What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know there are a great many references to
sex, even by the standards of teen comedies, and especially a
number of references to male genitalia, including a boy who
draws a picture on the face of another and a boy who pretends
to expose himself in the lunchroom, using a bratwurst, as well
as the usual teen references to who has "done it." There is a
wild party, with teen drinking and smoking, and brief
references to drug use. The scene in which a girl bears her
breasts to a teacher is worth discussing.
Families can talk about how realistic the portrayal of teen life is or isn't.
Common Sense Media Review
Bianca, a beautiful high school sophomore, longs for a
social life. But her father will not let her date until her
older sister Kat does. Sound familiar? This is an adaptation of
Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew" set in a Tacoma, Washington
high school. The movie benefits from appealing performers and
some genuinely fresh and funny dialogue, but parents should
know that it contains a good bit of material that may be
inappropriate for younger teens.
Commedian Larry Miller is terrific as the girls' father, overprotective because their mother abandoned the family and because as an obstetrician he sees too many pregnant teenagers. But the teachers in the movie are more juvenile than the kids, including a guidance counselor more concerned with writing a very steamy novel than with the behavior and well-being of the students, an English teacher who insults the kids and is arbitrary with discipline, and a soccer coach who is all but comatose at the sight of a girl's breasts, which she flashes to distract him from a boy's escape from detention.
Kids who enjoy this movie should watch The Taming of the Shrew starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. The many parallels will make them appreciate this version even more.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
