*SPOILER ALERTS*
The movie “Sidelined: The QB and Me” is a rom-com on the platform Tubi. The movie follows seniors Dallas Bryan, a headstrong dancer, and Drayton Lahey, the school’s star quarterback. Throughout the film, the pair has ups and downs — Drayton is determined to get Dallas to go out with him, but she is not thrilled about the idea. However, after Drayton takes her salsa dancing, the teens fall head over heels for each other. However, Drayton and Dallas both bring baggage to the table and have set goals for college that prove difficult for their relationship.
I was kicking my feet and giggling the whole time I watched this movie. Since the main character is a TikToker (Drayton is played by Noah Beck), the bar for acting was set pretty low. However, this film knocked it out of the park. It told a real version of a teenage love story. There was no love triangle or cheating, it was just two teens who came from a messed up background that fell in love. Yes, there was the cheesy plot of Dallas playing hard to get and them getting caught sneaking out. I thought the way they portrayed their love story, though, would help other teens relate to it. They did not want to commit to a relationship because they would be starting college next year in different states. Drayton’s dad did not want him involved with a girl since he was being scouted by a prestigious college. All real-world things that could happen, not a love triangle like most teenage love stories portray.
One critique is that the acting could have been a bit better. For it being Beck’s first movie and him playing a lead role, I feel like he did a great job. He portrayed Drayton very well in all aspects of the film. Now I am no dancer, but Dallas’ dancing skills (portrayed by Siena Agudong) would not have gotten her into a prestigious dance school in my opinion. It was a little sloppy, and I think more rehearsal for Agudong’s dance skills could have benefited the film. I still felt the emotion that was portrayed, but the dance was not great.
The movie could have also been a little longer as well. I would have liked to know more background on both of the characters’ lives to understand how broken they truly are. We get to hear a little about the people both teens lost, but I feel it would have benefited the movie to learn more about them. I would have also liked to see the first time Drayton got to see the finished product of Dallas’ dance to get into her dream college. I feel like we were slightly robbed of that moment, since it was very hyped up in the movie. Also, dance is the thing that brought them together in a way, and I think that would have really helped round out the whole movie and connected it all.
Overall, I highly recommend and enjoyed this movie. I am a big fan of cheesy rom-coms, and this one did not disappoint. I am also looking forward to reading the book this movie was based on. This movie made me cry, laugh and just feel happy, and I highly recommend it.
