Along for the Ride | 2022 | TV-14 | – 3.3.5

Why is “Along for the Ride” rated TV-14? The TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board rating indicates that “this program contains some material that many parents would find unsuitable for children under 14 years of age.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes several kissing scenes, aggressive sexual behavior by a teen boy toward teen girls, several scenes of families arguing and being dismissive of each other, a woman in crisis while caring for her newborn child, death by a drunk driver, a few BMX bike tricks, and at least 1 F-word and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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During the summer after high school graduation, a young woman (Emma Pasarow) travels to her father’s (Dermot Mulroney) and stepmother’s (Kate Bosworth) home and confronts issues she has kept hidden for years. She must learn social skills and forthright communications as she makes real friends for the first time. Also with Belmont Cameli, Andie McDowell and Laura Kariuki. Directed by Sofia Alvarez. [Running Time: 1:46]

Along for the Ride SEX/NUDITY 3

 – A teen boy kisses a teen girl roughly on the lips without her permission, and she backs away and leaves; we later hear that he is aggressive to all teen girls who move into town. A teen boy and a teen girl kiss for a few seconds and hold hands.
► A teen boy asks a teen girl if she is gay since she does not want to make out and she says “No” and leaves. A teen girl jokes that another teen girl is in love with a third teen girl and the second teen girl walks away. A teen boy shouts to a teen girl outdoors, “I love you!” and she shrugs.
► Teen boys and teen girls sleep on a beach at night (no sex is implied).
► Several scenes show teen girls at work in a shop, dancing, wiggling their hips, and shimmying while wearing mini-dresses and sleeveless or thin-strapped tops. Dozens of scenes on beaches and in homes include teen and twenty-something women wearing miniskirts or short-shorts that bare the entire legs and thighs; same-aged men wearing knee-length shorts, and some teen boys wear sleeveless shirts. Teens and women wear low-cut tops, halters, or crop tops that reveal cleavage. Dozens of teen girls swim in the ocean at night, wearing bras and underwear (we see cleavage, bare abdomens, the bottoms of a few girls’ buttocks, shoulders and legs). Several teen boys are shown shirtless and wearing knee-length shorts (bare chests, abdomens and backs are seen). A teen girl wears a low-cut dress while on a bicycle and the camera focuses on significant cleavage as she leans over the handlebars.

Along for the Ride VIOLENCE/GORE 3

 – A woman is sarcastic and dismissive of her teen daughter in several scenes, causing the girl to be sad. A man ignores his teen daughter after she travels a long distance to spend the summer with him. A husband ignores his wife who is struggling to take care of their new baby because he won’t help her; she threatens the new baby with death if it does not stop crying and the man dismisses the new mom’s tears in two scenes as “being nuts” and “certifiable.” A husband leaves his wife in a torrent of tears because he does not want to help care for their new baby; his teen daughter confronts him and he argues with her, but eventually returns home to work things out.
► A quiet 20-year-old man is reclusive because a now-deceased male friend was killed by a drunk driver when the first man was driving the second man home. A young man refuses to discuss his past and after several attempts by a young woman to persuade him to talk about it; he erupts in anger and storms off, ignoring her for several days. A young man and a young woman admit that they both have insomnia, he because he does not want to dream about his friend, and she because her parents only fought when she was asleep causing her to wake up in fear.
► A pro BMX biker enters a competition where he performs stunts like 360-degree flips and twirling the bike in the air mid-jump and a crowd of onlookers cheers him on. A teen girl tries to learn to ride a bike and falls off into grass and onto pavement several times, but she is unhurt as another teen girl gasps each time.
► A young man and a young woman jump a chain link fence and break into a lighthouse to climb to the top and look at the ocean. A young man pushes a young woman through a store while she sits in a grocery cart, an older man chases them, and the couple falls out the entrance doors, but is unharmed. A young man and a young woman start a food fight at a party and dozens of young men and young women join in, making a mess of a patio. A giant rat jumps on a man in a movie and the camera cuts away as we hear chomping and screaming. A teen boy tosses a teen girl into the ocean at a party and dozens of young people jump in, wearing formal dresses and suits or casual clothing.

Along for the Ride LANGUAGE 5

 – At least 1 F-word, 2 scatological terms, 5 anatomical terms, 4 mild obscenities, name-calling (stupid, silly, kid stuff, lame, washed-up loser, damaged loser, low-key player, tool, hot tool, disgusting, nuts [crazy], insane, crazy, certifiable, old people, weird), exclamations (freakin’, wow), 14 religious exclamations (e.g. oh my God, oh God, I swear to God). | profanity glossary |

Along for the Ride SUBSTANCE USE

 – A few scenes show teen boys and teen girls drinking but we cannot determine what is in the cups, a woman drinks a glass of wine in a restaurant, and men and women hold glasses of wine and one woman sips from her glass.

Along for the Ride DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Communication, bullying, causing others to suffer emotionally, fear, shame, death, loss, grief, determination, developing functional behaviors, friendship, healing, making a new start, happiness.

Along for the Ride MESSAGE

 – Truthfulness can create better communication within dysfunctional families and new friendships.