adult comedy with one hit wonder songs and tongue in cheek jokes. I enjoyed it as someone who enjoys the actors and actresses involved with this film, as well as a musical theater enthusiast. Teens may like the film, but you’ll need to make sure that you’re ok with your teens handling sexual scenes and adult humor.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

This movie's raunchy jokes and self-referential commentary about theater and "one-hit wonders" aren't funny enough to carry it. What could have been an interesting concept falls flat in Opening Night. The characters break out into popular one-hit wonders both onstage and off, but the purposefully hokey musical numbers aren't as charming offstage. And straight-faced Nick, who proclaims that he hates Broadway, is out of place among the over-the-top, overly dramatic performers he's supposed to be wrangling. Unlike true musicals, where no one questions when the characters break into song, Nick does question it (and often), making it unclear whether we're supposed to embrace the wacky weirdness or mock it.

There are some funny moments, especially in the side plot with Malcolm and Brandy, though their scenes rely a lot on sexual humor. There are also some fun references to NSYNC thanks to JC Chasez, who plays a tongue-in-cheek caricature of a former star. But the relationship between Nick and Chloe, which is supposed to be the heart of the story, comes up lacking. And the movie's messages about seizing opportunities and taking risks -- for Chloe onstage and for Nick offstage -- don't seem that inspiring. Avid theater fans might enjoy a look behind the curtain, but overall, this not-quite-spoof falls short.

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