The Sun is Also a Star is based off of a young-adult novel by Nicola Yoon. A very fate-driven and swoony teen love story will have teens and tweens as well as fans of the book wanting to see the film adaptation in theaters. Is The Sun is Also a Star kid friendly and teen friendly? Let’s talk about the profanity, sexual content, and violence in The Sun is Also a Star.
Is The Sun is Also a Star Kid Friendly?
Before you send your teens to see The Sun is Also a Star, there are some mature themes and content the movie addresses. It’s rare that I don’t read the book before I see the movie, but this os one of those instances, so I can’t comment on the differences. However, generally speaking I always prefer the book.
In this parent review for The Sun Is Also a Star, I would caution about some profanity and sexual content. And as a parent, I think it would be good to have conversations about the romanticized stories of falling in love in a day.
Profanity in The Sun is Also a Star
There are several uses of profanity, but I would say more mild than a Marvel movie, except one unnecessary f–k you. There was also one use of a–hole, 5 uses of sh–, 4 uses of hell, 2 uses of a–, 1 damn, 1 bit–, and one use of g-d. Also notable were a couple of crass words and phrases like di-k and “no balls.”
Sexual Content in The Sun is Also a Star
Thankfully, there is no explicit sex. There are scenes where characters are kissing and do make out. One scene gets a little racy, but no naked body parts are shown, and one character gets spooked and leaves before anything too intense can happen.
Also a male character is shown with an unbuttoned shirt getting dressed. The lead characters are teens and in high school and do exhibit behavior that is very adult for the average teen. Also when two characters are fighting, one talks about penis size.
Violence in The Sun is Also a Star
There is one scene where siblings get into a fist fight and throw punches.
Why Kids Will Want to See The Sun Is Also a Star
With two very attractive leads (Yara Shahidi and Charles Melton), one being a star of the popular teen show Riverdale, teens and tweens will want to see this movie. My own have already asked. I remember attending a Q&A with author Nicola Yoon during her promotion of Everything Everything. She said it was important to support Young Adult fiction movies.
I agree with this as long as the movie is good. Am I the intended audience? Probably not. The ‘always remember to open your heart to destiny’ theme was very cheesy and overdramatic. However, I remember listening to Richard Marx songs in my youth, dreaming of when I would find my true love. So as a teen, I could see myself enjoying this movie.
As a regular audience member, I found the movie slow, unbelievable, and I wasn’t buying the love story The Sun is Also a Star was selling. The most interesting parts of the film were when they addressed immigration (Shahidi’s character is being deported the next day) and told the stories of the teens’ families.
I’m a sucker for a good love story, but this one was so far-fetched and the forced chances of fate were overblown, I couldn’t get into it. Don’t get me started on the multiverse theories (Avengers: Endgame, anyone?).
If you go in with low expectations, you may be pleasantly surprised. As a parent, I recommend watching the movie so you can have discussions about it with your kids. There is plenty to talk about. Don’t just go letting them think love in 24 hours is a regular occurrence.
I recommend The Sun is Also a Star for high school age and above.
Perhaps I’m jaded, perhaps I know the hard work love involves, but this skeptic is going to watch Sleepless in Seattle now.