Filter forge geek play6/8/2023 ![]() Once again, on second viewing, I saw how rushed the writing team was at the close. Conclusion? Sarah Hyland's amazing performance - playing two sides of the same coin, as it were, and using her eyes like weapons - almost but not quite raised this film to greatness. Addendum July 17 Because I have been doing a few "Lists" for members, I felt compelled to have a re-watch of this one. The story clearly overwhelmed the writers who scrambled against the clock to sort out all the twists and arcs, and it shows. Sort of - for those that like to deconstruct film, which is most of us - a high school Julia Roberts vehicle (if JR had ever done a Disney, which of course she did not). While the story is not new as such, the actors make it come alive and the director makes it engaging. The truth is that, until the last 10 mins or so, this is an exceptional work that continually engages and surprises. I was originally intrigued by a review in a blog which said that this film was so good it could have been shown theatrically. When these high school soap operas work, when the actors and writers are firing on all cylinders, they work really well. 6/10Ī few hundred years in the future, after our society burns out like a light-bulb and ultimately reinvents itself into a much kinder experience, there will be those who will study the films of our era and - it is possible - these unusual Disney-esque TV treats may just end up being revered in a class (ahem) of their own. Its clean and simple and not exactly a big budget production but probably worth watching with your kids. But what it all boils down to is that its a cute, fun little romance flick for the pre-teen audience. It doesn't try to be outstanding and in many ways that is its charm as well as its fault. So I think he took this in stride and just did the basics for the movie and overall that's okay. He hasn't got a lot of experience behind the camera but has worked on a lot of big Hollywood films. Director Jeffrey Hornaday is a rather strange choice for directing what is essentially a kids film. They are mostly there for laughs or plot development. There is a big supporting cast and they are all decent in their clichéd roles but none of them stand out particularly. He fits the Disney charmer perfectly and has good charisma and him and Hyland have really good chemistry making the film even more cute. Matt Prokop is actually really good as the nerdy good guy that falls in love. 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. 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. Sarah Hyland has hit stardom on the phenomenal and brilliant TV Series Modern Family. 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. Still the movie is watchable and has some laughs and some genuinely heart felt moments as well. 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 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. It was meant to be fun and cute and that is what it is. This isn't meant to be raunchy or sexy or outside of the box. You must review the film from that stand point or don't waste your time. ![]() They used terms like 'innocuous' and 'film technique.' This is a Disney made for TV movie made for 11-14 year olds. I literally laughed out loud when I read one IMDb reviewer start reviewing this as it was some sort of artistic piece of expression.
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