Beastly Review
“People like people who look good, whoever doesn’t is either dumb or ugly.” That’s what teenage hunk Kyle (Alex Pettyfer) believes; he says, image is everything. Kyle’s got it all, (so he thinks); he’s popular, cute, comes from a wealthy family, and is now running for class president. Things change dramatically for Kyle when he insults his classmate, Kendra, who’s a witch. She casts a spell on him; and transforms him into a bald, tattooed and scar covered teenage boy. The witch tells him that he has a year for someone to fall in love with him, and then the spell will be permanent. Now we see how this once arrogant boy turns into a humble, considerate person who seeks out love.
Rating: Three out of five buckets
Release Date: March 4, 2011
MPAA Rating: PG13
Best Age Group: 11+
Sexual Content: Mild
Violent Content: Mild
Crude or Profane Language: Mild
Drugs and Alcohol Content: Mild
See a clip of my review here, along with the Rango review too!
Talking Points
• This is a teen version of the classic fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast. There are many nice messages, that teens could learn from. Kyle begins to truly care for people, even his housekeeper, Zola, whom he was initially very disrespectful to. He feels sorry for his tutor, who’s blind, and eventually wants to help him. He also falls in love with Lindy (Vanessa Hudgens), who comes from a dysfunctional family. Kyle protects her from her dad’s drug dealer.
• Even though the movie was a little sappy and predictable, there were some humorous parts. Kyle’s tutor (Neil Patrick Harris), had a lot of funny one-liners.
Sexual Content: Mild
This is a PG13 movie, and in my opinion, parents won’t feel uncomfortable with their pre-teens/teens going to this movie.
• Initially, when Kyle is good-looking we learn from Facebook that he’s promiscuous. He writes on his profile that he’s interested in “anything that’s bangable.”
• There’s some kissing, but that’s about it.
Violent Content: Mild
• In one scene we see Lindy’s father in a confrontation with his drug dealer, they get into a fight, but nothing too scary or violent.
Crude and Profane Language: Excessive
• There are bits of profanity throughout the movie; such as “s*#t” , “a$$”, “d%$m” and “b$%&h”.
Here are some fun quotes that I got from kids that I interviewed after the movie:
• “That movie made me want to barf, eat it, and barf again.” (Eleven year-old boy).
• “I loved it because of the guy.” (Teenage girl).
• “It was funny, cute and romantic.” (Teenage girl).
Clearly this is a teenage girl movie, the girls even clapped at the end of the movie. Overall this teen romance is about humility, and caring for others. I read that, “Beastly tells us that humility is a virtue, that true love is a nifty thing and that beauty is far more than what you see in the mirror. These values are like the story, timeless”. That sums it up! I recommend Beastly for girls ages 11 and up.
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