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In the Mix Review

Release Date: Nov 23, 2005
Rated: sexual content, violence and language
Runtime: 1 hr. 35 min.
Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Director:Ron Underwood
Cast:Usher Raymond, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Chazz Palminteri, Robert Davi, Matt Gerald. Full cast + crew

Movies.com Critics

0.5

Dave White Profile <h3>Dave White</h3> <p><strong>Your Movies.com Man at the Multiplex</strong></p> <br /> <p>Dave White's first movie review was of the animated feature Snoopy Come Home. He was seven years old...<a href="http://www.movies.com/movie-reviews/dave-white">Read full profile</a></p>

Your eyes will never forgive you. Read full review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

2.0

31

out of 100

Metascore^®
Generally unfavorable reviews
based on a weighted average of all
critic review scores.
30

out of 100

Los Angeles Times Kevin Crust
A jumble of genres including mob melodrama, bodyguard romance and interracial love story, none of which is handled in a remotely satisfying manner by director Ron Underwood. The film's tone shifts with all the grace of a car with a balky transmission.

Read Full Review
50

out of 100

Variety Robert Koehler
A pleasantly tuned vehicle for R&B star and budding actor Usher.

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50

out of 100

The New York Times Anita Gates
A one-dimensional romantic comedy that feels like an old-fashioned vehicle picture, the kind the big movie studios used to make in the 1930's and 40's just to bring in the fans of a particular actor or actress.

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50

out of 100

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
A genially cruddy B movie can sometimes go places - sort of - that bigger movies won't.

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50

out of 100

The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck
As bland and forgettable as its title.

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See all In the Mix reviews at Metacritic.com

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For Families provided by Common Sense Media

Iffy for 15+

The irresistibly talented Usher is wasted here.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this movie includes shootings, beatings, and references to other forms of "mob violence" (one character says his car was blown up). A body appears in a car trunk. The movie features reductive stereotypes: ignorant Italian gangsters; a white boy who acts "hip-hop"; a sexually aggressive black woman; a precocious child (who uses sexual slang); bling-blingy cigar-smoking buddies for the DJ; and a "Big Mama." Characters drink and smoke; women at the dance club wear revealing clothing and dance provocatively.

Families can talk about whether or not their kids think the characters are stereotypes. They also might want to talk about all the branded products in the movie. does seeing them in a movie make them more or less appealing?

The good stuff

Messages: Mobsters are dumb or self-delusional; characters lie and betray one another.

What to watch for

Violence: Conventional mob violence (shootings, beat-downs, a flashing switchblade, tossing a beaten victim from a slowly moving car, a body in a car trunk, then visible in a coffin at the wake).
Sex: Girls in a nightclub dress and dance provocatively; visual and verbal jokes (alluding to fellatio, "," "" [male genitalia], " the nasty"); cleavage/butt shots in a yoga class; passionate kissing and groping; a soft-lit sex scene featuring closeups of hands and faces; several suggestive song lyrics (for example, "").
Language: Sexual references (e.g., "-style," " the nasty"), cursing (including f-word and s-word), plus an Italian derogatory term for "," "" (short for "," which translates to "").
Consumerism: Aqua Day Spa, fridge shelves displaying Silk soy milk and Heinz ketchup; "Cosmo cover" car brands (Mercedes).
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Drinking (wine, beer, hard liquor) and smoking (cigarettes and cigars).

Common Sense Media

An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology.