Adventure drama addresses teen mental health; language.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 10+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
Scenes of school bullying and a fistfight between teens. Facial bruising shown. One scene depicts a character's hand being sliced open by a machete; moderate amount of blood present. Guns are fired. One scene has the sound of bones crunching followed by a visual of a broken ankle. A character is accidentally pushed off a cliff. Visual imagery and discussions throughout representing a wide range of mental health issues, including suicidal thoughts and ideation, but suicidal acts aren't discussed or performed.
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Language includes words like "hell," "crap," "son of a—" (cut off mid-phrase), "shove it up your a--" (also cut off), "SOB," "suck," "fricking," "freaking," "dumb," "nerds," "dipstick," "idiot," "stupid," "knucklehead," "trippy," "weird," "loon," "coward," "heck," "shoot," "shut up," "jeez," "oh my gosh," and "God" (as an exclamation).
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Encourages the importance of asking for help and not being ashamed about asking when times are tough. Approaches mental health topics of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation in a way that's relatable to teens. Focuses on opening up about deep issues, expressing emotions in positive ways, and listening with empathy. Leans on friendship and perseverance through difficult times, overcoming doubt, discovering your identity, and having faith.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Jesse, Eli, Reena, Billy, Zack, and Savannah are portrayed as a group of teen friends who are all struggling with different levels of mental health and emotional issues related to anxiety, depression, grief, and suicidal thoughts. The group of teens ultimately try to do the right thing. Characters demonstrate perseverance, friendship, empathy, asking for help, and taking care of mental health in a social media age, reminding viewers that no one should ever have to suffer alone.
Diverse Representations
some
The main characters are a group of pretty evenly mixed male and female teen friends who represent a range of ethnic/racial backgrounds, including White, Black, and Latino. Background characters are portrayed as being a part of a diverse world, though there's no prominent representation in terms of body size, disability, or sexual identity. Female characters have as much agency as male characters do.
Parents need to know that What Rhymes with Reason is an adventure drama with a focus on teen mental health. The story follows a group of teen friends who embark on an adventure/quest to find a hidden landmark in the woods after a tragedy. Violence is fairly mild but does include gun use and some blood. Language includes "hell" and "crap," along with insults like "idiot" and "dipstick." The film was partly funded by the 988 Suicide & Crisis Hotline and has positive messages about addressing important mental health issues including anxiety, depression, grief, and suicidal ideation, while leaning on friendship, empathy, perseverance, and having faith to overcome self-doubt and inner darkness. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
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What's the Story?
WHAT RHYMES WITH REASON follows the story of teen Jesse Brandt (Gattlin Griffith) and his crew, which includes his cousin Billy (Ricardo Hurtado), sister Savannah (Katie Burgess), and friends Eli (LaRonn Marzett), Reena (Giselle Torres), and Zack (Juan Carlos Graterol Jr.). In the wake of a tragic loss, the group embarks on a quest to locate a hidden landmark deep in the wilderness. Finding adventure and self-discovery along the way, the teens must navigate their own inner struggles, learn to lean on one another, and have faith to persevere and overcome life's challenges.
This modern take on The Goonies meets The Breakfast Club tackles important mental health topics like anxiety, depression, and suicide prevention in a way that's relatable to teens. Keeping the adventure light and the emotions deep, What Rhymes with Reason is successful at conveying the importance of taking care of your mental health, communicating your emotions, and asking for help. The movie's compelling and emotional acting, humor, and visual imagery ultimately overshadow the lack of CGI and visual effects. And the film successfully reminds us that no one should ever have to struggle alone.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the topic of teen mental health is addressed in What Rhymes with Reason. Is the movie successful in conveying messages about the importance of taking care of your anxiety/depression and the importance of suicide prevention? What resources are available to help both kids and adults?
How can you demonstrate empathy when someone is suffering loss/grief after a tragedy?
Why is it important to open up and talk to someone about your emotions when you're feeling low?
Can you think of other movies with a similar plot or structure? What do they tend to have in common?
MPAA explanation:
thematic material involving mental health and brief violence
Last updated:
May 1, 2024
Did we miss something on diversity?
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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.
By Christie Cronan
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