Plötzlich Star

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.

If you had asked me who was Selena Gomez a few months back, I would have just blinked at you. If not for attending Justin Bieber's 3D documentary film, being intrigued by his internet fueled meteoric success and inevitably feeding off the tabloids on his career, I would not have known who the lead actress was, but now I do. Based loosely on the novel Headhunters by Jules Bass, the release of Monte Carlo this week in the US and Singapore would probably be deemed suicidal, if not for its appeal to the intended demographic left out of the testosterone filled Transformers, and the more mature movie going audience who would likely flock to Larry Crowne starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts (opens in Singapore next week to avoid a three-way battle).

And appeal to that group it does, playing up to its favourite things that if I were a girl I would gobble this up hook, line and sinker. There's travelling to Europe, Paris no less, with a BFF, and a sister you'd love to hate in tow, meeting attractive and more importantly, single guys at every turn, travelling in luxury from being ferried in private jets and limousines, rubbing shoulders with royalty and the rich and famous, as well as having an arsenal of gorgeous outfits to get into topped off by million dollar jewellery, participating in exotic games and attending the coolest parties. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

But that's about it, with the film very much set in territory already explored in countless of films dealing with coincidental, mistaken identity, where the Prince and the Pauper switch places – this one being one sided and without permission – for the pauper to experience the high life, leading onto moralistic questions such as whether one will be enticed by things superficial and materialistic, or will one return to one's humble roots with morals, principles and values intact. It's the same old usual themes about wanting to fulfill personal objectives and dreams, whatever they may be, whether done so through hard work, or just by meeting the right people.

Selena Gomez takes on two roles here, although her role as the mean British heiress Cordelia Winthrop Scott looks like she's suffering from a constant PMS. Her other main role is of course as Grace, the simple waitress from Texas who had graduated and is taking her graduating trip to Paris with best friend Emma (Katie Cassidy), only for her parents to get her half-sister Meg (Leighton Meester) to tag along despite their hating of each other's guts. So begins the journey of self-discovery for all – Grace to decide whether she should keep up with the charade she and her pals find themselves in at the risk of being a fraud to Theo (Pierre Boulanger) of the Hotel de Paris, Emma to try and figure out if the high life and potentially rich royal-family linked acquaintance can be anything more than friends as compared to her troubled boyfriend Owen (Cory Monteith), and Meg learning to becoming less uptight while getting swept off her feet by Aussie tourist Riley (Luke Bracey).

Yes, that's all the romance lined up, as they zip around the different places in luxurious Monte Carlo, having the second act centered around closure in and around a million dollar necklace meant for a charity auction. In some ways that was the best part of the film as finally there is a sense of purpose and urgency to try and resolve everything amicably and set their identities straight as their charade comes to the inevitable close, with well timed, expected comedy to pave the way to a finale that ends all too conveniently.

Naturally the landscapes make up the film with its far flung, beautiful locations that would just make you want to save up enough to jet set in the same fashion, trying very hard to make you forget the many plot conveniences and coincidences, for the very obviously predictable way this teeny bopper film is appealing to the teenage female population through the latest It girl making that transition from music to film. Strictly or the fans only.

Disregard the bad rating and reviews for this movie. It's a great film for the whole family and for all ages. There really isn't anything to complain about in the whole film. There's a few parts that actually show/teach good character of a person. It's funny, fun, sweet, innocent, and just a good film!

Monte Carlo is a charming movie for tweens and/or teens. Several other reviewers disliked the movie calling it predictable and boring but I have to vehemently disagree. If you are looking for a cute, adventurous movie with NO SWEARING, NO NUDITY, NO SEXUAL SCENES or INNUENDOS, NO SMOKING, and NO DRUGS then this is the movie for you (and us!)! This movie reminds me of some of the 1960's Disney movies that were plot-wise too old for little kids but still 'safe' for the not quite teenagers.

This is a classic movie about mistaken identity and learning to get along. The 3 main characters in the movies are all very different personalities but they grow and learn to accept each other by the end of the movie. They also have very different 'happy endings' but seeing how different they are, the characters should end happily-ever-after differently.

There are some funny moments, some thinking 'would I do that?' moments, and some 'good for her' moments. You genuinely like each of these characters (except the mean girl) by the end of the show whether you liked them at the beginning or not.

This movie is perfect for its target audience of tweens/early teens and I wish more movies like this were available with today's stars!

"Monte Carlo" follows Grace, Meg and Emma as they travel to Paris, the city of light. However their trip doesn't turn out as good as they hoped it would be. Everything's terrible. Their booked tour, their hotel, their rooms- everything! But their luck changes when Grace is mistaken for a wealthy British celebrity.

This was a sloppily done movie. I'm regretting that I actually went to the movie theater to watch it. This movie's quality was on par with many of the TV movies that Disney has made. The actual plot seemed like it was hastily done and had a few plot holes. Also, I found that each girl's romance stories were unrealistic, underdeveloped and mostly boring.

However, while watching the movie, I did find myself enjoying myself and even chuckling a bit. But maybe it's just because of my age. I don't suggest watching this movie if you're over the age of 15. Or if you aren't female.

Viewed on: July 8, 2011