Starring: Alexa
Vega, Mika Boorem, Scout Taylor-Compton, Kalli Flynn Childress,
Sam Huntington, Steve Carell, Jeff Garlin, Jane Lynch, Eileen
April Boylan, Sean Faris. Written by Elisa Bell. Directed by Joe
Nussbaum.
Rated PG Thematic elements
involving teen dating, some sensuality and language.
From
the guy that caught the eye of George Lucas himself with his short
film, “George Lucas in love”, Joe Nussbaum, comes
his first feature attempt in the form of “Sleepover”
that has all the attempted warmth and charm of a John Hughes film
on crack.
Alexa
Vega, of Robert Rodriguez's "Spy Kids" trilogy, stars
in what may best be described as the “wanna be” Molly
Ringwald role: Julie, a nubile adolescent who's newly graduated
from junior high, hopelessly attracted to an "older"
high school hunk and deeply concerned that her best friend, Hannah
( Mika Boorem), is moving away to Vancouver.
To celebrate
the end of the school year, Julie talks her protective mom (Jane
Lynch) and the constantly distracted dad (Jeff Garlin) into allowing
her to host a sleepover. In addition to Hannah, guests include
Yancy (Kallie Flynn Childress), an overweight classmate with serious
self-esteem problems, and Farrah (Scout Taylor-Compton).
There
is only a few rules to this sleepover party, aren’t there
always? Julie promises to follow each and every one of them. 1.
Don't leave the house, 2. Don't stay up late, 3. Don't make too
much noise, etc. -- while her mother enjoys a night out with friends
and her father concentrates on installing a kitchen sink water
purifier. Now here’s the shocker folks, she breaks all the
rules!
Blame
it on Stacie (Sara Paxton), a snippy Miss Popularity who's seriously
peeved after breaking up with her high-school boyfriend. (He expected
her to go all the way; but she's not that kind of girl.) Stacie
drops by the sleepover to challenge Julie to a scavenger hunt
competition. If Julie and her buddies win, they'll get to sit
in prime lunchtime locations during their first year at high school.
If Stacie's team wins, however, she and her friends will claim
the prime real estate, and Julie and company will be banished
to an undesirable spot near smelly trash Dumpsters. Yes, this
movie is based on where these girls will be sitting for lunch
in high school. Razor blades anyone?
The
majority of the film is devoted to various tricks, deceptions,
impersonations and crimes carried out by Julie and her friends
as they gather all the items on the scavenger hunt list. Meanwhile,
back at home, Ren (Sam Huntington) Julie’s loser, college
dropout brother, does his best to cover for his sister's unauthorized
absence. This role was a total waste of time and should never
have been part of the movie.
I had
a hard time with the different things that the girls in this film
did for fun. Especially because they’re all minors!! For
example, Alexa’s character tarts herself up to pass as an
adult so she can slip into a trendy bar and have a male patron
buy her a drink. Unfortunately, the guy she picks
turns out to be Mr. Chilton (Timothy Dowling), her junior high
principal, who quickly recognizes her as being underage and inappropriately
attired.
But
Mr. Chilton proves to be a good sport (he remembers what it was
like not to sit with the cool crowd at lunchtime) and agrees to
help Julie in her scavenger hunt by posing for a snapshot with
her at the bar. Evidently, it never occurs to him that it's not
a good career move for a junior high principal to be photographed
with a 14-year-old girl who's flashing so much cleavage in such
a grownup place. Then again, that stuff happens all the time in
real life, just ask Debra Lafave in Florida.
Later,
Julie hides in a shower while Steve (Sean Faris), the high school
hunk of her dreams, removes his clothing while preparing to bathe.
She's there to snatch his boxer shorts (another item on the scavenger
hunt list) but she sticks around to enjoy the view. Unfortunately,
she winds up getting doused when Steve turns on the water. But
don't worry: A couple of scenes later, Julie is remarkably dry.
Bottom-line,
this movie is unbelievable, and forgettable. It’s a shame
the director had to start off with this project after the brilliance
of his web short done years ago. I sure hope Lucas is still in
love, that way maybe he won’t notice what a mess his prodigy
has turned out in this effort.
From
the guy that caught the eye of George Lucas himself with his short
film, “George Lucas in love”, Joe Nussbaum, comes
his first feature attempt in the form of “Sleepover”
that has all the attempted warmth and charm of a John Hughes film
on crack. 
There
is only a few rules to this sleepover party, aren’t there
always? Julie promises to follow each and every one of them. 1.
Don't leave the house, 2. Don't stay up late, 3. Don't make too
much noise, etc. -- while her mother enjoys a night out with friends
and her father concentrates on installing a kitchen sink water
purifier. Now here’s the shocker folks, she breaks all the
rules!
The
majority of the film is devoted to various tricks, deceptions,
impersonations and crimes carried out by Julie and her friends
as they gather all the items on the scavenger hunt list. Meanwhile,
back at home, Ren (Sam Huntington) Julie’s loser, college
dropout brother, does his best to cover for his sister's unauthorized
absence. This role was a total waste of time and should never
have been part of the movie.
But
Mr. Chilton proves to be a good sport (he remembers what it was
like not to sit with the cool crowd at lunchtime) and agrees to
help Julie in her scavenger hunt by posing for a snapshot with
her at the bar. Evidently, it never occurs to him that it's not
a good career move for a junior high principal to be photographed
with a 14-year-old girl who's flashing so much cleavage in such
a grownup place. Then again, that stuff happens all the time in
real life, just ask Debra Lafave in Florida.