Boys And Girls Parent Guide

The writer of this film must have figured if one cute meeting scene in a romance is good, two or three ought to be better.

That’s why Ryan (Freddie Prinze Jr.) is forever bumping into Jennifer (Claire Forlani). It begins with an early teenage encounter as seatmates on an airplane when Jennifer enthusiastically tells Ryan about her first period and then asks explicit questions about Ryan’s sexual experience. Movie-fate brings the coincidental couple together again in high school with Jennifer as homecoming queen and Ryan playing the nerdy football mascot.

Unbeknownst to each other, they each choose to attend Berkley. Whenever they meet on campus, they talk. Taking engineering, the studious boy feels strongly that sex should come with a commitment, while the precocious Latin major girl, sees sex as a need that has to be satisfied with whomever is handy. Despite these obvious philosophical differences, the writers are determined to have the audience patiently wait for another hour until these two fall into each other’s arms and—eventually—beds.

The only positive message in this movie takes place the morning after this event, when Ryan is given a decidedly cold shoulder from Jennifer. Obviously neither paid attention to the many previous conversations when they discussed their sexual ethics and now Jennifer becomes stressed with Ryan’s assumption that commitment would follow sex. Regretting the entire incident, Ryan illustrates one of the many fallacies of free love.

The rest of the movie wallows in objectionable content especially where Ryan’s roommate Hunter (Jason Biggs—the infamous lead of the sex-drenched American Pie) is concerned. Lacking any self-esteem, Hunter lives a life of lies while searching for any female who will have sex with him. Things don’t even get better when the credits roll because then we witness a recurring dream he has involving four scantily clad lingerie models who have (if you can believe this) uncontrollable flatulence.

While this movie does portray some consequences for Ryan and Jennifer’s decisions, the contrived ending and focus on sex may disqualify these boys and girls from your family’s movie plans.

About author

Rod Gustafson

Rod Gustafson has worked in various media industries since 1977. He founded Parent Previews in 1993, and today continues to write and broadcast the reviews in newspapers, on radio and (of course) on the Internet. His efforts also include writing and researching media in all its forms and observing how it effects society and culture. He and his wife Donna have four children.