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Our take
How to Lose a Popularity Contest is a high-school romcom about a perfectionist and a rebel teaming up for student-body president. Teen vodka talk and a drunk beat, mild hell and damn language, mean campaign bullying, and jokes about naked parties, sex ed and porn. Romance stays kiss-level. Best for tweens and teens 12+ with a parent who can talk through peer pressure.
Uplifting themes
Looking past labels and owning messy choices sit under the romcom jokes and schemes. The film nudges kids toward that honesty by the time it wraps. Ellie and Nate grow kinder as the race goes on and they see each other more clearly. Early schemes are still selfish before that shift lands Ellie and Nate grow kinder as the race goes on and they see each other more clearly. Early schemes are still selfish before that shift lands
Story (may spoil tone)
A rebellious student and a perfectionist overachiever form an unlikely alliance in their race for student body president, discovering unexpected feelings along the way.
Details
Language Mild hell and damn language pops up during school hallways and party ch…
Mild hell and damn language pops up during school hallways and party chaos. Nothing much stronger than that turns up in the teen talk around campus
Sex / nudity Sex-ed jokes, naked-party talk and a pornography dig show up in the com…
Sex-ed jokes, naked-party talk and a pornography dig show up in the comedy banter. Nothing turns into a graphic scene parents would need to skip
Drugs / alcohol Teens plan a vodka-heavy party, and one character gets clearly drunk on…
Teens plan a vodka-heavy party, and one character gets clearly drunk once it starts. Peer pressure is part of that beat and the jokes around it
Frightening Social panic and campaign stress may feel sharp for sensitive tweens wa…
Social panic and campaign stress may feel sharp for sensitive tweens watching the race unfold. This is emotional tension, not horror-style scares
Bullying / discrimination Mean ranking, sabotage and popularity cruelty drive the election plot f…
Mean ranking, sabotage and popularity cruelty drive the election plot from the first campaign beats. The mean-girl energy is a big part of the story
Mental health A mental-breakdown joke lands during campaign stress when pressure pile…
A mental-breakdown joke lands during campaign stress when pressure piles on. It is played for laughs more than as a serious portrait of illness
Flashing lights We have not confirmed whether this version contains flashing lights.
We have not confirmed whether this version contains flashing lights.
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Talk after watching
- Ellie and Nate use a campaign for payback. When does strategy become unfair to classmates?
- Parties and dares push people past their comfort zone. How do you say no and still keep friends?
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How to Lose a Popularity Contest
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