Miller's Girl Movie Review (2025)

Common Sense Media Review

Miller's Girl Movie Review (1) By Tara McNamara, based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 16+

Racy student-teacher thriller flunks; very strong language.

  • Parents Need to Know

    Parents need to know that Miller's Girl is a fictional thriller that incorporates elements from the work and life of novelist Henry Miller, who's known for erotic, boundary-pushing literature. Jenna Ortega stars as Ciaro Sweet, a smart 18-year-old who, along with her best friend, targets teachers for their first sexual experiences. Ciaro's teacher, Mr. Miller (Martin Freeman), is married to successful author Beatrice (Dagmara Dominczyk), and their sex life doesn't appear to be lacking -- though there's more (steamy) talk than action. Language of all sorts is extremely strong and constant, with sexual conversations particularly explicit (i.e. "p---y," "c--k," and "f--k" used in every possible way). Teen girls, undressed to their bras, also make out and sext with a teacher. Nearly all of the characters drink and smoke throughout. And if you think there's some sort of positive message tied into the movie's eyebrow-raising topic of teacher-student romance, think again.

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  • Language

    a lot

    Pervasive, extremely strong language includes "a--hole," "goddamn," "s--t," and frequent use of "f--k." Vulgar sexual language throughout includes "cherry-popping," "cum," "c--t," "c--k," "f--k," "handy," "p---y," and "wet dream."

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  • Sex, Romance & Nudity

    a lot

    High school girls plot to lose their virginity to male teachers. Sexual activity occurs below the frame of the camera. Teens sext with a teacher. Girls strip down to their bras and make out to get a man's attention. A teacher masturbates while reading his student's work. Vulgar sexual language throughout. Characters read "pornographic" literature to each other; at times, it turns into sexual acts. Wife encourages her husband to talk about his relationship with a high school student, and it arouses her. Passionate kissing.

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  • Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

    some

    Most of the characters smoke, including aspirational ones. Smoking is shown as a way to share and build a romantic connection. Drinking throughout by both teens and adults. Successful author has an alcohol dependency. References to pot brownies.

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  • Violence & Scariness

    very little

    Inappropriate relationships between teens and adults.

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  • Diverse Representations

    a little

    Diverse characters with counter-stereotypical but negative portrayals. The main character is a smart, independent Latina (Mexican-Puerto Rican actor Jenna Ortega), but she's also cruel, selfish, and manipulative. A Black male high school teacher is a good friend but engages in flirtatious behavior with students, including late-night sexting. A female author is talented but also drinks too much and can be cutting and mean. A character who declares that she's a lesbian spends the whole film trying to seduce a man, talking in detail about her heterosexual desire. There's a Black female vice principal, and a student with a walking disability is shown in the background.

    Did we miss something on diversity? .

  • Positive Role Models

    very little

    While Cairo Sweet is a smart, sharp high school student with an impressive vocabulary, her behavior is iffy.

  • Positive Messages

    none

    Only negative messages here, including a statement that seems like the central take-away: "Teen girls are dangerous, full of emotional violence and vituperation."

Where to Watch

Videos and Photos

  • Miller's Girl Movie Review (2)

  • Miller's Girl Movie Review (3)
  • Miller's Girl Movie Review (4)

Miller's Girl

Parent and Kid Reviews

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  • Parents Say (6)
  • Kids Say (7)

age 18+

Based on 6 parent reviews

folklore evermore stan Parent

May 4, 2024

age 18+

Disappointing movie with horrible script that promotes the very false narrative of victims lying in court cases in as "girlboss" feminism.

Sophie F. Parent of 16-year-old

February 18, 2024

age 16+

Not worth my time

I am 14 years old and I watched this with my family thinking it would be good since Jenna Ortega is the main lead. However this movie was so boring that I almost couldn’t keep watching. For the parents/kids reviews here that I have seen I agree however masturbation scenes may be horrible for young children but older children could handle it, I didn’t mind it at all and neither did my 13 years old sister who actually had no idea what was going on but when she knew she didn’t mind so I think that wasn’t the main problem of the plot or the movie it self. I would say that movie doesn’t give much of a topic just that there is a teacher and a student and they might like each other, but nothing much really happens between them that’s interesting. If parents and kids are disgusted by the fact that people create movies like this with teacher and student relationships it’s really not that big of a deal especially if your kid has watched pretty little liars. The whole movie was basically about Cairo becoming evil which really didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me but that was mainly at the end anyways. If you have watched Legacies or TVD or just generally know what this means it is basically about Cairo slowly turning off her humanity if you get what I mean. The ending is also very similar to a scene in TVD where a girl cries and then just gets her tears away at the end showing no emotions, [SPOILER] Cairo did this basically except she started smiling which was even more creepy, I think that this movie was definitely not worth watching it took away a whole hour an a half for nothing except disappointment. I really don’t encourage anyone to watch it but if you are very into these topics then I guess it would be good for you.

See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In MILLER'S GIRL, smart high school senior Cairo Sweet (Jenna Ortega) tranfers into Mr. Miller's (Martin Freeman) English literature class. Miller finds her to be an exceptional student with a promising future, and the two connect over the work of literary innovator Henry Miller. But a midterm assignment stirs up the complexity in their relationship, exposing the core of their true nature.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:

Parents say (6):

Kids say (7):

While this thriller is literary minded and uses 20 $1 words per sentence, the writing is terrible, and the effect is cheap. Writer/director Jade Halley Barrett brings back all of the ickiness of the 1960s-'80s, when movies and TV commercials portrayed tween and teen girls as sexually provocative and available to men. The question is, why?

Students and fans of Henry Miller's provocative work and unique writing style may get something out of this bad romance. But for everyone else, it's unenjoyable and cringey on all levels. Funnymen Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg may have produced this sexually inappropriate thriller, but it's not funny, and it's not satire.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Miller's Girl shows the power of words. How are words used to cut, to encourage, to arouse, to destroy, etc.?

  • Talk about Henry Miller's literary style. Why were his books banned in the United States for decades? Do you think books should be banned?

  • Teens: How would Ciaro fit in at your school? Do you think she'd seem cool? Why do you think she only has one friend in the movie?

  • The movie blends Henry Miller's biographical details and published work to create a work of fiction similar to his writing style. How do we classify this? Is it historical fiction, like Shakespeare in Love? Or is it just fiction? Do you think it works? What author would make an interesting subject to try this technique?

  • Are smoking and drinking glamorized here? Why, or why not? Are there realistic consequences? Why does that matter?

Movie Details

  • In theaters : January 26, 2024
  • On DVD or streaming : February 16, 2024
  • Cast : Jenna Ortega, Martin Freeman, Gideon Adlon
  • Director : Jade Halley Bartlett
  • Inclusion Information : Female actors, Latino actors
  • Studio : Lionsgate
  • Genre : Thriller
  • Run time : 95 minutes
  • MPAA rating : R
  • MPAA explanation : sexual content, language throughout, some teen smoking and drinking
  • Last updated : August 14, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

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Miller's Girl Movie Review (2025)
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