Parents' Guide to

The One I Wrote For You

By Grace Montgomery, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Sappy, music-filled film has positive message, some cursing.

Movie PG 2014 110 minutes
The One I Wrote For You Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

  • The One I Wrote For You Movie: Scene #1
  • The One I Wrote For You Movie: Scene #2
  • The One I Wrote For You Movie: Scene #3

Community Reviews

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age 10+

Based on 1 parent review

Steve M.
Steve M. Adult
March 27, 2017
age 10+

Great family film

The theme was super. Acting quite good. Music was superb, especially the variety of genre from one writer !! Unfortunately, many songs were cut short in the film. To get the full value of the music, you have to download the dozen songs. I did this and have played the music MANY times. Each song has a msg.
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

Ben (Cheyenne Jackson) didn't plan on being a barista, but after failing to make it as a songwriter, he's stuck managing a local coffee shop to support his family. Unbeknownst to him, Ben's 10-year-old daughter, Gracie (Avi Lake), enters him on the reality show The Song. After his former manager Mickey's (Kevin Pollak) urging, Ben enters the competition and, to his surprise, wins the first round. But as the competition gets fiercer, Ben has to decide if he'll do whatever it takes to make it or if he'll stay true to himself and risk losing his dream once again.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

It's schmaltzy, a bit heavy-handed, and very formulaic, but there's just enough heart and decent-enough acting to make this an OK family film. THE ONE I WROTE FOR YOU isn't going to win any awards (for the movie or its music), but it manages to be fairly entertaining even while you're cringing. Some of the faux-pop music is pretty terrible and not very believable, but a few of the tunes aren't half-bad. And parents will love that the reality of reality shows is shown to be more tedious than glamorous.

Music lovers looking for a wholesome family film will probably enjoy the likable characters and positive messages. And young fans of shows like The Voice and American Idol will get a kick out of imagining what it would really be like to compete in a reality show.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about reality shows such as American Idol and The Voice. Why are they so popular? What's so appealing about them?

  • Do you think you need to change who you are to be popular? Is being popular important enough to have to change who you are? Why, or why not?

  • Did you like the music in the movie? Do you think the songs on the reality show sound like real pop songs? Why, or why not?

Movie Details

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