‘SIDELINED: THE QB AND ME’: TUBI ADAPTS POPULAR YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE
Inspired by a young adult novel, Sidelined: The QB and Me is cute, but also doesn’t break any kind of young adult drama mold.
Sidelined: The QB and Me (2024) Film Review
New in town, Dallas Bryan (Siena Agudong) has plans. They’re the kind she refuses to let go of or have a backup plan for. She’s going to nail her taped audition for a prestigious dance school and leave town as soon as she graduates. To achieve this, one of her rules is she doesn’t date. She has no time for the drama or being in a relationship. Thing is, Drayton Lahey (Noah Beck), the star quarterback and obsession of female peers, becomes interested in this headstrong newcomer.
In Dayton, Dallas sees nothing but a cliché and she’s not having it. In Dallas, Drayton sees someone who could be a piece of his life that is missing.
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‘SIDELINED: THE QB AND ME’: TUBI ADAPTS POPULAR YOUNG ADULT ROMANCE. #Sidlined #RomanceMovie #Romance #Adaptation Share on XThis is an adaptation of a popular Watpad novel and while it is cute, like most genre peers are, the film doesn’t really break any mold or challenge the genre. It’s pretty much the same just with new names and faces. Regardless of the familiarity, the film does still have cute moments and of course, there are the deeper threads and conversations that balance out the “cute.”
This one takes the approach of leaving behind to step into the future, which in some ways absolutely has merit. There’s wisdom in going ahead without some things because realistically, these choices have truth on their side. However, the end also has a bit of a surprise and for those of us who like movies to end happily, well, this one achieves that (despite contrary implications leading in). I think it’s actually good for films to go against grain or what culture tells us is “normal,” because let’s be real, we need happy and to find characters in a happy place where there is cuteness and happiness, too. Rumor also has it that Tubi will produce a sequel, too.
If you enjoy young adult adaptations of the contemporary variety (like The DUFF, The Kissing Booth or A Cinderella Story), then this film is an entertaining thing to watch.
Stream, at publication, Sidelined: The QB and Me on Tubi
Content: there is sexual innuendo including references to not having an “itch” taken care of because someone doesn’t date. Teenagers go home, undressing and heavily making out; they lay back on the bed (intent clear) and presumably have sex (he asks if she’s “sure”) before the scene fades away. There’s some profanity, too, including a use of the f-word. If it bothers you, one character is in a same-sex situationship. The film is TV-14.
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