Overview
Everyone loves a classic revenge story, but this Netflix original movie puts a slightly different twist on things. Starring Camila Mendes from Riverdale and Maya Hawke from Stranger Things, Do Revenge follows these two as unlikely high school friends with a common interest — they both have someone in their life that they want to take revenge on. To avoid getting caught, they switch targets and do each other’s “dirty work.”
Netflix has come out with tons of these types of teen movies — recall The Kissing Booth, To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before, and more. For the most part, they’re in the same ballpark when it comes to appropriateness for teens to watch. Do Revenge, however, is more edgy and explicit. Let’s take a look at some of the details so you know if this movie is safe for your child.
Harmful Content ❗️
The plot centers around revenge or hurting someone in retaliation. This isn’t something most parents probably want to encourage in their kids. Fortunately, the movie is very exaggerated and mostly unrealistic in how it portrays these revenge activities. Even still, it may be enough to go against some families’ values.
There are many party scenes throughout the movie with lots of drug and alcohol consumption. One part of the revenge plan is to drug an entire dinner party by lacing the food with psychedelic mushrooms that make everyone high. There’s also a scene in which a student snorts cocaine off a girl’s stomach. Another student is falsely framed for having cocaine on her and is sent to rehab.
Language
This movie is rife with profanity. Multiple F-bombs dropped, among many other swear words.
Sex
A crucial part of the plot is that the main character (Camila Mendes’ character) sends a sexual video to her boyfriend. Discussion around sex throughout the movie is frequent, however, nothing is ever shown explicitly. There are multiple times throughout the movie where characters are shown scantily clad or only in undergarments.
Violence
Do Revenge does not have a significant amount of violence. There is a scene in which Maya Hawking’s character hits Camila Mendes’s character with her car. It is not overly graphic, but there’s a brief scene where you see some blood on her face.
Positive Value 💫
One thing the movie hits on is how navigating the “social politics” of high school can be intense and burdensome for teens. While the movie portrays this in a very dramatized way, it’s still a reality for many teens that they feel they have to fit a certain mold to be accepted. And the movie impresses upon the audience that trying to live up to those unrealistic standards is simply not worth it. What matters most is living as authentically as possible, no matter what. It also shows that it’s important to find friends who appreciate your authentic self, not a made-up version of yourself.
So, should my kid watch it?
Due to the higher level of inappropriate content, we’d say this movie is best suited for ages 16 and up. If you allow your child to watch it, be sure to use it as an opportunity to have important conversations about social pressures and how to respond when others mistreat them.
