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Parents' Guide to

Soccer Mom

By Joly Herman, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Emily Osment stars in mom-daughter bonding tale.

Movie PG 2008 92 minutes
Soccer Mom Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 11+

Based on 3 parent reviews

Paramayerswift
Paramayerswift Adult
September 17, 2012
age 16+

Lying, stereotypical 'gay' hairdressers, girl-on-girl kissing and "Vodka Vodka Vodka!" makes for a VERY racy kids' film.

------ Saw this film last weekend with my 11-year-old sister and I must say, I am GENEROUS giving 'Soccer Mom' a 15 Plus rating. Why this was on the family channels is mind-boggling! I am 17 and even I was disturbed. The movie follows Wendy, a single mom whose husband dies and (therefore) daughter acts out. The daughter, Becca is seen pushing a girl down on the ground within the first 10 minutes. (It's OK because the recipient was the snooty, rich girl. What?) Wendy's--very Disney--solution is to dress like her daughter's idol, Lorenzo. Not keep the daughter in therapy, not the talk to her, but lie to her. In the process of this stupid charade, she ends up kissing her best friend girl-on-"girl", chilling at bar, and completely neglecting her other two children. (You see her youngest 7-ish son reading alone while she practices her Italian accent.) But the real Lorenzo is a tummy churner. He is a womanizing, sex-craving, narcissistic boozer who "makes up for it" by coming to Becca's playoffs last-minute...like, right before credits. (Again, what?) Girl looses her father and her mother says forgive the alcoholic who didn’t coach you. Nice. Throw in a cheating ex-husband, a blond b*tch, an "I thought you were gay!" to another character, Lorenzo coming out of the closet via Wendy, and three more gays (disgustingly stereotypical hairdressers), and there you have it! Soccer Mom: a terrible film for kids. I don't mind homosexuality in comedies, but this was exploitation at the best! It was all nasty joke! No education at all. Just "Haha! Look! Gay stuff! Haha! Nose jobs! Haha! Fat sex! Hahaha!" Honestly, I sat there with my mouth ajar for minutes after the film, struck this made the children's cable. Emily Osment is known for her portrayals of the edgy, single-parented jock (Hannah Montana, Dadnapper, The Haunting Hour, and so on) but this was not OK. Not cool, not funny. I want those two hours back for my sister. Just gross. Watch out for Soccer Mom! And watch with them.

This title has:

Great role models
Too much sex
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
1 person found this helpful.
BensyMom
BensyMom Parent of baby, 8 and 10-year-old
September 18, 2010
age 8+
Too much bad language, so NOT FOR KIDS!!! Dont let them watch it.

This title has:

Too much swearing
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Becca's (Emily Osment) soccer team is in really bad shape. Their coach would rather text message than give pep talks after the game. When he announces that he is leaving in the middle of the season, the team is thrilled to hear that his replacement will be the Italian soccer phenomenon, Lorenzo Vincenzo (a funny Dan Cortese). Upon picking up the soccer star to bring him to the team's introduction party, Wendy (Missi Pyle) gets a shock. She has to think quickly to save the team's morale -- and their season -- by using a little sleight of hand, and sleight of tongue.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (8 ):

Tweens who know Emily Osment from Hannah Montana will love her performance in this movie. Playing Becca Handler, she is able to portray a young teen whose loss of her father is confusing, as well as painful. Her mom, Wendy, has her hands full as a single mom of three -- barely keeping the dog out of the refrigerator. But she takes a big risk to masquerade as the role model that she feels will inspire her daughter.

As far as mother-daughter bonding movies go, this one is pretty light fare. But that may be why moms and daughters will enjoy watching it together. It covers the emotional complexity that follows a loss, while providing genuine comic relief. Missi Pyle's ability to inhabit a character doesn't go unnoticed, though some of the plot twists are a little predictable. It's nice to see girls' sports taken seriously enough to be the center point of a movie.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how little lies can snowball out of control.

  • Why does Wendy lie in the first place? Did she have a choice?

  • How is she different from the real Lorenzo?

  • Would she have been as effective as a coach if she took on the job as herself?

Movie Details

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