Parents' Guide to The Wrong Missy

Movie NR 2020 90 minutes
The Wrong Missy Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Renee Schonfeld By Renee Schonfeld , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 16+

Raunchy, slapstick romcom with sex, language, drinking.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 16+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 11+

Based on 3 parent reviews

age 15+

Based on 10 kid reviews

What's the Story?

Tim Morris (David Spade) is trying to get over being dumped by his fiancée in THE WRONG MISSY. Reluctantly, he agrees to a blind date set up by his grandmother. Missy (Lauren Lapkus) turns out to be everyone's nightmare first date. She's loud, gratingly unfunny, prying, and erratic; her idea of a good time is setting Tim up for a bar fight. The horrific date can't be over soon enough. A few months later, Tim meets another Missy: this time, a classic beauty with smarts and a great personality. There's an immediate spark, and soon afterward, opportunity strikes. An important corporate weekend in Hawaii is planned, where Tim, up for the promotion of a lifetime, is desperate to impress the firm's CEO. It couldn't hurt for him to have such a spectacular woman on his arm, plus he's more than eager to spend a weekend with this new Missy. He texts an invitation; she accepts. Oops. Wrong number. Nightmare Missy appears on the plane to join him. And it's all downhill from there.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 3 ):
Kids say ( 10 ):

If seeing David Spade as a romantic lead (without his usual snark, he's just dull) and watching an unhinged female wreak havoc relentlessly are high on a viewer's bucket list, this movie is perfect. It's a free-for-all of tasteless, offensive jokes and sight gags, produced by Adam Sandler's Happy Gilmore Productions. Even though Sandler isn't in the cast of The Wrong Missy, his juvenile comic sensibility is evident. It's another of the "turn-them-out-like-sausage" productions he's made for Netflix. There are, to be fair, at least a few authentically funny moments. And Lauren Lapkus' over-the-top, crazed performance delivers some laughs in spite of her crassness. Unfortunately, the rest of the movie is simply a waste of time.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the appeal of gross-out behavior, excessive profanity, and drunk characters in comedies. For what audience(s) do you think The Wrong Missy is intended? When, if ever, does such behavior cross boundaries for you? How much is too much?

  • How does this movie fit into the emerging class of "slob versus snob" films? How does that theme reflect our contemporary culture? Why do you think that "slobs" usually turn out to be heroic? Name some other movies you've seen of this type.

  • What surprised you about this film? What does it mean when a movie is predictable? When did you realize who would show up on the plane to meet Tim? When did you figure out how the movie would end?

Movie Details

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

The Wrong Missy Poster Image

What to Watch Next

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