On The Line parents guide

On The Line Parent Guide

Overall B

A young man meets the woman of his dreams while riding the train home from work, but doesn't get her name or phone number. His quest to find her again becomes the talk of Chicago. Meanwhile, his roommates cash in on the female leftovers. The movie stars two members of the pop group *NSYNC.

Release date October 6, 2001

Violence B-
Sexual Content B+
Profanity B+
Substance Use B

Why is On The Line rated PG-13? The MPAA rated On The Line PG-13

Run Time: 86 minutes

Parent Movie Review

I’m racking my brains trying to recall the last time I saw a successful music celebrity become a great actor or actress. Even the lofty ranks of Neil Diamond (remember The Jazz Singer?) and Madonna (who has presented more than enough bombs to comprise a body of evidence against her) prove the difficulty of moving from CD to cinema.

With odds this high, boy-band members Lance Bass and Joey Fatone from *NSYNC should be given great credit for even attempting such a feat. Fortunately, they (or their agents) were smart enough to cast them into a movie that serves one simple purpose: Putting girls in theater seats.

On The Line - Official site Bass plays Kevin, a young Chicago ad creator who can’t talk to girls any better than he can pitch ad campaigns. After another long day at work, he meets Abbey (Emmmanuelle Chriqui) on the L-train. Knocked off his rails, the love struck *NSYNC’er is too shy to ask her name. Recognizing it’s time for him to take control of his life, Kevin decides to paste posters all over the Windy City pleading for the mystery girl to phone him.

On The Line - Official site When the romantic story is assigned to a reluctant newspaper reporter (coincidentally a grudge-holding, former high school classmate of Kevin’s), the publicity sparks phone calls from dozens of girls. Kevin’s roommates—including Rod (Joey Fatone)—see the surplus babes as a ticket to dates every night. Unfortunately, the jaded journalist smells a scam and by the time Abbey gets wind of Kevin’s desire, it appears his intentions are misguided.

On The Line - Official site On The Line’s greatest claim to fame may prove to be its refreshingly low content concerns—relatively speaking of course. It takes nearly as much brain racking to come up with another teen movie that replaces the usual litany of four-letter words with sound alikes (heck, friggin), and who’s biggest issues are recreational drinking, a punch administered in anger, some flatulent humor, and the depiction of young men misleading women so they can get dates with them. Meanwhile, its formula plot and many musical “bridges” keep the film completely *NSYNC with its target audience.

Starring Lance Bass Joey Fatone *NSYNC. Running time: 86 minutes. Theatrical release October 6, 2001. Updated

On The Line
Rating & Content Info

Why is On The Line rated PG-13? On The Line is rated PG-13 by the MPAA

Overall: B

A young man meets the woman of his dreams while riding the train home from work, but doesn’t get her name or phone number. His quest to find her again becomes the talk of Chicago. Meanwhile, his roommates cash in on the female leftovers. Starring two members of the pop group *NSYNC, On The Line never goes off track from its formula plot, but at the same time offers young females a fun movie that most parents wouldn’t mind them seeing.

Violence: B-

A man is accidentally hit in the groin with a baseball. Male characters often engage in horseplay (wrestling). A man attempts to deliberately hit another man by throwing a baseball at him, then punches him. Man accidentally kicks a woman, causing injury. Security person physically removes man without a ticket from a concert. A man throws his dinner plate on the floor. Character shown with black eye. A man frequently uses an office copier for personal use. Hair spray is sprayed in man’s face.

Sexual Content: B+

Many female characters are shown in tight fitting, or low cleavage clothing. A man, feeling nervous, imagines he is naked—but we only see his chest. A man sprays mouth freshener down his pants. Characters briefly discuss a girl’s intention to move in with her boyfriend. Man mentions borrowing his roommate’s underwear. Male character refers to women as “hotties.” A woman states the number of body piercing she has (no details given). Woman kisses man. A couple of background characters are briefly portrayed as stereotyped homosexuals. Man has painted fingernails. A sensually dressed girl aggressively pulls man towards herself. A man and woman kiss passionately.

Language: B+

At least: Two mild profanities, some mild slang terms, and many instances of “near swears” (words that sound similar to profanities). Flatulence is depicted a few times.

Alcohol / Drug Use: B-

Several scenes take place in a bar, and another at a nightclub where alcohol is served. Recreational drinking is portrayed with both main and secondary characters. Social drinking shown in restaurant settings. A health food enthusiast suggests a man take an herb to improve his work performance.

 

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On The Line Parents' Guide

Although the script offers Kevin’s lack of self-confidence as the reason he didn’t ask for Abbey’s phone number, why didn’t she ask for his? Should or shouldn’t you exchange personal information with a complete stranger?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of On The Line movie is March 26, 2002. Here are some details…

Related home video titles:

Many romances have the couples spend the whole film searching for each other. Some examples are Serendipity, Sleepless In Seattle, and An Affair To Remember.

And check out our reviews of *NSYNC’s Celebrity and No Strings Attached CDs.