Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

Stealing Harvard

By Alistair Lawrence, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Dated comedy caper has language, sex, iffy humor.

Movie PG-13 2002 85 minutes
Stealing Harvard movie poster

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

See all

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

STEALING HARVARD follows hapless everyman John (Jason Lee) as he tries to find the money to help send his niece to college.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

A footnote on the resumes of early 2000s stars Lee and Tom Green, this is a buddy comedy that runs on strained jokes rather than any real chemistry between the leads. Stealing Harvard is also stocked with characters so clichéd it's almost as though the writers expect the audience to fill in the blanks, because we've seen them all before. Lee has little to do other than bob along as the disapproving straight man in a bind. Meanwhile, bizarrely, Green is mostly shackled from the physical and gross-out humor that made him famous. Like most male-buddy comedies of the era, the female lead, Leslie Mann, is sidelined as John's fiancee, until the final act, where she's allowed to tag along for the climax.

And while Richard Jenkins is wasted in a series of dated gags that revolve around cross-dressing, thankfully the generic script doesn't totally smother the comedic talents of the supporting cast. Cameos from John C. McGinley, Martin Starr, and Dennis Farina liven things up, as they somehow manage to beat some chuckles out of the material they're given. The rest of it's about as much fun as being hit with a series of student loan repayments.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the humor in Stealing Harvard. Did you find it funny? Why might some of the jokes -- particularly around cross-dressing -- be viewed as problematic? Do you think these jokes would be included if the film was made today?

  • John plans to steal money to help his niece go to university. Have you heard anyone else talk about the cost of going to college? Why is higher education too expensive for many people? What do you think about this?

  • How did the film portray sex? Was it affectionate? Respectful? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding sex and relationships.

  • Talk about the strong language in the movie. Did it seem necessary or excessive? What did it contribute to the movie?

  • How were drinking, drug use, and smoking portrayed? Were there consequences? Did it glamorize it?

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended movie lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate