I literally laughed out loud when I read one IMDb reviewer start reviewing this as it was some sort of artistic piece of expression. They used terms like 'innocuous' and 'film technique.' This is a Disney made for TV movie made for 11-14 year olds. You must review the film from that stand point or don't waste your time. This is not for adults. This isn't meant to be raunchy or sexy or outside of the box. It was meant to be fun and cute and that is what it is. Still its not the most fun it could have been and essentially is very shallow in its performance but young girls will likely still get a chuckle out of it. In fact the whole movie is probably what an episode of Hannah Montana or another Disney type show would have done only a few years ago. Still the movie is watchable and has some laughs and some genuinely heart felt moments as well. But in true Disney style everything is placed perfectly in a little box and each character is painted line by line to fit the story.
Sarah Hyland has hit stardom on the phenomenal and brilliant TV Series Modern Family. I'm not sure that makes her ready to carry a movie but she does well enough playing the uppity Disney snob turned into the sweet misunderstood princess. She certainly plays the 'mean girl' part of it well enough but the story has to really force out her inner good side to get the plot moving. Matt Prokop is actually really good as the nerdy good guy that falls in love. He fits the Disney charmer perfectly and has good charisma and him and Hyland have really good chemistry making the film even more cute. There is a big supporting cast and they are all decent in their clichéd roles but none of them stand out particularly. They are mostly there for laughs or plot development.
Director Jeffrey Hornaday is a rather strange choice for directing what is essentially a kids film. He hasn't got a lot of experience behind the camera but has worked on a lot of big Hollywood films. So I think he took this in stride and just did the basics for the movie and overall that's okay. The film works for what it is. It doesn't try to be outstanding and in many ways that is its charm as well as its fault. But what it all boils down to is that its a cute, fun little romance flick for the pre-teen audience. Its clean and simple and not exactly a big budget production but probably worth watching with your kids. 6/10
Sarah Hyland has hit stardom on the phenomenal and brilliant TV Series Modern Family. I'm not sure that makes her ready to carry a movie but she does well enough playing the uppity Disney snob turned into the sweet misunderstood princess. She certainly plays the 'mean girl' part of it well enough but the story has to really force out her inner good side to get the plot moving. Matt Prokop is actually really good as the nerdy good guy that falls in love. He fits the Disney charmer perfectly and has good charisma and him and Hyland have really good chemistry making the film even more cute. There is a big supporting cast and they are all decent in their clichéd roles but none of them stand out particularly. They are mostly there for laughs or plot development.
Director Jeffrey Hornaday is a rather strange choice for directing what is essentially a kids film. He hasn't got a lot of experience behind the camera but has worked on a lot of big Hollywood films. So I think he took this in stride and just did the basics for the movie and overall that's okay. The film works for what it is. It doesn't try to be outstanding and in many ways that is its charm as well as its fault. But what it all boils down to is that its a cute, fun little romance flick for the pre-teen audience. Its clean and simple and not exactly a big budget production but probably worth watching with your kids. 6/10