Good Vibes

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Crass, witless animated teen comedy with vulgar jokes.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this animated comedy relies heavily on sexual innuendo and negative stereotypes for most of its humor. It takes a particularly negative view toward the lifestyle of the average teenager, representing it as an unending sequence of objectifying women, suffering relentless mockery, and failure. The language refrains from the harshest words but does include some strong and varied language (including "crap," "balls," etc.). The show's humor is particularly cruel to the overweight.

  • The show's humor glorifies laziness, sexual obsession, and other negative traits, while unleashing a constant barrage of insults based on one character's negative body image.
  • The main characters represent a grotesque parody of how teenagers are expected to behave, including being cruel, crass, sex-obsessed, and pretty dumb.
  • Occasional exaggerated violence for comic effect in which bodies and objects are pinched, stretched, and otherwise manipulated outside the boundaries of reality. Characters mock and belittle one another relentlessly.
     
  • Very heavy emphasis on sex and sexuality, as the show is viewed through the lens of its two pubescent male main characters. Frequent close-ups of animated and covered female body parts, especially breasts. The show's entire comedic perspective is defined by sex jokes.
     
  • Occasional use of "damn" and "hell," along with words like "crap" and "balls."
     
  • Not applicable.
  • Marijuana use is highlighted extensively as part of the beach bum surfer lifestyle the show depicts. Drinking is glorified as part of the teenage experience. 

What's the story?

In the animated comedy GOOD VIBES, Mondo (Josh Gad) is a teenage boy recently relocated from New Jersey to the gorgeous beachfront of Playa Del Toro, California. He starts finding his way through the unique universe of his high school and new hometown thanks to his new best friend, Woody (Adam Brody), who guides Mondo through an endless cycle of girl-watching and joke-cracking. Struggling to impress his dream girl, Jeena (Olivia Thirlby), he attempts to make sense of life and California at age 15.


Is it any good?

 

This half-hour animated comedy trades on the lowest of lowbrow humor, painting a portrait of teenage life as a fever dream of borderline stalker behavior, cartoonishly objectified women, a parade of constant insults and indignities, and relentless mockery over your weight.

Which might work (for the right viewers, anyway) if the jokes were at least funny. Instead, nearly every quip or sight gag plays as a reject from the Family Guy writers' room. It's clear that's the type of territory the series is trying to stake out -- perhaps a "hipper" version of Fox's block of edgy animation. But while Good Vibes might get the tone sort of right and is most certainly animated, in every other sense it fails as a TV series.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about the show's depiction of drug use. Is it an accurate portrayal of how drugs are actually used and perceived by today's teenagers?

  • Does the show seem to reflect a typical teenage experience? What are some of the stereotypes about teenagers that come across in this show?

  • What's the appeal of a show like this? Is there anything harmful about edgy humor like this? Or is it all in good fun?


This review was written by Matt Springer
Kid, 11 years old
January 8, 2012
 
Ridiculous!
Stupid as hell!

Flag as inappropriate 
Adult
January 31, 2012
 
Good Vibes Is Fine.
Good Vibes Is Fine. I Watched some Episodes on On Demand on MTV. Sexual Though. Good Vibes Is RATED: TV-14. Good TV Show.

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This review was written by Matt Springer
TV rating:TV-14
Network:MTV
Cast:Adam Brody, Debi Mazar, Josh Gad
Genre:Comedy

This review was written by Matt Springer
 

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

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