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Parents' Guide to

The Influencer

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Dark satire about social media; sex, drugs, language.

Movie NR 2021 90 minutes
The Influencer Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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What's the Story?

In THE INFLUENCER, Abbie Rose (Kasia Szarek) is a 29-year-old social media influencer with millions of followers. She seems to be living her best life in Hollywood, despite obsessions with "her brand," petty rivalries on social media with other influencers, interns who would like to be paid for their work, and worries that her influence may soon be on the wane. But when she agrees to sign a contract in which she promotes a line of products manufactured by a large cosmetics company, her life takes a drastic turn. Shortly after signing the contract, her home is invaded by a group of activists who take her hostage. These invaders are online activists who are displeased with Abbie signing this contract, and in retribution, they begin forcing her to make statements on social media that help their cause. If she doesn't, they threaten to post unflattering pictures of her from the photos in her smartphone. As Abbie's latest posts cause confusion among her followers and damage to "the brand," the leader of the activists arrives and explains what it is they're really trying to accomplish, and it's ultimately up to Abbie as to whether or not she wants to remain attached to her identity as an influencer or if she wants to accept the activists' offer and start a new life in the real world, as far away from social media as possible.

Is It Any Good?

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

This is a dark satire that never quite lands as it careens back and forth between comedy and social commentary. Most of the attempts at humor fall flat, no matter whether it's going for the deeper messages that satire is supposed to convey through humor, or obvious worn-out jokes about "Florida Man" or coked-out idiot men obsessed with casual sex. It doesn't really say anything most people haven't already figured out about the vapid culture of questionable celebrity that surrounds social media influencers, the chasm between one's social media persona and who they are "IRL," and how online political activism like wearing a shirt that says "Feminist" is the laziest form of protest that exists today. All of this can and should be satirized, but with the way it's presented in this movie, there's nothing new.

The characters themselves are inconsistent, obvious, and obnoxious. The lead character, Abbie, weaves back and forth between vapid hypocritical internet princess and savvy feminist Millennial who posts popular video content because, apparently, it's the only real way to afford Life in Los Angeles. The activists who take her hostage are, for the most part, equally all over the place. It's like the characters are speaking preachy messages rather than dialogue that could also, in skilled hands, communicate the messages. Everything and everyone is satirized, and as a result, nothing is effectively satirized. It's a lot of time and effort to say nothing new, and even the money scam the activists are ultimately trying to pull seems like something as ludicrous as what was tried in Superman III and Office Space.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about social media after watching The Influencer. What does this movie parody about not only social media influencers, but also society as a whole?

  • How does the movie offer a feminist critique and satire of the culture that has grown out of social media?

  • Over the course of the movie, we begin to see the gap between Abbie's social media persona and who she is "IRL." How are these two identities shown to contrast earlier in the movie, and how does this change by the time we reach the end?

Movie Details

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