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What Lies West
By Andrea Beach,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Earnest friendship drama falls short; some strong language.
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What Lies West
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What's the Story?
WHAT LIES WEST tells the story of Nicolette (Nicolette Kaye Ellis), who just graduated from college and is anxious to get her acting career underway. When her flaky ex fails to come through with a summer job at his family's winery, Nicolette takes a babysitting job: a very strange babysitting job. Chloe (Chloe Moore) is 16, but her overprotective mother (Anna Peterson) worries about leaving her alone all day. Enter Nicolette. Nicolette tries to draw Chloe out of her shell, but all Chloe wants to do is walk around the nearby recreational lake as many times a day as possible. It turns out Chloe's got a map, and a plan to hike from her home to the Pacific coast, 40 miles to the west, without her mother knowing about it, to prove to herself that she can. But to do that, she's going to need to convince Nicolette to come with her. And Nicolette is definitely not on board.
Is It Any Good?
This is an earnest friendship-adventure story with quirky characters that unfortunately falls short in a few areas so that it doesn't feel especially deep or intimate. Not many characters are very well developed, so they feel hard to really understand. And the plot has a few holes, so certain things don't make much sense no matter how you try to interpret them. Still, at its heart is a quirky, unlikely friendship story that teens can enjoy. Older teens will relate to Nicolette as she tries to figure out her life and pursue her dream. Younger teens will relate to Chloe's need to prove herself, to herself and to her mother. There's also a very strong sense of place, so that people who know and love Sonoma County, or who hope to visit someday, will enjoy the beautiful scenery and backdrops that capture its unique essence.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the use of strong language in What Lies West. Is it realistic? Does it matter if it is? How much is too much?
Why is it important for movies and other media to have diverse casts? How does it feel when you see people like yourself? What can we learn from people who look different?
Chloe's schoolmate tries to embarrass and humiliate her. Do you think Nicolette handled the situation well? Have you ever tried to embarrass someone, or has someone tried to do that to you? What happened?
Movie Details
- In theaters: May 5, 2019
- On DVD or streaming: May 11, 2021
- Cast: Nicolette Kaye Ellis , Chloe Moore
- Director: Jessica Ellis
- Studio: Passion River Films
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: Adventures , Friendship
- Run time: 79 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: July 28, 2022
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 suggesting a diversity update.
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