Common Sense Media Review
By Brian Costello, based on child development research. How do we rate?
age 15+
Kiteboarding action-romcom has cursing, drugs, stereotypes.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Send It! is a 2021 action romcom centered on kiteboarding and an amateur kiteboarder from Texas who learns about life and love while competing in Cape Hatteras. There's an attempted rape when the lead female character tries to skip out on her diner bill and is caught by two of the male staff. Constant profanity, including "f--k," "motherf---er," and sexual references. Lead characters shown having sex in bed in different positions (no nudity). An attractive bikini-clad older woman is known for and shown trying to seduce the much younger competitors in the waveboarding tournament, and is shown grabbing the crotch of the lead character. The lead character's two roommates are cliched stoners who act high and are shown smoking marijuana. Wine, martini, champagne, and beer drinking.
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Language
a lot
Regular profanity, including "f--k" used many times, and "motherf---ers" used once. Also: "c--ksucker," "s--t," "s--thole," "d--khead," "bitch," "a--wipe," "badass," "hell," "douchebag." Middle finger emoji.
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a lot
Lead character's two roommates are stoners, constantly acting high and smoking marijuana. Lead female character joins them shortly after meeting them. Wine, martini, champagne, and beer drinking. PBR cans shown in one scene.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
some
Lead characters shown having sex -- no nudity, but shown in different positions while in bed. Passionate kissing. One of the secondary characters is an attractive older woman who suggestively flirts with the much younger competitors in the waveboarding tournament. After the lead character offers a ride to his soon-to-be love interest, she tells him that, in so many words, there will be no oral or masturbatory sex, and no touching. Slangy references to sex, to penises and vaginas. Man sitting outside of a gas station shown looking at a centerfold. It's implied that one of the characters has two girlfriends with whom he leaves to sleep with in a yacht.
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Violence & Scariness
a little
Attempted rape -- two diner workers catch a girl who has tried to skip out on her bill, grab her, and talk of what they intend to do to her; she responds by kicking one of them in the groin. Shortly after, the lead character fights them, injuring one of the assailant's shoulders. Fights are broken up between the bad guy (a snobby French kiteboarder) and the lead character and others. A woman grabs the crotch of the lead character.
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Products & Purchases
a little
Wind Voyager logo and ships prominently featured throughout the movie. The musical artist 2 Chainz is hyped several times before the main characters see him perform in concert. Sir Richard Branson has a cameo as he discusses Virgin sponsoring the lead character.
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Positive Messages
very little
No real positive messages in movie centered on kiteboarding culture and the romance that develops between a kiteboarder from Texas and a street-smart girl trying to run away from her past.
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Positive Role Models
very little
Cliched and stereotypical characters abound: stoner beach bums, snobby French bad guy, attractive older woman who is always trying to seduce the younger athletes, etc.
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Send It!
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What's the Story?
In SEND IT!, Billy (Kevin Quinn) is a young kiteboarder who has emerged as the best competitor in Little Elm, Texas. Much to the chagrin of his spoiled girlfriend, the community rallies together to raise money so that Billy can compete in the prestigious Kiteboarding Championship that is held in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Along the way, he meets Sky (Claudia Lee), a tough young woman who is trying to run away from her past. Upon arriving in Cape Hatteras, the extroverted Sky immediately makes friends with Jake Wind (Patrick Fabian), who runs the competition, as well as some of the other champion-level kiteboarders, and helps Billy to also befriend them. However, Billy learns that he isn't officially in the competition, but is merely registered to compete in the amateur contest, and he must win that competition to compete in the actual championship. Meanwhile, Sarah, Billy's now ex-girlfriend, has borrowed her father's jet to arrive in Cape Hatteras to get back together with Billy, and finds Billy in bed with Sky. Sky immediately leaves, no longer trusting Billy, and so Billy must prove to Sky that he really does care about her, as he also must focus on proving that he has what it takes to compete in the finals.
Is It Any Good?
This is a dumb mix of cliched and stereotyped character types and gratuitous sex and violence. Send It! is a movie that's an attempt at a romcom centered on the world of kiteboarding. While the scenes of actual kiteboarding are enjoyable on their own merits, the rest of the movie is marred by so many characters seen in so many other movies -- the snobby French guy, the older woman who is always trying to seduce and "deflower" the younger competitors of the sport, the spoiled rich girl dating the lead character who wants him to give up his dream and be more practical, the stoners who act like Jeff Spicoli's grandchildren, and so on. And when that gets to be too boring, there's always a 2 Chainz concert to try and spice things up.
While the argument might be made that this movie would be best for fans of kiteboarding, even that's questionable. The closest they ever get to distinguishing the sport's culture from any other sporting culture is the use of the slang term "yard sale" to describe an epic wipeout. Perhaps Patrick Fabian wanted a break from the quality writing of Better Call Saul, because otherwise, it's utterly perplexing as to why he has a role in this movie. Overall, it seems like a squandered opportunity to take a sport that hasn't been the subject of dozens of movies and make it into something original and relevant to both fans and casual viewers. Instead, it's trite and disappointing.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Send It! is centered on kiteboarding. What did you learn about this sport? What are some other examples of movies that are centered on the culture of a particular sport?
What are some examples of cliched or stereotyped characters in this movie? Why are stereotypes harmful?
Did the sex, violence, and profanity seem necessary to the story, or did it seem gratuitous? Why?
Movie Details
- In theaters : May 13, 2020
- On DVD or streaming : May 11, 2021
- Cast : Kevin Quinn, Patrick Fabian, Claudia Lee
- Director : Andrew Stevens
- Inclusion Information : Female actors
- Studio : Lionsgate Home Entertainment
- Genre : Action/Adventure
- Topics : Sports and Martial Arts
- Run time : 101 minutes
- MPAA rating : R
- MPAA explanation : Sexual content, language and some drug use.
- Last updated : November 7, 2024
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