Common Sense Media Review
By Andrea Beach
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Lowbrow, violent spoof with plenty of juvenile sex humor.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Starving Games
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 3 parent reviews
Based on 28 kid reviews
Kids say that the film is a comedic parody featuring crude humor and over-the-top violence, but many viewers express concern over its inappropriate content, including sexual jokes and strong language, making it unsuitable for younger audiences. While some found humor in its absurdity and appreciated its comedic elements, others deemed it boring or failed in its attempts to be funny, leading to a divisive reception overall.
- crude humor
- inappropriate content
- mixed reviews
- strong violence
- divided opinions
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
THE STARVING GAMES is a straightforward spoof of The Hunger Games and follows its plot pretty closely. Heroine Kantmiss Evershot (Maiara Walsh) volunteers to take part in a reality-show-style survival contest. One by one, all the other contestants are killed until only she and Peter, who has a big crush on her, are left. Most aspects of the original story are here, including the dystopian government and the conflicting love interests between the boy back home and fellow contestant, although the ending's different in service to the parody.
Is It Any Good?
As uninspiring as its title, The Starving Games serves up crass, juvenile humor in a vehicle for little else than gratuitous violence, sexuality, and pop-culture references. Some kids and teens may find a lot of humor in it, until the popularity of Taylor Swift and Angry Birds fades, but even so they won't enjoy sitting through a movie that strikes the same note over and over again. If you have a bunch of older kids and teens who want big laughs on a Friday night, see our handpicked alternatives below to show them how spoofing should be done.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what makes a good spoof. Does this movie make you think about The Hunger Games any differently? Can you tell what the filmmakers think of Hunger Games? Why do you think they made this movie?
How funny do you think the movie will be in a few years, when the pop culture and products spoofed in the movie aren't popular anymore? Do you think this movie has any lasting qualities?
If you could spoof a current pop-culture trend, what would it be, and why?
Movie Details
- In theaters : November 8, 2013
- On DVD or streaming : January 21, 2014
- Cast : Maiara Walsh , Brant Daugherty , Cody Christian
- Directors : Jason Friedberg , Aaron Seltzer
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s) , Indigenous Movie Actor(s)
- Studios : Louisiana Production Consultants , The Safran Company
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Adventures
- Run time : 83 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : Crude and sexual content, comic violence, language and partial nudity
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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