Netflix’s Mixtape is an endearing tale that touches on sensitive topics like grief and loss. Check out the details in my parents guide movie review.
Netflix’s Mixtape drops on the streaming service tomorrow, December 3rd. The film is a coming-of-age story of sorts, and touches on sensitive topics like the loss of a parent and dealing with grief. This family-friendly film stars Julie Bowen (Modern Family) and Gemma Brooke Allen and is sure to pull at those heart strings. Check out the details in my parents guide movie review.
If you enjoyed this Mixtape parents guide movie review, check out these other articles: Diary of a Wimpy Kid parents guide movie review, The Sex Lives Of College Girls parents guide review, Yellowjackets parents guide review, A Castle For Christmas parents guide movie review.
Mixtape Movie Quotes
Netflix’s Mixtape Parents Guide
On the eve of Y2k, orphaned, awkward 12-year-old Beverly Moody (Gemma Brooke Allen) discovers a broken mixtape crafted by her teen parents. Raised by her grandmother Gail (Julie Bowen), a former teen mom herself who finds it painful to speak about her late daughter, Beverly sees this mixtape as a chance to finally learn more about her parents. So she sets out on a journey to find all the songs on the tape. Along the way, she makes friends with her quirky neighbor, Ellen (Audrey Hsieh); intimidatingly tough, Nicky (Olga Petsa); and Anti (Nick Thune), an anti-everything record store owner who’s the key to finding these tracks, and a renewed bond between Gail and Beverly.
Netflix’s Mixtape Age Appropriate Parents Guide
Let’s take a look at what parents need to know before letting their kids watch Netflix’s Mixtape.
Language: Netflix’s Mixtape has some lookout words that parents need to be made aware of. These lookout words include: bada**, stupid, freaking, moron, hell, butt wipe, jerk, loser, weirdo, and phrases like “kick in the balls.”
Mature Content: The film contains some mature content, which could be triggering for some kids. Themes like the loss of a parent and grief are the big lookout for this movie. There are also several scenes in the film where characters are bullied and called names like “loser” and “weirdo.”
Overall Thoughts
Netflix’s Mixtape is not an easy movie to watch, as it touches on hard themes like the loss of a loved one and overcoming grief. Not only is the main character, Beverly, dealing with the loss of both her parents, but her grandmother, who has raised her, seems to have never gotten over the loss of her daughter. Because really, who could ever get over the loss of one’s own child? This makes the plot relatable across the board to a younger generation as well as the older ones. Due to the loss of her daughter at a very young age, Gail has projected much of her grief into over-protecting her granddaughter, and in doing so, she makes a grave mistake by shielding her granddaughter from stories and memories about her mother.
Mixtape does a terrific job of taking these hard themes and wrapping them in a little bubble of sweetness. With the nostalgia of the 90’s, viewers can fondly reminisce over the music of the time, the relic known as a cassette tape, and even the panic over the impending doom of Y2K. This is also a terrific conversation builder and a little history lesson for younger ones.
The casting for Netflix’s Mixtape is spot on. Julie Bowen, best known for her role in Modern Family, plays Beverly’s grandma, Gail. While Bowen’s grandma role seems totally unrealistic, especially for a viewer like myself who cannot imagine being a grandmother at this age, she certainly sells it to the audience. However, the scene stealer goes to Gemma Brooke Allen, who plays the main character, Beverly Moody. Gemma charms viewers with her charisma and upbeat personality. Expect great things from her in the future!
Mixtape is not a perfect film; there are significant pacing issues early in the film that may cause some viewers to lose interest. However, the movie picks up in the second half, and the 90-minute runtime flies by. I personally found some of the 90’s nostalgia as discovered by a younger generation a bit cringy. Although the setting of the turn of the century made it more acceptable versus how bad it could have been if it was set in the present day, something about it still makes me uneasy. Probably because it ages me against my own disbelief that it is almost 2022. However, if a younger generation discovers the 90’s culture as a result of this film and adopts some of it, I wouldn’t be upset. Looking around at the current landscape I would say it could be refereshing to see some grungy kids and D.I.Y. ethics.
