Yes, you read the title correctly, TikTok star Noah Beck made his feature film debut in the Tubi Original Film “Sidelined: The QB and Me”, and surprisingly, I did not totally hate it.
For those that are unaware, Beck is a 23-year-old social media star from Arizona who began making TikToks in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. After his videos began to go viral, Beck joined the Sway House, a TikTok content creation house that consisted of popular creators such as Bryce Hall, Josh Richards and Blake Gray. While in the Sway House, Beck collaborated with other social media personalities including Dixie D’Amelio, who Beck was in a relationship with. It is also worth noting that prior to his TikTok fame, Beck had an impressive soccer career, playing at the University of Portland before dropping out to pursue social media.
In 2021, Beck announced that he would be pursuing acting and enlisted in acting classes. Beck previously made a few television appearances in minor or guest roles, but “Sidelined: The QB and Me” puts Beck at the center of the film along with his co-star, former Nickelodeon actress Siena Agudong.
“Sidelined: The QB and Me” is based on a Wattpad original story by Tay Marley, which was formally published under the title “The QB Bad Boy and Me.” In the film adaptation of the book, Beck portrays Drayton Lahey, the bad-boy quarterback and love interest. Agudong portrays the new girl Dallas Bryan, a dancer who dreams of attending CalArts. The film follows the love story between Drayton and Dallas as they face external pressures. For Beck’s character Drayton, this is the pressure of his father, who, to my surprise, was portrayed by James Van Der Beek of “Dawson’s Creek.” As for Dallas, she has to balance her relationship with Drayton with her dream of attending CalArts, the school her deceased mother attended.
Going into this film, I had very little information. While I had seen a few clips of the movie on TikTok, I was unfamiliar with the source material and while I was aware of Beck, I did not consider myself a fan. I will not lie to you and say this was a good movie by cinematic standards, because it is not. But I will also not lie and say that I did not have fun watching it.
As much as I consider myself a pretentious film snob, I cannot deny the charm of a good Wattpad film adaptation or even just a rom-com in general. This movie delivered on what it promised to be: a corny teen rom-com. Beck’s performance is not great, but I do not think it sticks out within the genre and context of the film.
I honestly respect Beck for choosing this project as his entrance into feature film acting. I think Beck as an actor knew that this is the genre he best fits into. He is not trying to bite off more than he can chew by trying to show his dramatic acting skills. He is just having fun in a silly teen rom-com, and I think we should by all means let him.
In the culture we live in, it is so easy to be a critic, but sometimes it is nice to just let projects like this exist and celebrate them for what they are, instead of what they could be.
As of February of 2025, Beck and Agudong reunited in a video to announce that Tubi has officially greenlit a sequel to “Sidelined: The QB and Me.” Little is known about the status of this project, but due to their involvement in the announcement, it is presumed that Beck and Agudong will return for the sequel.
It is safe to say that I will be seated regardless as I can not deny myself a silly little teen romcom. I am looking forward to see what Beck will do next in his pursuit of acting.