Parents' Guide to

The Ultimate Playlist of Noise

By Jennifer Green, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Mature themes, drinking, language in teen tearjerker.

Movie NR 2021 99 minutes
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A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

Average suburban teenager Marcus (Keean Johnson), known at school for his mastery of the ultimate playlist for any occasion, gets a drastic diagnosis in THE ULTIMATE PLAYLIST OF NOISE. A brain tumor requiring surgery is going to leave him deaf. He's defeated until he comes up with a plan to spend his final weeks before surgery traveling across the country to record a playlist of noises for posterity. He says he'll enjoy watching other people's reactions to the collection of favorite noises once he can no longer hear. When his mother prohibits the trip, Marcus runs away. He doesn't get far before he nearly runs over a woman he'd recently seen singing at a club. She joins him on his trip to New York, and the two forge a special bond before a medical incident sends Marcus back to the hospital and one step closer to surgery.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

This teen tearjerker will certainly appeal to the intended audience. But even these teens might wonder why Marcus's parents don't get a second opinion on his debilitating diagnosis, why a tumor on one side of the brain causes both ears to stop functioning, how Wendy manages to edit a cassette tape, why Marcus's brother was so much older than him, or how the family learns sign language so quickly. These plot points can all, of course, have logical explanations, but The Ultimate Playlist of Noise doesn't offer them, risking skepticism from viewers instead of the required deep emotional investment in Marcus's journey. This film also has a handful of awkward scenes meant to elicit laughs but which evoke more cringes, like Marcus vomiting on himself, nearly running over a man, joking about his low GPA, eating a moldy hot dog (then throwing it up) after losing a bet, or Wendy casually damaging private property for her own enjoyment.

There are moments of true emotion, like the heartbreaking scene where Marcus is wheeled into surgery and breaks down crying. Johnson credibly plays the teen as vulnerable and innocent yet wizened by experience and prematurely angry with the world. There's also a memorable montage when he and Wendy first arrive to New York where Marcus plays Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" (recalling Woody Allen's classic Manhattan opening) and the music harmonizes with the sounds of the city streets -- coins clanging in a jar, taxis honking, people shouting, and metro passes swishing. It's meant to be a poignant reminder of the noise Marcus is going to miss and, unlike some other aspects of the film, it works.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how The Ultimate Playlist of Noise uses sound to illustrate what Marcus is about to lose. What are your favorite sounds?

  • The teens in the film break rules and laws but never get in trouble. Does this feel true to life? Is it healthy behavior? What would be the consequences of these decisions in real life?

  • Marcus yells at his mother in a pivotal scene at the hospital. Was he justified? Why or why not?

  • What did you think of the items on Marcus's ultimate playlist?

Movie Details

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