Our take
Sidelined: The QB and Me is a faith-leaning teen romance about a dancer and a grieving football star. Expect beer pong and drunk party scenes, mild to moderate profanity, kissing, a sex-shop reference played for laughs, and emotional scenes about losing a parent. The tone is upbeat overall. Best for teens who enjoy high-school romance
Uplifting themes
Perseverance, faith, forgiveness, and pursuing dreams together anchor the story Dallas works hard for auditions; Drayton learns to open up and lead with heart
Story (may spoil tone)
Dallas, a burdened but headstrong dancer, is determined to get into the best dance school in the country—her late mother’s alma mater. However, that dream is suddenly derailed when the cheeky yet secretly grieving football star, Drayton, crashes into her life with a unique story of his own. Will the two of them be able to grow into their dreams together, or will their dreams be sidelined?
What we flagged
Scores are 0–5: 0 means none; 5 means the strongest we flagged in that category.
Details
Violence Brief joke about violent peril at a party; no sustained fight scenes
Brief joke about violent peril at a party; no sustained fight scenes
Language S-word, a-word, hell/damn, and one f-word during heated teen arguments
S-word, a-word, hell/damn, and one f-word during heated teen arguments
Sex / nudity Kissing and a sex-shop reference; flirtatious teen romance without expl…
Kissing and a sex-shop reference; flirtatious teen romance without explicit nudity
Drugs / alcohol Beer pong, drunk partying, and characters admitting they are drunk
Beer pong, drunk partying, and characters admitting they are drunk
Frightening Nightmare and brief scare humor; overall tone stays light
Nightmare and brief scare humor; overall tone stays light
Self-harm / suicide No self-harm found in this title
No self-harm found in this title
Sexual violence No sexual violence found in this title
No sexual violence found in this title
Child peril / abuse No child peril found in this title
No child peril found in this title
Bullying / discrimination No bullying found in this title
No bullying found in this title
Gore / death / weapons No gore found in this title
No gore found in this title
Dangerous behaviour Underage drinking and sneaking out at parties are shown without heavy c…
Underage drinking and sneaking out at parties are shown without heavy consequences
Eating disorders / body image No eating found in this title
No eating found in this title
Mental health Grief, family conflict, and hiding pain behind humor shape the quarterb…
Grief, family conflict, and hiding pain behind humor shape the quarterback's arc
Gambling No gambling found in this title
No gambling found in this title
Grief / bereavement The dancer lost her mother; the quarterback carries secret grief over a…
The dancer lost her mother; the quarterback carries secret grief over a parent
Talk after watching
- Both leads carry big dreams and family pressure. How do you balance passion with responsibility?
- Drayton hides grief behind humor. What are healthy ways to talk about losing someone?