If you are looking for a deeply philosophical film or a mind-blowing plot - this is not your movie. But if you want something good, clean, and absolutely enjoyable that you can watch with your sister or mom or as a cozy girly night movie - this is your ticket. So here's exactly why I liked this movie:
1. Real relationships, good relationships - both the central guy and girl in the movie have good relationships with their parent. Yes, it's a singular 'parent', which I know is a Disney cliché now, still it was absolutely refreshing to watch the mother talk with her son and the dad talk with his daughter. There wasn't the whiny "you're ruining my life!/my parent is so stupid I don't know what they'd do without me/parent apologizing for ruining said son or daughter's life at the end of the film" that seems to be standard Disney movie fare these days. The mom gives good advise, the dad seems a bit caught up in work at the beginning but by the end you can tell he loves his daughter and is willing to set aside everything to take care of her. This is one of the only new Disney films that I would love to watch with either of my parents because it doesn't portray distanced loser parents, but strong wise parents who are respected and are invested in their children.
2.*Spoiler* There's the message that friendships can stand the test of time and change and of course that true friends are the ones that are there for you when the world caves in. There is relationship reconciliation between friends. The movie has a lot to say about friendships - *spoiler* the guy's friends, though initially hurt by the amount of time the guy is spending with the girl he likes, can see past that and forgive him as good friends do when they really are looking out for each other. They realize she means a lot to him and realize he's struggling to balance it all.
3. I hadn't really seen either of the main characters in other things (I know they're in other things, I just hadn't watched anything with them in it) so the acting was refreshing and good. Both of the main characters won me over by the end and I wanted to watch more films they had acted in.
4. There's no huge character change. The "popular girl" doesn't all of the sudden grows a heart - we just gradually get to see behind the carefully applied mask to who she has been all along. Most films like this I feel like one or the other character is fake - either the girl really seems like a total flake attempting to suddenly appear to care or her attempt to appear like a flake is only halfhearted and you can't believe others believe that she could possibly be that shallow. In this case both sides of the character were believable.
At the end of the day, this movie will not blow your mind with its originality, it is a chick-flick (*spoiler* it includes a make-over for crying out loud!), but it also is heartfelt, sincere, clean in every way, with a few good core messages to boot. So, pop some popcorn, curl up on the couch with some cocoa and some close friends and enjoy this one - it's guaranteed to make you smile and maybe even appreciate your friends a little more.
1. Real relationships, good relationships - both the central guy and girl in the movie have good relationships with their parent. Yes, it's a singular 'parent', which I know is a Disney cliché now, still it was absolutely refreshing to watch the mother talk with her son and the dad talk with his daughter. There wasn't the whiny "you're ruining my life!/my parent is so stupid I don't know what they'd do without me/parent apologizing for ruining said son or daughter's life at the end of the film" that seems to be standard Disney movie fare these days. The mom gives good advise, the dad seems a bit caught up in work at the beginning but by the end you can tell he loves his daughter and is willing to set aside everything to take care of her. This is one of the only new Disney films that I would love to watch with either of my parents because it doesn't portray distanced loser parents, but strong wise parents who are respected and are invested in their children.
2.*Spoiler* There's the message that friendships can stand the test of time and change and of course that true friends are the ones that are there for you when the world caves in. There is relationship reconciliation between friends. The movie has a lot to say about friendships - *spoiler* the guy's friends, though initially hurt by the amount of time the guy is spending with the girl he likes, can see past that and forgive him as good friends do when they really are looking out for each other. They realize she means a lot to him and realize he's struggling to balance it all.
3. I hadn't really seen either of the main characters in other things (I know they're in other things, I just hadn't watched anything with them in it) so the acting was refreshing and good. Both of the main characters won me over by the end and I wanted to watch more films they had acted in.
4. There's no huge character change. The "popular girl" doesn't all of the sudden grows a heart - we just gradually get to see behind the carefully applied mask to who she has been all along. Most films like this I feel like one or the other character is fake - either the girl really seems like a total flake attempting to suddenly appear to care or her attempt to appear like a flake is only halfhearted and you can't believe others believe that she could possibly be that shallow. In this case both sides of the character were believable.
At the end of the day, this movie will not blow your mind with its originality, it is a chick-flick (*spoiler* it includes a make-over for crying out loud!), but it also is heartfelt, sincere, clean in every way, with a few good core messages to boot. So, pop some popcorn, curl up on the couch with some cocoa and some close friends and enjoy this one - it's guaranteed to make you smile and maybe even appreciate your friends a little more.