Plötzlich Star

Grace (Selena Gomez) lives in Texas, works in a diner, and has just earned her high school diploma. Since receiving a snow globe of Paris when she was young, Grace has been saving money to go on a weeklong vacation to France. Now that graduation is over, she and her close friend, Emma (Katie Cassidy) have the tickets and plan to take off. But, wait. Grace's parents (Brett Cullen and Andie McDowell), newly married, decide that older stepsister, Meg (Leighton Meister) must go along to keep everyone safe. Neither Grace or Meg is happy with this arrangement but decide it will be preferable to no trip at all. Once in Paris, the tour and the hotel are far short of expectations for all of the girls, causing disappointment. But, the trio of gals has a chance eavesdrop with a young British aristocrat, Cordelia (also Selena Gomez) that changes their vacation. Grace discovers that Cordelia is breaking commitments she made for a fund raising in Monte Carlo and going undercover for a few days. Thus, an opportunity arises for Grace to step into Cordelia's shoes, for they resemble identical twins. Once landing in Monaco, the girls are treated like royalty, with fabulous hotel accommodations and a closet full of designer clothes. Holding her breath, Grace finds that no one suspects that she is an impostor, not even the handsome son of the charity's director. He serves as her guide and "date". Emma, too, finds herself the object of affection for the local guys, although she is practically engaged to her boyfriend, Owen, back in Texas. Finally, reserved Meg also comes out of her shell when she meets a dashing Australian tourist. Thus, for a few days, it is a slice of "royal heaven" for the vacationers. But, will the deception be discovered and what will be the consequences if it is? This is a lovely looking film with a beautiful, talented young star, Gomez. A natural performer with a sweet-and-saucy air, she makes the most of her duel roles. Cassidy, Meister, and all of the other cast members do nice work, too. Naturally, the costumes and sets are quite lovely. But, and its huge issue, the script doesn't contain nearly enough comedy or cleverness to sustain a complete film. The premise, yes, is good but the execution is lacking. Then, too, the direction doesn't help matters with its complete dirth of energy. Therefore, the film plods along and has some boring moments. Thankfully, the finale makes a splash but its almost too late. Girls, young and old, will like the film and patiently overlook the dull bits. But, any others forced to watch it will be scowling up a storm.

This movie should have been good I was so looking forward to it. They had an attractive cast and beautiful locations. How could they go wrong? It's pretty bad. The premise is familiar but still usually works - 3 American girls go to Europe and fall into mischief and romance. The problem is there is very little romance and very little humor. The screenplay is badly written without amusing situations or a build up of romance. The dialog is not witty or charming. Hardly any laughs. The directing is bad and choppy. Scenes just seem to jump from one to another abruptly. Leighton Meester is a good actress on Gossip Girl but here she seems to have just limited expressions. Katie Cassidy is slightly miscast a bit too together looking to be what she plays. The casting is strange. Selena Gomez looking like a British heiress? Not only does she not look the part her accent and acting in her 2 characters are not different enough. The male leads Cory Monteith who is a bit of a limited actor usually and Pierre Boulanger don't have much to work with. Only saving grace the locations and scenery are spectacular and it has a very on location feel. Overall: See if it you are a die hard fan of one or more of them but prepared to be disappointed.

14-year-old Raven Devanney thoroughly enjoyed Monte Carlo. Here's her review:

Monte Carlo is an awesome movie for girl's night. Selena Gomez, Katie Cassidy, and Leighton Meester's performances are absolutely fantastic! I really enjoy this movie; it is funny, romantic and extremely entertaining. One thing I find a bit disappointing is that the story line is pretty predictable; however it is made up for by the wonderful acting. The cinematography is excellent and vivid. It truly shows off the beauty of Italy and Monte Carlo. My favorite character is Grace played by Selena Gomez. Grace is so determined to have a great time in Italy and make sure her friends are having a blast. She stays cool and calm even when life takes an unexpected turn and I admire that about her. My favorite scene when Cordelia Winthrop Scott, Grace's look-alike, comes to the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo and Grace and her friends have to scramble around trying to make her hotel room look perfect again so they don't get caught. This scene is very funny and enjoyable. I recommend Monte Carlo for ages 10 and up because there aren't any sexual scenes or inappropriate language, but younger kids may not enjoy the story of young adults traveling to Italy. I give Monte Carlo 4 out of 5 stars because it's a great film for you and your friends! Video review here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ-q6ZKY7zU

Monte Carlo is a sweet romantic comedy in the same vain as The Lizzie McGuire Movie, the story is about a small town gal from Texas, her best friend and her uptight sister who all travel to Paris for a week, only to get separated from their tour group, they take refuge in the nearest hotel and one of the gals is mistaken for a wealthy British heiress and that's when the story takes off. Cue lots of awkward situations and a cute love story and there you have it.

Selena Gomez is quite nice to watch, as is Miss Meester and Katie Cassidy, all three girls have their own storyline throughout the film and each get their chance to shine. Full props to Selena for being entirely convincing as a snooty British snob, she nailed it. The one thing I didn't get was everyone in the movie from Texas has a Texan accent except Selena, I don't know if this was a deliberate mistake or just plain laziness, but for me it was the only thing that bothered me.

The movie is quite girly, not that that's a bad thing, that's the target audience, but for me it was still easy to watch and enjoyable enough. Give it a go, its not a classic teen film but hey, it's nice enough for a movie night with the girls. :)

The movie holds your attention because you're curious. A few zig-zags complicate a trip to Paris. Confusion turns to mischief. Can an awkward Texas girl (Selena Gomez) fool the social elite and find love along the way? The relationship between three young ladies who long to see the City of Love becomes the nucleus for a bizarre stay at hotel romp. Turn the light switch off and on and suddenly an English sophisticate (Selena Gomez) gets put on hold while Texas Gomez fills her shoes. This wouldn't be so extraordinary except that everyone buys it... Small town Texan fools the french elite into thinking she is one Cordelia Winthrop Scott. Sooner or later you know she's gonna get found out but by then it's just a matter of working around a few Monte Carlo authorities... Selena had no trouble playing polar opposites in this movie. Her previous acting career opened the door.