Parents' Guide to

Maniac

By Martin Brown, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Futuristic satire is disjointed but entertaining.

TV Netflix Drama 2018
Maniac Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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age 17+

Based on 6 parent reviews

Heather M.
Heather M. Parent
July 9, 2019
age 17+

I didn't care for it

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
Dio fry
Dio fry Parent of 13, 13, 14 and 15-year-old
January 31, 2019
age 14+
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

MANIAC follows two people with social problems as they step out of their everyday lives and enter an experimental drug trial that forces them to confront their deepest trauma. Owen Milgrim (Jonah Hill) has schizophrenic qualities, not helped by how he's mistreated by his wealthy family. After getting fired from his job, he lies about his mental disorder in order to join the drug trial. Annie Landsberg (Emma Stone) cons her way into the drug trial because she's addicted to the same drug they're experimenting with and this is her only way to get more. The drug trial removes Owen, Annie, and their co-participants from society and observes them as they deal with their personal problems through drug-induced memories and fantasies.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6):
Kids say (4):

The two leads are great, and there are tons of fun guest appearances from the likes of Justin Theroux (The Leftovers) and Sally Field, but the breakout star is the show's director, Cary Joji Fukunaga. Maniac takes place in an alternate universe -- maybe the future, maybe the present -- and Fukunaga's direction is relentlessly creative and kinetic as he reveals the ins and outs of this unique world. The direction is so good, in fact, that it makes up for the fact that he seems to just be making the story up as it goes along; three or four episodes in, Maniac starts to feel directionless, like it's more concerned about simply generating content than telling an effective story. That said, the creative team is so good that Maniac is a mesmerizing watch, if ultimately a little shallow.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about mental disorders. What is Owen suffering from in Maniac? How does it affect his behavior and his everyday life? How does it affect his relationship with his family? Is there any sign of the cause of his disorder?

  • What is Annie suffering from? How does she deal with her trauma? How does it affect her relationship with her family? How does her drug addiction affect her life?

  • What's going on with the drug trial? What are the problems with it? How do they affect Annie, Owen, and the other characters? How does Annie and Owen's friendship develop? How does the drug trial affect them?

TV Details

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