Tight, low slung jeans and short skirts abound, accentuating the almost sultry hip-shaking during some dance scenes. The Family Corner For parents to consider The basic premise is all about seeking popularity? What does the Bible say about the pursuit of popularity? (See Philippians 2:1-11 and James 2:1-13.).Why do you think Carla was so mean to Lola? Do we all have a "Carla side" to our personalities?.Did you find Lola's drama queen antics endearing or annoying?.What do you think about Ella's parents and their attitudes? About Lola's willingness to lie to be accepted? It wasn't until they thought Lola's father was dead that they accepted her. Ella's parents didn't like Lola because they didn't approve of her single mother.The question is: If you're a parent, do you want your tween to buy in? And if you're a teen, are you buying it? Talk About It Discussion starters Most actual teenagers have already noted the startling lack of opportunities for air-guitar montages. At the risk of both, I ask the question: Does this movie-and others like it aimed at tweens, idealizing glamour and fame and fast-paced lives-instill in teens a skewed barometer for what's really important? Or is it important that children be allowed to feed their imaginations with all kinds of fantasies-including those involving rock stars?Īs it is, I suspect that only the 13-and-under set is really going to buy into the Confessions vision of teenage-hood. It's hard to seriously criticize Confessions without either sounding like a world-class killjoy or a frightfully dull intellectual. That's enough to keep me invested for about 30 minutes-not an hour and 30 minutes. The overall effect is that of a high-school fantasyland filled with easily-identified good (Lola and Co.) and evil (Carla and Co.), cool clothes, quirky-but-lovable teachers, nightclubs, cute boys, and parties in SoHo with rock stars-all set to a really great soundtrack. There's the air guitar montage, the desperately trying on clothes to find the right outfit montage (yes, there are a lot of short skirts and low-slung jeans in the movie), the getting ready for the concert in the train montage, the dance-off montage (question: what are a bunch of kids who can't even drive yet doing in a nightclub?), the school play montage and so on. Who among us hasn't known a drama queen or two in our lifetime? The main problem is that the plot is treated like a necessary evil, only good for advancing from one music video-style montage to another. The premise of Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen is interesting enough. Sam goes from a bashful introduction to best guy pal in the blink of an eye, again, for no obvious reason. Carla appears from nowhere to pick on Lola for no obvious reason. Unfortunately, the rest of the supporting cast is painfully underdeveloped. When her very-much-alive father shows up later in the movie, Lola's lie threatens to destroy everything she so desperately wants-friendship and credit for being at the Sid Arthur concert after-party. We're also treated to an animated sequence when Lola makes up a story about her father's death (via pizza delivery truck no less) in order to explain why her mom is single. The big play, by the way, is a modern adaptation of Pygmalion titled "Eliza Rocks"-and I have to admit that it does.ĭirector Sara Sugarman employs some creative devices to capture the fantasy world of our drama queen, and the movie frequently lapses into a quasi-animated state as Lola dreams about her future of fame and love. Wackiness ensues, dreams come true-and we still have the big play coming up. When Sid Arthur announces it's splitting up after one last farewell concert in NYC, all three girls are desperate to go. Lola and Ella bond over their mutual devotion to fictional rock band Sid Arthur, while Lola and Carla trade barbs and fight for the lead in the school play. Lindsay Lohan, of recent Freaky Friday fame, plays the flamboyant Lola, a teenager chafing against her family's move from the Big Apple to the "cultural wasteland" of suburban New Jersey.Ī quick survey of the plot goes like this: Nice girl Lola moves to New Jersey, where she picks up both a best friend, Ella, and an archenemy, Carla, within the first five minutes at her new high school. It's hard not to appreciate the predicament of Lola Cep, the Manhattan-born and bred drama queen who's spilling her guts in Disney's latest offering for tween girls, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. "First your parents tell you to have hopes and dreams, then they move you to New Jersey.
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