StarStruck

I was trying to find another Geek Charming-esque movie to enjoy, but this one wasn't nearly as fun. The main characters seemed lifeless, and that's mostly due to the writing.

Jessica, the protagonist, is always moping around because her sister is said to be more popular and beautiful, while in reality Jessica is undoubtedly the prettiest girl in the movie. The conclusion was predictably sappy. However, I paused the movie halfway through, and later I was interested enough to finish it.

It gets a solid B-.

Geek Charming was better.

"Starstruck" (2010) is as good as most Disney movies and much better than some (insert "Princess Protection Program" here). Think "Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!" (2004) minus that film's PG elements.

At its core it is another fairy tale as Kalamazoo teenager Jessica Olsen (nicely played by Danielle Campbell) visits Hollywood and accidentally meets mega-star teen heartthrob Christopher Wilde (Sterling Knight). Knight is joined by his "Sonny With A Chance" cast-mate Brandon Mychal Smith.

The secret of this type of fairy tale lies in how well they connect with viewers; if the movie can get viewers to strongly identify with the character as she gets a huge rush from suddenly becoming part of the celebrity world, the viewer will get hooked. Then the challenge is to keep them hooked for as long as possible. "Starstruck" hooks you and provides this vicarious rush well past the midway point, in large part because of the twist of having Jessica rather under-whelmed by the circumstances. But eventually the wheels fall off, or in this case sink into an unlikely mud hole. The illusion bursts and everyone crashes back to reality because it is impossible to suspend disbelief when the AMC Pacer (Petunia) sinks into the mire. From that point on it is just overwrought melodrama until the movie finally recovers and goes out on a very nice reconciliation sequence.

Chelsea Staub is again unsuccessful at playing a mean girl (remember the "Bratz" disaster). Too much natural likability, you would think they would have figured this out by now.

Maggie Castle does a good job as Jessica's older sister Sara, who throughout most of the film is far more into Chad than is Jessica. Abbie Cobb plays Sara's friend AJ. If imitation is really the sincerest form of flattery, then Kay Panabaker should feel real good these days; as Cobb joins Bridgit Mendler and Meaghan Jett Martin (who can successfully play a mean girl) as yet another of Disney's bleached out Panabaker wannabe clones.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

Honestly, the best DCOM since very long time. It has everything.. comedy, romance, music. All the qualities that make a movie a perfect one for me.

I love how Disney movies are all sweat and really descent for kids and teens. I always love to watch them. Camp Rock movies are great too.

This one has really some amazing songs. They were very heartwarming too.

Sterling Knight is such a rising star. I adore him very much. He is quite talented. I esp. love him in SWAC.

Danielle Campbell is a very pretty actress. She played her role well witch I guess was not easy for a girl her age.

Overall, this movie was a real pleasure to watch. I really really wish they make a 2nd one.

It struck me almost immediately while watching Starstruck that I'd seen this plot in an old movie, to be precise one that's almost 80 years older than this product from the Disney Studios.

Back in 1933 William Randolph Hearst produced a film for Marion Davies in which she played a star struck teacher of French in a girl's school who falls in love with a radio crooner. The crooner was none other than the biggest crooner of the day, Bing Crosby. So Marion goes off to Hollywood to meet her idol, in fact the name of the film was Going Hollywood.

Now I'm willing to bet that Sterling Knight and newcomer Danielle Campbell have no idea that they are stepping into roles originally created by Bing Crosby and Marion Davies. I really do think Going Hollywood was the inspiration for Starstruck.

Danielle is your average teen girl from Kalamazoo, Michigan crushing out on teen bubblegum idol Sterling Knight. Like Davies she goes cross country to meet her heartthrob. But Knight like most celebrities leads an insulated life, heavily insulated by the people who depend on him for a living including Knight's parents. The only one who gives him an occasional reality check is pal Brandon Mychal Smith, Knight's fellow cast member from Disney's Sonny With A Chance.

Chelsea Staub another Disney teen player from the Jonas series is in this as Knight's vapid and shallow Hollywood girlfriend. As for Sterling he's far from the self centered Chad Dylan Cooper from Sonny With A Chance. He's a decent soul inside, but that soul is way deep inside covered with layers of Hollywood tinsel.

There's been eighty years of change in musical taste and while I might not find the score here equal to what Bing sang and Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed composed, it's decent enough and I daresay with the marketing techniques of the Magic Kingdom will sell quite a few CDs.

Starstruck is easy enough to take, nothing terribly outstanding, but does show off its young cast to good advantage. Even Bing and Marion might be pleased.

Christopher Wilde is the prince of 2010 Disney (directly after Troy Bolton). Something about the sunshine paved the way for music as we know it. Songs that follows in SATS footsteps were, Shades, Hero and Starstruck. Iconic classics.