Parents' Guide to

Spin

By Ashley Moulton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 7+

Tween DJ movie mixes up a sweet coming-of-age story.

TV Disney Channel Drama 2021
Spin Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

  • Spin TV Show: Rhea at the DJ competition
  • Spin TV Show: Rhea waiting tables at the Spirit of India
  • Spin TV Show: Ginger, Rhea, Watson, and Debbie at coding club

Community Reviews

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age 6+

Based on 2 parent reviews

RiverRosa
RiverRosa Parent of 5-year-old
November 11, 2022
age 5+

Fun Family Film

I love the fact that the movie focuses on Indian American character and culture. Growing up with Disney Channel original movies and being a minority I didn’t see much representation so seeing the diversity was nice. My son (5) and I both enjoyed it especially the music. The sad bits where they talk about her moms passing did make my son a little sad. He did ask what Holi was which lead to great conversation (after I did research) and we had our own “festival” on paper and did a bunch of artwork by throwing color on white paper. It was nice that it opened a channel of conversation. I love the family relationship represented with a loving father and fantastically wonder grandmother. Overall a great family film. Just know typical teen crush movie, little hand holding, guy turns out to the traitor, girl find inner strength… If you’re offended by mid drift skin showing - well many traditional Indian outfits show a little belly. What can I say - the costumes are lovely and there’s nothing overtly sexual

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models
afritsch100
afritsch100 Parent of 5-year-old
May 16, 2022
age 6+
Loved this movie—was glad to see a movie that focused on an Indian cultural heritage and that showed young women DJing and making electronic music. Overall pretty great. Some relationship peril that might be scary for little kids. Really beautifully shot.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
See all 2 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In Spin, Rhea Kumar (Avantika) is a 15-year-old Indian-American coding enthusiast who spends her free time working at her family's restauarant. After her mom passed away, Rhea's dad Arvind (Abhay Deol) threw himself into the Spirit of India restaurant with the help of Rhea, her grandmother (Meera Syal) and younger brother (Aryan Simhadri). When new kid Max (Michael Bishop) comes into the restaurant, Rhea and Max hit it off. Max promises to teach Rhea to deejay, and Rhea helps him spin a new song for their high school's Color Festival. They develop a crush on each other as they work together, and Rhea disappoints her dad and her friends as the deejay hobby takes over her life. Rhea sneaks away from the restaurant to see their song debut at the Color Festival, but Max doesn't give her any credit for her help on the song. Dejected, Rhea is about to quit DJing forever when her friends surprise her with deejay equipment and an entrance to the local Battle of the Beatmasters teen DJ competition. Rhea's grandmother encourages her to break out of her dad's expectations, and tells her about her mom's passion for music. Can Rhea embrace the music in her genes and beat Max at the DJ competition?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (2 ):
Kids say (3 ):

This musical romance follows the formula of many past Disney Channel movies with a crush, a high-school kid excelling at their chosen hobby, and a pretty predictable plot. Spin does have great music, as well as fantastic on-screen representation with an Indian-American lead and supporting cast. The story starts off pretty slow, but by the end of the movie, kids will be pulling for the charismatic lead character Rhea. Overall, Rhea is a wonderful role model who is trying to balance her dad's expectations, being a good friend, and following her heart (and failing along the way). She does get into her new deejaying hobby due to a crush, but when her crush lets her down, she doesn't try to win him back. Instead, she aims to beat him at a DJ competition, and feels empowered with her newfound passion. Spin isn't breaking any cinematic ground, but kids will enjoy this sweet coming-of-age story and celebration of Indian-American culture.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Rhea's curiosity. She might have started deejaying because of a crush, but what helped her develop a real passion for it? How do you think she started doing something so different than her past hobbies?

  • How did Rhea react when Max didn't give her credit for their deejay mix? Do you think she responded in the appropriate way? Why or why not?

  • Does Rhea's family remind you of your own? How do they support each other? What do they disagree about?

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.

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