Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

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Parents' Guide to

To the Beat!

By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Predictable, unsatisfying tween dance competition movie.

Movie PG 2018 96 minutes
To the Beat! Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

age 7+

Based on 3 parent reviews

age 9+

Deceased Father - May upset

The father character has recently passed away - May be upsetting for some viewers.
1 person found this helpful.
age 2+

GARFIELD AND CURIOUS GEOGRE ARE SHOWN FLOSSING!!!!

WHY DID THEY MAKE THIS!? KEANNU WOULD NOT BE PROUD!!!!!! :(

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (7 ):

This dance movie is oddly unsatisfying. Young viewers may not be able to articulate their disappointment, but they will no doubt sense the way To the Beat! sets up an obvious moral dilemma. Cheating, self-absorbed Avery occupies one end of the dishonesty extreme, paying social media influencers $100 to garner votes for her team. Mia and Mackie are honest competitors trying to win through merit. No spoiler alert is needed as viewers will sense the one-dimensionality of the script and its constant signaling that the good guys will win.

The relationships among characters are confusing. No one will fail to notice that there's no real comeuppance for Avery. She loses the contest, but her cheating is never exposed, her parents don't scold her, and her kindly grandmother isn't shocked to learn of her granddaughter's scheming malevolence. The last part is really odd since without the moral reckoning her kindly grandmother could provide, there's otherwise no need for the grandmother character at all. On the other hand, it's entertaining to watch young dancers go through their routines.

Movie Details

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