Parents' Guide to

Mark and Russell's Wild Ride

By Emily Ashby, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

So-so slapstick buddy comedy has a few positive messages.

TV Disney XD Comedy 2015
Mark and Russell's Wild Ride Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

See all

There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.

What's the Story?

MARK AND RUSSELL'S WILD RIDE sees BFFs Mark (Joey Bragg) and Russell (Sean Giambrone) set out on a crazy quest to earn Mark's license to drive. Relegated to the unpopular table their whole lives, Mark sees his social fortune turning around after hitting it off with his attractive lab partner, Ashley. But when Ashley (Tiera Skovbye) asks for a ride to an upcoming party right after he fails his driving test for the fifth time, he and Russell lobby a notoriously lenient DMV instructor named Glenn (Chris Gauthier) to give him one last shot at success. Little do they know about the adventure that awaits them, with Glenn along for the ride.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (2):

This mostly forgettable buddy comedy is a long-winded series of outlandish and bizarre circumstances that grow tired after the first 30 minutes or so. It's not terribly clever, and the laughs become easy to predict after a while, but on the whole, the content isn't a worry for kids and tweens who may want to watch.

If bright spots are to be found, they're in Mark and Russell's friendship, which proves it can endure just about anything that's thrown at it; and in Gauthier's very funny portrayal of Glenn the dim driving instructor. There's also a nice culmination to the geeky-guy-loves-popular-girl device, with some obvious reminders about the sometimes surprising rewards of embracing what makes you unique.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what this movie says about popularity. How is it assigned? Kids: Is it important to you that other people consider you popular? Why, or why not?

  • What rules do the characters break during their adventure? How would repercussions be different if this kind of thing happened in the real world?

  • Do any role models exist in this show? Is that important in a comedy? What shows or movies have you seen that do have positive role models?

TV 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 suggesting a diversity update.

See all recommended tv lists

Related Topics

Want suggestions based on your streaming services? Get personalized recommendations

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