BRATZ

REVIEWED BY RISSI C.

Our rating: 5 out of 5

Rated:

Once in a while a movie comes along that I find myself agreeing with the critics on. In this instance I agree with them on the silliness of this story. While it certainly is that, this is also wonderful movie content wise to watch with young girls and pre-teens. As my mom and I viewed it, we remarked on its simplicity. While there is a storyline, it is nothing brilliant and you certainly don’t have to “think” while watching it.

BFF: best friends forever. That is what Jade, Sasha, Yasmin and Cloe are. They’ve been friends forever and in their first year of high school, they are about to get a taste of what it’s like to be in cliques. Heading into the first day of school, the four of them intend to take it by surprise and be who they really are. Jade (Janel Parrish) is a brilliant fashion expert who also shows great grades in science. Sasha (Logan Browning) has a passion for dance and joins the cheerleading squad, while Cloe (Skyler Shaye) is a star soccer player who soon becomes part of the jock clique. Yasmin (Nathalia Ramos) is the only one who attempts to keep the four together, all while trying to become her own person and stand out. But two years pass and soon the girls are more like strangers than best friends.

After Cloe accidentally starts a food fight, all four girls end up in detention where they are finally able to reconnect and realize that no matter what happens they will always be there for each other. Taking on the student body president and most popular girl Meredith Dimly (Chelsea Staub), the girls will have to form their own clique in order to overcome her and bring their school back together. This summer when all the “blockbuster hits” were being released we saw the trailer for this and thought it looked cute but certainly not anything that would be winning any Oscars.

While there is nothing brilliant in the filmmaking department of this production, it’s great when you find something that can be watched with the kids. This is certainly a breath of fresh air. Sean McNamara directed this film and he really has done a nice job, considering that it is geared towards young girls. Bratz may just be a silly piece of filmmaking that will probably be much overlooked, but it does have some good lessons that are on a scale for kids to understand. One of the girls drops out of something in order to “protect” her friends, while three of the girls give a scholarship they won together to the one who needs it most. Another girl sees to it that one of her friends is able to buy something ravishing for a party (which is big for a sixteen-year-old girl) and all of the girls straighten out the “scandals” that snotty Meredith dug up on them.  While divorce is dealt with and portrayed in a unflattering way, there is some hope by the end of the tale that they may resolve their differences and get back together. 

Cloe and Yasmin are probably my two favorite “bratz” or stories in this adorable tale. Cloe is from a single parent home whose mom is struggling to earn a good living. Yasmin is trying to find her own way and a niche in the school; she’s a girl with a dynamite voice who is afraid to show her talent. Her love interest is the deaf Dylan who also used to be a music genius and is now a popular jock. Both eventually come to terms with their limitations and when it really matters, come through. The cast was really quite good for an “airy” comedy. Screen great Jon Voight also makes an appearance, and despite the fact that this sort of role generally doesn’t fit him, he did quite well. Another thing that could have been done better was the role of Dylan. Chances are the actor wasn’t really deaf and because of that, there are plenty of times that you notice him not “reading” lips at all. A big surprise for my family was a cameo by Sasha Cohen.

All four of the girls don’t have any second thoughts about wearing mini skirts and short shirts. On the other hand, their crushes were handled really well and could even be called sweet. There is one kiss, but it’s interrupted and the only others come at the end in which they are only on the cheek. There is two dance performances, both might be considered a bit sensual. Meredith is an extremely selfish girl and sings a song about “me” as well as “controlling” her dim-witted father. The girls will sometimes exclaim “OMG” which I believe is “oh my gosh!”, but “oh my g**” may be heard on occasion. This also has some cartoon violence in it for laughs. 

This is a much better alternative than such “teen” flicks as Mean Girls or even First Daughter. For being based on a line of not so cool dolls, this is cute, comic and appropriate to watch with a ten-year-old girl (plus it would be a great Christmas gift for her!). So, while you may start out rolling your eyes at the irony, sit down and watch this with your little sis, you may find you actually enjoyed it by the end. If the only worthwhile thing ends up being time spent together, that is priceless.