Common Sense Media Review
By Sandie Angulo Chen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Cliched relationship comedy has mature romance content.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Think Like a Man
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 2 parent reviews
Based on 12 kid reviews
Kids say the film is a mixed bag, with many enjoying the humor and relatable messages while others find it crude and inappropriate for younger audiences. Notably, it presents useful insights about relationships, but caution is advised given the sexual content and mature themes.
- humorous
- relatable
- inappropriate
- mixed opinions
- not for teens
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Based on Steve Harvey's best-selling relationship advice book, THINK LIKE A MAN centers on a group of guy friends: unambitious commitment-phobe Jeremy (Jerry Ferrara), "player" Zeke (Romany Malco), flaky dreamer Dominic (Michael Ealy), mama's boy Michael (Terrence J), and their mid-divorce pal Cedric (Kevin Hart), who narrates the action. After the women in their lives -- proposal-ready Kristen (Gabrielle Union), monogamy seeking Mya (Meagan Good), high-powered superwoman Lauren (Taraji P. Henson), and single mother Candace (Regina Hall) -- read Harvey's self-help book, they start challenging their guys to live up to their standards, until the guys find out and start using Harvey's advice to get what they want.
Is It Any Good?
Think Like a Man is basically a two-hour commercial for Harvey's book, and he's mentioned constantly; that caveat in mind, the movie's plot is formulaic but still quite funny. (Viewers may laugh even as they roll their eyes at themselves for laughing.) Much of the humor is courtesy of Hart, who, as the group's soon-to-be-divorced friend, gets to play both narrator and joker the entire time, observing all his friends as they make misstep after misstep in their relationships.
The cast is full of many of Hollywood's most talented 30- and 40-something African-American stars (just when you wonder why Morris Chestnut is missing, he actually appears in a memorable cameo), and they supply a near-distracting amount of eye candy (a disproportionate number of scenes occur early in the morning or during workouts, just to show off everyone's bodies) ... which isn't necessarily a bad thing with such a paper-thin premise (i.e. guys need to grow up and treat their women better). When it's not bombarding the audience with Harvey's persona, Think Like a Man includes enough laugh-out-loud moments and sugary-sweet messages on love to be not only tolerable but pleasant, as cliché-filled romcoms go.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about whether the adult, sexual relationships and advice in Think Like a Man are too mature for teens. Who do you think the film is aimed at?
Does any of Harvey's advice apply to teen relationships? Parents, talk to your teens about your own values regarding dating.
How does the movie portray drinking and drug use? Would there be different/additional consequences in real life?
Movie Details
- In theaters : April 20, 2012
- On DVD or streaming : August 28, 2012
- Cast : Jerry Ferrara , Kevin Hart , Meagan Good , Taraji P. Henson
- Director : Tim Story
- Inclusion Information : Black Movie Director(s) , Black Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s) , Multiracial Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Screen Gems
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 120 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : sexual content, some crude humor, and brief drug use
- Award : NAACP Image Award - NAACP Image Award Nominee
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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