I first saw this movie in theaters when it came out in 2011 and enjoyed it so much that I bought it when it became available on iTunes. Having rewatched it 9 years later, It has the same charm as I'd always remembered, and from a logical perspective I don't understand why it was given such low ratings.
It's no oscar film I understand, but this film deserves at least a 7 star rating. All of its elements made for the kind of film that a girl and her family could genuinely sit down and enjoy. Watching it makes the viewer dream, and it sparks hope that one could travel to such beautiful locations, and maybe find love in an unexpected place. It inspired me and I'm sure others to come out of their shell and live a little.
The casting and acting in this film were so well done. Selena Gomez did a great job as Grace, but I was especially impressed by Katie Cassidy & Leighton Meester's roles as Emma and Meg. The supporting actors also did a phenomenal job with their acting: Pierre Boulanger did beautifully as Theo, Luke Bracey (who I fell in love with after seeing this film) was wonderful as Riley, Cory Monteith (Rest in peace) made us crush and sympathize with Owen, and Catherine Tate brought all the ferocity and chique-ness as aunt Alicia. All of these people did a really awesome job bringing their characters to life and each added a special charm that the audience could enjoy and identify with.
The cinematography was beautiful, spoiling us with breathtaking shots of Paris and Monte Carlo. The editing style was also very entertaining and greatly contributed to the overall essence of the film. The big band, jazzy, parisian score for the film composed by Michael Giacchino, in combination with the perfectly placed pop songs was the butter on the bread. It was responsible for making us understand what the characters were feeling and in turn made us feel a certain way during the scenes.
And let's not forget the overall story. It was the tale of an average girl who has her fairytale adventure and though this doesn't happen in real life (it is a move after all), it wasn't so far-fetched that one would roll their eyes.
So please, don't listen to the people who dared give this sweet film a 5 star rating. Like I said, it's not an oscar nom, but it's certainly well deserving of a solid 7-7.5.
The casting and acting in this film were so well done. Selena Gomez did a great job as Grace, but I was especially impressed by Katie Cassidy & Leighton Meester's roles as Emma and Meg. The supporting actors also did a phenomenal job with their acting: Pierre Boulanger did beautifully as Theo, Luke Bracey (who I fell in love with after seeing this film) was wonderful as Riley, Cory Monteith (Rest in peace) made us crush and sympathize with Owen, and Catherine Tate brought all the ferocity and chique-ness as aunt Alicia. All of these people did a really awesome job bringing their characters to life and each added a special charm that the audience could enjoy and identify with.
The cinematography was beautiful, spoiling us with breathtaking shots of Paris and Monte Carlo. The editing style was also very entertaining and greatly contributed to the overall essence of the film. The big band, jazzy, parisian score for the film composed by Michael Giacchino, in combination with the perfectly placed pop songs was the butter on the bread. It was responsible for making us understand what the characters were feeling and in turn made us feel a certain way during the scenes.
And let's not forget the overall story. It was the tale of an average girl who has her fairytale adventure and though this doesn't happen in real life (it is a move after all), it wasn't so far-fetched that one would roll their eyes.
So please, don't listen to the people who dared give this sweet film a 5 star rating. Like I said, it's not an oscar nom, but it's certainly well deserving of a solid 7-7.5.