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Tara McNamara

Tomatometer-approved critic
Biography:

As a film journalist and critic, Tara McNamara loves watching movies, but more than that, she loves spurring audiences to think about movies. In print and on screen, she focuses on motivating people to reflect on how media messages affect their own actions and opinions. To that end, she has appeared as the Fandango Film Mom, co-hosted the digital series “Mom’s Movie Minute;” and had recurring segments “Reel Moms” on Today and “Parents Guide” on The Insider. Currently, she’s on staff as a film critic for Common Sense Media. Tara also writes several articles a year for Variety, a relationship that began in 2007 when she served as their entertainment news anchor on Sirius XM. Tara’s film journalism career began in 2004 when she and her then 9-year-old son Cole created KidsPickFlicks, a website where kids of all ages could send in their own movie reviews, providing a kids-eye view of movies offered by no other site.

Publications:

Reviews

Movies TV Shows
Our Hero, Balthazar (2025) 91% 4/5 EDIT “Our Hero, Balthazar is incredibly impressive and yet, so twisted that you almost have to hope that no one sees it.” – Common Sense Media Mar 31, 2026 Full Review Forbidden Fruits (2026) 75% 4/5 EDIT “This dark horror comedy is vapidly delicious.” – Common Sense Media Mar 31, 2026 Full Review Home Delivery (2025) 2/5 EDIT “Home Delivery is just another ughhh example from a filmmaker whose previous projects are all curiously horny stories about female characters in various states of reproduction.” – Common Sense Media Mar 31, 2026 Full Review Fantasy Life (2025) 80% 2/5 EDIT “It's a strong effort toward normalizing mental health disorders, but Matthew Shear's dramedy is likely to leave viewers feeling anxious.” – Common Sense Media Mar 31, 2026 Full Review Tow (2025) 78% 4/5 EDIT “Amanda's ride is a bumpy one, and at times the road feels too frustrating to stay on, but the journey offers several vistas that may steer viewers toward greater compassion and understanding.” – Common Sense Media Mar 25, 2026 Full Review Wardriver (2026) 100% 3/5 EDIT “Moody, mysterious, and metaphorical, director Rebecca Thomas' thriller blends neo noir elements with a modern-day crime to expose a timeless emotional vulnerability: loneliness.” – Common Sense Media Mar 25, 2026 Full Review THE BRIDE! (2026) 57% 2/5 EDIT “The Bride! may have cinephiles leaning in closer, while many mainstream moviegoers could run away aghast.” – Common Sense Media Mar 10, 2026 Full Review EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (2025) 97% 5/5 EDIT “In a feat of editing and sound mixing, never-before-seen footage of performances and rehearsals are seamlessly woven together, and it's beyond fantastic.” – Common Sense Media Mar 3, 2026 Full Review K-Pops! (2024) 88% 4/5 EDIT “Exuberantly fresh and humorously energetic, .Paak's feature directing and writing debut shows that the Grammy winner's creativity goes well beyond music.” – Common Sense Media Mar 3, 2026 Full Review How to Make a Killing (2026) 44% 2/5 EDIT “Deeply cynical and disappointingly disheartening, writer/director John Patton Ford's highly anticipated second film is more Luigi Mangione than Emily the Criminal.” – Common Sense Media Feb 24, 2026 Full Review Kissing Is the Easy Part (2026) 3/5 EDIT “Giggling is the easy part of this YA romcom, which is cute, funny, and totally meant for teens to watch in groups. Somewhat more difficult is wading through the ethical murkiness Sean taking compensation to date Flora.” – Common Sense Media Feb 17, 2026 Full Review Wuthering Heights (2026) 57% 5/5 EDIT “Basking in the afterglow of the credits, young romantics might just consider Fennell's devastating take on the classic novel to be one of the most sigh-inducing movies they've ever seen.” – Common Sense Media Feb 10, 2026 Full Review Solo Mio (2026) 83% 4/5 EDIT “Warm, delightful, and genuinely funny, this Italian-set romcom may bring hope to those still longing to find love.” – Common Sense Media Feb 10, 2026 Full Review The Moment (2026) 67% 3/5 EDIT “Charli XCX's deconstruction of cool is an absolute revelation, and her willingness to expose herself is incredibly brave, but for those who aren't fans, the film is nothing to sing about.” – Common Sense Media Feb 3, 2026 Full Review Worldbreaker (2025) 41% 3/5 EDIT “On the surface, Worldbreaker is a mediocre creature feature, but just beneath that surface is a vibrant metaphor, waiting for adults to pick it up and point it out.” – Common Sense Media Feb 3, 2026 Full Review Infinite Icon: A Visual Memoir (2026) 1/5 EDIT “Hilton's cringey self-produced concert film brings new meaning to the term "vanity project."” – Common Sense Media Feb 3, 2026 Full Review Shelter (2026) 65% 3/5 EDIT “Co-star Breathnach's emotional range—and the fatherly tenderness she pulls from Statham—elevates an otherwise standard-issue script.” – Common Sense Media Feb 3, 2026 Full Review Mercy (2026) 25% 4/5 EDIT “Families who love escape rooms, this gripping thriller is for you.” – Common Sense Media Jan 27, 2026 Full Review In Cold Light (2025) 55% 2/5 EDIT “It's not great, but at least this crime thriller makes one thing clear: No good can come from selling drugs.” – Common Sense Media Jan 27, 2026 Full Review Wildfire: The Legend of the Cherokee Ghost Horse (2023) 1/5 EDIT “Instead of a spirited adventure about a wild stallion, Wildfire: The Legend of the Cherokee Ghost Horse is more like an aging mare that's been put out to pasture.” – Common Sense Media Jan 27, 2026 Full Review Signing Tony Raymond (2025) 75% 2/5 EDIT “College football fans will find some amusement in this sports personality-packed comedy, but Glen Owen's uneven recruitment tale grades out closer to redshirt than blue chip.” – Common Sense Media Jan 20, 2026 Full Review A Private Life (2025) 81% 3/5 EDIT “Writer-director Rebecca Zlotowski doesn't center generational trauma in the story; instead, she peppers acknowledgments throughout, showing how, in today's world, a small poke of antisemitism can feel like a razor slice.” – Common Sense Media Jan 20, 2026 Full Review Charlie the Wonderdog (2025) 46% 3/5 EDIT “This energetic (if somewhat basic) animated story is super at delivering the message that helping others is noble—but it also feels good. And if Charlie the Wonderdog proves anything, it's that Owen Wilson is the reincarnation of a golden retriever.” – Common Sense Media Jan 14, 2026 Full Review Dead Man's Wire (2025) 92% 4/5 EDIT “As taut as the wire around Dick Hall's neck, Van Sant's thriller about a largely forgotten case from decades ago feels uncomfortably relevant today. Powerful people exploiting the working class or the poor is, sadly, a situation that persists.” – Common Sense Media Jan 13, 2026 Full Review Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (2025) 98% 5/5 EDIT “Philosophically deep yet straightforwardly simple, this is the rare animated film that's likely to appeal equally to both very young children and their parents. And each audience will come away having had an entirely different experience.” – Common Sense Media Jan 13, 2026 Full Review
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