Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Nudity, heavy drinking, sex, language in teen comedy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Sweethearts
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Jamie (Kiernan Shipka) and Ben (Nico Hiraga) have been best friends for years, and now they're attending the same college together in SWEETHEARTS. Both are also still dating their high school sweethearts: Simon (Charlie Hall) and Claire (Ava DeMary). When the besties decide (together) to break up with their significant others, they travel home for the Thanksgiving holiday to do the deed. Helping them coordinate is their friend Palmer (Caleb Hearon), who is back in town from Paris, where he's been trying to live his best gay life but is not happy. Things go awry, and Jamie and Ben spend the night chasing down their lovers. In the meantime, have they developed feelings for each other?
Is It Any Good?
This return-to-high-school adventure rises slightly above others in the overstuffed canon of John Hughes knockoffs thanks to likable leads (Shipka, Hiraga, and Hearon) and some quirky setups. Sweethearts is no Sixteen Candles or Booksmart, but it shares commonalities with these genre standouts: characters with some integrity discovering things about themselves and their friends over the course of a single night (or two). Sweethearts is also no When Harry Met Sally, though this classic is referenced in the movie's climax. Said climax offers a twist that ends the film satisfactorily for the characters and in a way more cohesive with Gen Z values.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what the various characters in Sweethearts learn about the value of friendship and how to have healthy romantic relationships.
Do you think this film gives an accurate portrayal of teenagers or the high school and college experience? Why, or why not?
Does this film remind you of any others you've watched? Which, and how so? How does it fit into the teen genre, from what you've seen?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : November 28, 2024
- Cast : Kiernan Shipka , Nico Hiraga , Caleb Hearon
- Director : Jordan Weiss
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Director(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Asian Movie Actor(s) , Gay Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Max
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Friendship , School ( High School ) , Holidays
- Run time : 98 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : sexual content, language throughout, teen partying and brief graphic nudity
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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