Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

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Screenwise Verdict

Here's the deal: if you're a family that cheered when AOC won, this is a fantastic watch—inspiring, well-made, and genuinely moving. If you're not, it'll feel like a 90-minute campaign commercial.

The documentary itself is solid filmmaking (hence the 99% critic score), but that 11% audience rating isn't a fluke—it's politically divisive by design. It follows four progressive women challenging establishment Democrats and Republicans, and it clearly wants you to root for them.

For the right audience, it's enriching: real civics in action, showing how democracy works at ground level, warts and all. For politics-interested tweens and teens, it's one of the best ways to understand campaigns beyond textbook theory.

But let's be honest—most kids will find this boring unless they're already politically engaged. It's a documentary with lots of talking, canvassing footage, and policy discussion. The 68 WISE score reflects that tension: good content, safe, meaningful... but narrow appeal and not exactly edge-of-your-seat entertainment.

Age Fit

Common Sense Media's age 12+ is spot-on—content is fine for younger kids, but they'll be bored unless they're already into politics. Best for teens and adults interested in progressive activism, campaigns, or civics.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

82

Models civic engagement, grassroots activism, and perseverance. Shows real people working hard for their beliefs, handling both victory and defeat with dignity. The documentary treats its subjects with respect and avoids cynicism, though the political nature means some divisiveness is inherent to the content.

Imaginative

58

As a straightforward political documentary, it's more observational than imaginative. It captures real events with solid filmmaking but doesn't push creative boundaries or invite much viewer creativity. The underdog narrative has some narrative tension, but this is documentary journalism, not creative storytelling.

Safe

85

Very safe content-wise: a few mild profanities (b---h, s--t), brief smoking image, but no violence, gore, sex, or nudity. The political subject matter itself may be divisive for families, but there's nothing shocking or traumatic. Common Sense Media rates it 12+, IMDb confirms PG-level content.

Enriching

78

Excellent civics lesson showing how campaigns actually work, what it takes to run for office, and how ordinary people can participate in democracy. The 99% Rotten Tomatoes critic score and 80 Metacritic reflect its quality. However, the 11% RT audience score reveals it's politically polarizing—enriching if you're interested in this perspective, alienating if you're not.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Outstanding real-world civics education showing how campaigns actually work, from knocking doors to election night
Models perseverance, community organizing, and ordinary people stepping up to run for office
Follows four women candidates (including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez before she was famous) with genuine emotional stakes
99% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics—well-crafted documentary filmmaking
Minimal content concerns: just a few mild swears and brief smoking

⚠

What to Watch For

This is unambiguously progressive politics—the 99% critic vs 11% audience split on RT tells you everything about the polarization
Pre-teens will likely be bored despite age-appropriate content; this is for politics-interested kids 12+
It's a documentary, not a thriller—lots of talking heads, campaign footage, and policy discussion
If your family leans conservative, this will probably feel like a campaign ad rather than balanced journalism

Conversation Starters

"What would it be like to run for office? Would you ever want to do that?"
"Why do you think some of the candidates won and others lost? What made the difference?"
"The movie shows people who had regular jobs (teacher, bartender) running for Congress. Should our representatives look more like regular people?"
"What issues would you campaign on if you were running for something at school or in our community?"

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