Starstruck, rencontre avec une Star

"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.

Seriously, I loved this movie. It was cute and sweet. It created a nice mood. After I watched it, I wanted to see it again.

It reminded me of "10 things I hate about you". I love all "Taming of the Shrew" re-makes. I thought it was kind of funny that the non-famous girl is the biggest brat and has the most temper tantrums. If you like this type of movies, you should give this one a chance. It's fun and entertaining. What else can you really ask of one of these movies, right?

(I might like better music, but even that could be worse. I also wondered where that mud-puddle in the middle of the desert came from, but whatever)

My point is that "Starstruck" doesn't tell a new story, but it's one that I always enjoy in all its incarnations.

This is a fun movie that I really enjoy. It can be a bit cheesy at times and there isn't anything new with the plot. However the soundtrack is enjoyable, the pace is fast and overall it's a fun movie to watch.

While the main female character is very whiny (which can grate on your nerves) I think it shows her immaturity (the actors are very young after all) with the world and relationships. The chemistry between the leads is good and they play off each other very well the entire movie.

I enjoy watching their relationship change and grow during their time together.

This isn't a masterpiece but I've watched it as many times as any Disney TV movie.

Yes it's cliché, dumb and very cheesy. Some situations feel a little rushed, the characters change personalities too fast and too much and there are some unnecessary annoying side characters. Some songs are forgettable and autotuned, but some are actually really good! Despite all its flaws, Stratstruck is light, cute and enjoyable. This not a cheesy masterpiece like HSM but it's totally worth the ride! Perfect for a boring day in which you just want to watch some teen unrealistic love story while eating ice cream.

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.