This is the documentary equivalent of looking directly at the sun—you know the college admissions system is broken, but Try Harder! makes you feel it in your bones. It's well-made, empathetic, and important, especially for families navigating the specific pressures of competitive public schools and Asian-American identity in education.

That said, it's not exactly 'fun.' This is homework disguised as a movie night, and whether that's good or bad depends entirely on your kid and your timing. Watch it together as a family in sophomore year? Could be a great conversation starter about values and priorities. Watch it alone as a stressed junior waiting for decisions? Potentially masochistic.

The WISE score reflects that tension: it's safe, enriching, and reasonably wholesome, but it's not particularly imaginative, and the documentary format + heavy subject matter means it won't have broad appeal. If you're in the target demographic (competitive school, college-bound), this is essential viewing. If not, it's an interesting anthropological study of a world you're glad you're not in.