Mean Girls (PG-13)
Age 13+
Funny musical is truly “fetch”; swearing, racy moments.
“Mean Girls” is a high-spirited, hilarious musical take on the hit 2004 movie, adapted from the Broadway show. The teens have phones and social media in this version, but, as in the original, the story centers on the rivalry between high school juniors Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) and Regina George (Reneé Rapp), largely because of a boy. The takeaway message of “what goes around, comes around” still rings true, capped with math teacher Ms. Norbury’s (writer Tina Fey) observation that “calling someone stupid doesn’t make you any smarter.” Expect suggestive gestures and lingo, including a teen rapping about his skills “under the sheets” and mentions of one girl’s high quantity of sex partners. There’s also passionate, over-the-top kissing, plenty of cleavage, and a couple of numbers with sexy costumes/references. Language — from “a--hole” and “s---” to “b----” and “slut” — is fairly frequent. Teens drink in a couple of party scenes (including having shots), and there are references to vaping and an inhaler full of vodka. Violence is infrequent and played for humor but does include one potentially shocking moment. The original movie had some diversity, with supporting characters who were gay, and 2024’s version continues that trend. Cady’s friends Janis (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damian (Jaquel Spivey) are still queer, but now they’re also people of color who each get their own mini-romances. And the student body covers a spectrum of skin colors, sexual identities, body sizes and more. (105 minutes)
The Book of Clarence (PG-13)
Age 14+
Ambitious, violent biblical satire about faith and race.
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“The Book of Clarence” is a comical satire of a biblical epic, with sharp commentary on race, faith and tolerance. So many jokes and ideas are packed into it that it might seem unwieldy, but it’s funny, audacious and often electrifying. There’s some notable violence: A woman is pelted with rocks, a man is brutally whipped as he hauls a large wooden cross, a character is impaled with spears, people are crucified (mostly off-camera, but screaming is heard), and there’s lots of blood, from wounds, fighting and more. Characters also kiss and have jokey sex-related dialogue, and women dance while wearing very little. Language includes a use of “motherf---er,” plus uses of “s---,” the n-word, “damn,” “whore,” “b-----d,” “dumba--” and more. The main character is a “seller of herbs,” and there’s frequent pot smoking throughout. In one scene, characters smoke from a hookah and float off the ground. Drinking is also implied or referred to. Led by Black British writer/director Jeymes Samuel, the nearly all-Black cast teasingly shows how the story of Jesus was turned “White” almost by mistake (or perhaps by prejudice). (136 minutes)
Echo (TV-MA)
Share this articleShareAge 15+
Inclusive but uneven Marvel series has intense violence.
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“Echo” is a Marvel TV series that continues the story of characters originally introduced in “Hawkeye.” It has mature content and frequent bloody violence. People are stabbed, shot and sliced, with spouting, pooling blood. Characters whom viewers have gotten to know are killed without mercy, and deaths can be sudden and intense. Main characters murder others without remorse; there’s also a great deal of hand-to-hand combat with many battle scenes, and characters are in frequent mortal danger. Swearing isn’t frequent but includes uses of “a--” and “hell.” The show is centered on a Native deaf woman, Maya Lopez/Echo, who uses ASL to communicate and uses a prosthetic leg and foot; Alaqua Cox, the actor who plays the character, also has these characteristics. Her Native heritage is woven into the plot of the narrative sympathetically and powerfully, and some scenes use an ASL interpreter to help characters talk (and help audience members understand what’s being said). (Five episodes, 34-48 minutes)
Available on Disney Plus.
Boy Swallows Universe (Unrated)
Age 15+
Tragicomic coming-of-age series has lots of violence, drugs.
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“Boy Swallows Universe” is an Australian series based on the book by Trent Dalton about Eli (played by Felix Cameron), a bright kid who gets involved with the family business: dealing drugs. Though this is a show with a kid narrator, it’s got a lot of adult content. Expect extreme violence, from bloody prison-yard brawls to the graphic slicing of a rat’s tail. Drugs and their effects are frequently present: Main characters sell drugs, specifically heroin, and some use them. Children are involved in the sale of drugs, and parents, like Travis Fimmel’s stepdad Lyle, aren’t positive role models. Frequent language includes “f---,” “s---,” “a--hole,” and “c---.” All of this is presented through a lightly comic lens, but the themes are dark, and there are many intense moments. (Eight episodes, 60 minutes)
Available on Netflix.
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