The Clique

Cringy but also entertaining. I feel like a lot of the main characters were miscast. If you read this adapted YA series, then you know (such as Alicia and Dylan). The film plays out like a low budget film meant for TV and feels campy, but also satirizing school cliques and social dynamics of an all-girls private prep school. It's definitely a guilty pleasure of mine to watch because a lot of the acting is amateurish, but I think the actresses portraying Claire Lyons and Massie Block do slowly disappear in their roles (a good thing) the more the film progresses. Basically, the more the film edges toward its conclusion it increases in quality. And I can only imagine what a sequel film would've looked like with the same cast and the improvements that could've been executed plot-wise, wasted potential honestly or maybe the production team had no budget for more sequels of the novels.

Spoiled rich girl Massie (an excellent Elizabeth McLaughlin) gets a literal wake up call when her dad announces that their guest house will be occupied by his college buddy and his family. This family includes a daughter named Claire (Ellen Marlow), who is the same age as Massie. Massie, the head of a seventh grade clique called The Pretty Committee, does not like this newcomer at all. A rivalry between the two girls begins. Will they ever be friends?

Although many viewers of this teen movie will surely predict the outcome, it provides enough laughs and drama to please most of the young girls the film is aimed at. I personally felt for Claire, even when she stooped to sending false e-mails to Massie's friends. (Haven't we all done something awful like this that we later regretted?) My favorite member of The Pretty Committee is Alicia (Samantha Boscarino), a shopaholic who is as idiotic as she is beautiful.

The film was based on a series of novels by Lisi Harrison, which I never heard of prior to watching this movie. As with many book to film adaptations, there will always be (probably rightly) those who prefer the book to the movie. Still, to pass on this movie just because it's not like the book would be a crime. There are many movies I saw before reading the book, and after I did read it I became a fan of both versions.

The Clique is definitely worth the 87 minutes it lasts.

Okay, so the girls from the Pretty Committee may be hard to relate with, the acting may be sub par, and the whole thing might not be realistic but I thought that was the entire point of the film. It presents two kinds of realities--the beautiful, smart, and rich that everyone craves to have (Massie Block) and the dull plain one that most people are in (Claire Lyons). It doesn't really have to be taken literally, point is, they still represented the various cliques that really are present in high school-- the popular ones, the almost there but not quite, the weirdos, and the losers. In a way, Clique is just an incredibly high-end and young version of Tina Fey's Mean Girls. It's not something to watch if you're in need of a life-changing film. This one's fun, but it's definitely a no-brainer.

As a fan of The Clique Series, I was very curious to see this movie. Mainly because the entire world of Massie Block, her exclusive clique and Claire Lyons is so relatable. The actors were not very well-known, it was going straight to DVD and there wasn't much of a hype for it. And like many novels turned into movies I expected the worst. However after watching it all, I realized it wasn't half bad. Not amazing (or "ah-mazing") but still tolerable. And the acting was pretty good for teen actors who are starring in their first movie. In my opinion, the actors did a good job of embracing their characters - despite how some did not exactly fit the descriptions entirely. The script even stayed mostly true to the story. There were only a few things I was disappointed with though. First, even though the acting was tolerable, it wasn't always up to par. At times I found what they were doing to come off as forced, as if they didn't really know what they were saying. And sometimes there was just too much yelling I couldn't take it. Second the setting of the school (OCD) disappointed me greatly. I expected a wealthy, stylish prep school, decorated and all. But I guess there's only so much you can do with a school hallway. Despite the negative things though, I really enjoyed the high end fashion. It was a good break from the usual we see on the streets everyday. But, sadly, it's not the clothing that makes a movie. All in all, I would recommend this to my friends, other teenagers who want a good laugh or style ideas. Or even pre-teens looking forward to junior high. It may not be the next "Mean Girls", and sure the acting is so-so but it was certainly better than expected.

Decent watch, probably won't watch again, but can recommend.

I don't mind a good romantic comedy, or a coming of age story, but this one is "girly to the max" and clearly on a budget for their actors as (clearly) a lot of the production value went into the sets, locations, wardrobe, and props.

The "we're girls so we're going to be snotty brats to each other" thing is cliche enough in itself, but this was an ongoing war of subterfuge and sociopathic emotionless loyalty based on what each person was gaining, mainly sociable interest. This was exhausting for me to watch, but a 10-14 year old girl might like it, though I doubt she'll understand the technology age (no smartphones or tablets, basically).

The story was weak, though amazingly well balanced between the characters, so I choose to believe that the script bent based on the load it was carrying and not the quality of it's writers. There is actually a lot of nuance and detail in this, even if I found little substance to it.

The casting is very interesting when you look at it, as I recognized 2 of the girls straight away, and 1 a bit later.

Vanessa Marano ("Switched at Birth") is by far the most accomplished tv actress of the bunch (she's done quite a few movies as well), but plays a bit part, which is how I guess she got so accomplished by scoring work in so many projects.

Bridgit Mendler ("Undateable") is a comedy actress that has shorts under her name, and has been in more prominent projects than the others, to include a voice in a the Miazaki movie "The Secret World of Arietty".

Elizabeth McLaughlin ("Grand Hotel") took me longer to recognize as she tends to have bit parts in tv shows, but she's got a big personality which she shows off very well in this, but she's overshadowed in the acting department.

I think Ellen Marlow not only carried this movie, but may be one of the best actors in it. Oddly enough in contrast with McLaughlin (big personality, lower skill), Marlow's meekness of personality in her characters and, unfortunate, plain, but good, look might keep her away from leading lady status on camera. Fortunately she's apparently broadway material, and hearing from those that do both, that there are reasons that people tend to relegate to one or the other.

Ultimately, it's a girly movie (he said with love) and it confuses me, but it's not bad, but it sure isn't great.