The Slumber Party Parent Guide

To celebrate Anna Maria’s (Valentina Herrera) birthday, her friends throw her a slumber party, complete with a hypnotist. But when the hypnosis works a little too well, Megan (Darby Camp), Paige (Emmy Liu-Wang), and Veronica (Alex Cooper Cohen) wake up with no memory of the night before and Anna Maria is nowhere to be found. Desperate to find their friend, the girls try to retrace their steps and figure out just what they got up to, and what happened to Megan’s missing eyebrow.

The Slumber Party has a really fun premise. I love the idea of taking the classic “we were so drunk we can’t remember last night” trope (a la The Hangover) but making it age-appropriate by using hypnosis instead of substances. The adventures the girls got up to are hilarious and weird, and it’s fun to watch them start to piece together what happened. On top of that, there is some real emotional pay off as the story unfolds, since the girls are dealing with some of the interpersonal conflicts that happen to 14-year-olds, like family changes, crushes, and figuring out their identity. All of the girls have distinct personalities, which means that most audience members will find at least one to relate to.

Yes, this is basically a Disney Channel Original Movie, so the production values aren’t high, and the acting is cheesy and subpar. However, if you know that going in, I think this is still a fun watch. I truly believe 14-year-old me would have had a great time with this movie. And adult me found it charming and fun, even though I’m nowhere near the intended audience. With very little in the way of negative content, The Slumber Party is a great choice for kids and young teens, especially if they’re also at a slumber party.