To be a Disney Channel Original Movie, with a TV budget, it's surprisingly more self-aware and deeper than I expected. Like, it has something to say, perhaps not something new but it's the delivery that I found most enjoyable. Because as you go into the movie you can imagine how the movie is going to turn out, and in some ways it turns out that way of course, but it still has some surprising tricks up their sleeve that make this movie stand out from the rest for me.
For starters, I think the premise is creatively refreshing to the genre and well utilized throughout and in the climax of the movie. It serves as a great channeling medium to which tell the story and it empowers the climax of the movie so that it makes the main message land more impactfully.
I was looking for "haters-turn-lovers" movies and this one showed up, luckily I had Disney+ so it took no effort to turn it on and watch it while I did something else. And to my delightful surprise, I found myself intrigued by its occasional witty dialogue and comedy; main character arcs, take on high school cliques and the themes and messages it wants to transmit to kids (because yes, this is a kids movie).
Needless to say, the biggest highlight is Sarah Hyland's performance, which stands out as the best amongst the rest, which are decent but aren't given too much to work with. The love interest, Josh, in comparison I found to be too bumbling and clumpsy. His performance was just off, idk if it's his delivery or performance in general but it looks a bit forced and over the top compared to Dylan's. I get he is a "geek" and we are "supposed to be weak and un-sporty-like" if you want to oversimplify every high school stereotype; but some sequences are just too much. And I am not talking only about him but everybody in the movie is almost a shallow over the top version of their supposed high school persona (and I mean almost because it's not entirely true and we'll see now why). However, this over the topness permiates throughout the movie and you end up "getting used to it" in a good way and here's why:
The main focus of the first half of the movie is to sell this over the top depiction of popularity in this queen-bee-type persona that Dylan represents. (BTW: what kind of name is Dylan for a girl? Isn't it a boy's name? Even the movie pokes fun at this, it seems a bit throwaway) And it's effectively done so with small details like the fact that in the cafeteria the popular kids sit on this elevated platform as if implying they "stand above the rest". This and other portrayals of popular behaviours only make the eventual downfall hit harder.
Also, refreshingly, the movie doesn't fall into showing only the typical cliched cliques. Like the movie makes a great effort of establishing and mentioning the actual hierarchy in not only the popular clique but also the "non-popular populars": apparently there's also the popular nerd girl too, fancy that. I found it to be interesting, especially because in its own small way the movie works every single side character to relate or influence the plot in one way or the other, they aren't simply throwaway one-dimensional characters. Some of them are even slightly redeemed in the end.
But overall the small decisions are what makes the movie's production value increase for me, like the continuous distinction it makes between nerd and geek; the fact that they actually give the guy a love interest aside from, it makes the "world" a bit bigger and less self-contained than having him only fall for the main girl, that and the fact the other love interest is not just "another geek"; the "phantom maid": Dylan's house apparently has a maid but she never appears and idk if it's because she was cut out in the editing or she is simply used for other purposes; Josh's quirky mom and Dylan's honest Dad; all the traits they give Dylan to make her character development shine which I won't spoil because it's what I consider to be the better realised parts of the movie;
There're fourth-wall-breaking sequences in the movie "modern family style" that I found unnecessary nor used properly. It served only as exposition, character motivations and to tell us how characters are feeling even though we can get that from performances (the movie is not trying to be super complex in the feelings department, nuance and subtlety oughta do it). But otherwise it mostly comes out of nowhere and they could just say it out loud to someone (like their friends). However I must give to them that it does come back in the end to clarify some things, but other than that we have no idea who they are talking to, us the audience or yet another film crew? Is this a documentary of a documentary??
The documentary itself: all things considered, it's actually quite witty and not at all forced in terms of tricky questions to make her look bad. His follow-up questions to her answers make sense cohesively and they actually show more intel about how things work. Didn't quite like the short fallout sequence reminiscent of the by-gone Justin Bieber fever era and what trends it began and have remained in the following movies, because it dates this movie hard, like, you can tell when it was made.
IN CONCLUSION, I think the movie is decently entertaining and has something to say. Which for a made-for-TV Disney Channel Original Movie can go either way, you never know. But I think the movie hides in its premise and characters more than meets the eye and the eventual reveal of the character motivations are quite endearing and refreshing for the genre, I found them to be quite powerful and it after I knew of them they recontextualised the entire movie. Don't judge it in its first minutes, it gets better in everyway as it goes on.
- - - SOME SPOILERY AFTERTHOUGHTS - - -
Is it me or does Dylan become too nice all of a sudden, I get she is "relaxing" a bit from the "popular role", but it's very apparent. All of a sudden she is a normal well-adjusted girl who's simply rich and wants to give his non-boyfriend boyfriend a make-over. But seriously, after this, they are too cute to each other, they behave like a couple so much that I am not even surprise when the mom (and her dad) right out asks if they are dating before the sequence where she is startled from her son having finally brought a girl home.. Which btw, was actually hilarious mostly because of its subtle connotation. But even the pitch of her voice changes to a normal decibel, which only deems her previous performance as a popular girl too bratty which, again, might be the effect intended.
Dylan's dad is awesome, I like his exchanges with Josh and Dylan after she starts hanging out with him. Between the burp scene and his approaching to him at the store he works at, he does a great job at enriching Dylan's character in quirky ways.
The Climax: the juxtaposition on the overall high school status quo the documentary has at its showing is genius. Dylan has been declining in her fall from grace to a truthful, self-less and unique girl, and having her confront who she was is a genius move. I really felt the conflict in the climax of the movie, it was well realized. Overall, all the over the top popularity skits were of great use to the ultimate message of the movie (of both movies), enhanced greatly by Sarah Hyland's performance. The reaction of everybody watching the documentary is also grounded and uplifting, from minute 1 people react realistically which surprisingly, is not something the movie has cared too much to do given everything was a bit of an amped up version of these stereotypes. Again, excusable given is a DCOM (so basically a kids movie, although these things make it not feel that way). I believe this entire scene was very well though out, the pauses in the documentary for laughs make you hurt and the moment she leaves after she has had enough it's exactly the moment in the documentary when she sassily says "au revoir,/ bon voyage", which suits the juxtaposition. And the conversation they have after she leaves, it's probably the best written dialogue in the entire movie, the only moment when she tells him what she feels and the truth comes out and for me the most powerful moment of the movie: Dylan left herself aside in order to be the popular girl ON PURPOSE... To escape the shadow of someone she deemed was "better" than her which actually turned out it wasn't. It shines a light on the pressures and expectations of high school, blinding kids from seeing there are options and that you shouldn't shield yourself by becoming shallow because this leads you to put others down just so you are not put down yourself: i.e. Becoming a BULLY. And THIS is the most powerful message I got from the movie. It's focus on the popular clique serves to shine a light on what drives kids to become bullies, making this movie one to perhaps prevent them from being "created".
And it's very fitting that Amy (her friend) is the one who brings her the movie and tells her she "never hated or thought less of her", but it made sense because Dylan was hurting for her mom's death so her tainted decisions are reasonable. And the final speech is perfect too, it wraps everything up nicely and without wasting scenes nor characters, from the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink sundae to the lost friendship to the undervalued friends. It makes use of everything we have seen and presented in the story and it only serves as a well-tied bow that wraps up the movie in a nice way.
