Common Sense Media Review
By Tara McNamara
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Partying, language, lying in comedy about female friendship.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Sick Girl
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In SICK GIRL, Wren (Nina Dobrev) and her three best childhood friends -- Laurel (Sherry Cola), Cece (Stephanie Koenig), and Jill (Hayley Magnus) -- still hang out together, but it's just not the same. Motherhood, careers, husbands, and hobbies have left her friends preoccupied, feeling to Wren as if they're sleepwalking through life. Desperate to get their attention again and keep the group close, Wren blurts out a life-altering whopper of a fib.
Is It Any Good?
First-time writer-director Jennifer Cram starts out by building a castle of debauchery but bulldozes it quickly into desperation: What wouldn't we do to keep our best-friends-forever friendships as close and fun as they were in our school days? In Wren's case, she takes it too far, to a place that's so wrong, it's actually extremely insensitive.
Lying about cancer may be too much for some viewers, except for one thing: The central quartet of friends is hilarious together. Cram's day job is in casting, and she proves her mettle, as this cast sings. The four friends are so funny and play off each other so perfectly that they rival the iconic gal pals from Sex and the City and Girls. The film never suggests that Wren's lie isn't the lowest of the low, but compassion rides high, and Sick Girl's ultimate message about what friendship really means is lovely.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether drinking, smoking, and doing drugs are glamorized in Sick Girl. Are there realistic consequences? Why does that matter?
What is integrity, and how do Wren's friends demonstrate it? How is honesty just one part of that, and why is it an important character strength? What damage is done to someone caught in a lie?
How is friendship a daily choice and act of affirmation? How do your friends know that you choose them, over and over again? If you've ever drifted apart from a friend, why do you think that happened? How can friends stay close, even when life events take them in different directions?
How can humor be used as a coping mechanism or to help make a situation less painful? Are there any topics or situations you think should be off limits to jokes?
How does Leo teach Wren empathy? Do you know anyone who needs to learn to be more understanding of others -- and, if so, is there something you could do to help them learn?
Movie Details
- In theaters : October 20, 2023
- On DVD or streaming : October 20, 2023
- Cast : Nina Dobrev , Sherry Cola , Brandon Mychal Smith
- Director : Jennifer Cram
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Bisexual Movie Actor(s) , Queer Movie Actor(s) , Asian Movie Actor(s) , Black Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Lionsgate
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Friendship
- Character Strengths : Empathy
- Run time : 98 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language throughout, some sexual references and drug use
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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