Smart Cookies

In this year's nominee for 'Most Original Concept', we have a misfit Girl Scout troupe (a fat one, a loner, a boy-crazy one etc) taken over temporarily(?) by a hard-nosed realtor bribed into this position by hopes of a promotion from her ex-scout boss. Obviously the two disparate parties can't stand each other at first, but what do you know... give them a bit of time and they might even beat their all-powerful all-conquering main rivals, preside over by a snotty club leader who's performance is by no way inspired by Sue Sylvester of Glee fame!

Yeah, so everything about this Made-For-TV is predictable and contrived, from the tacked-on love interest thrown in just for the sake of it (remember kids:NEVER let your career get in the way of a Good Man) to the treacly 'life lessons' learnt at the end tossed around like cheap cookies. Despite all this though, it still manages to be somewhat entertaining, thanks in no small part to some spirited performances from the youngsters and some surprisingly moving moments (A lot of schmaltz too, but it comes with the territory).

So while this one ain't gonna win any awards, considering its limited ambition & scope I'd say it just about does the job it sets out for. Put it this way: there are FAR worse ways to pass a boring Sunday morning... I would list them here, but I'm too bored. 5/10.

This movie is well done but you have to wonder how someone could write this and not feel like they're plagiarizing Troop Beverly Hills.

This is an absolutely bog-standard Hall Channel TV movie. Jessalyn Gilsig is a fast-talking, glib real estate saleswoman whose wardrobe consists solely of business suits. She is trying to sell a hideous ultra-modern home by having the kitchen repainted mushroom and putting an apple pie on display to give it that lived-in look. Of course her boss decides she is just the woman to lead a troop of girl scouts, each of whom has enormous issues -- presumably this is to give them personality and some obvious hooks to hang their improvements on.

This being exactly like every other poor Hallmark TV comedy, it quickly becomes evident that 1: no one has any talent for physical comedy; 2: Gilsig will fall in love with the obnoxious working-class father of the girl scout who talks the most; and 3: they will become involved in a fierce competition to sell more cookies than the perfect girl scouts and will win through grit and gumption.

There's nothing wrong with this plot and were it offered with any sign of someone on hand to do anything to make it stand out, I might be less harsh in this review. However, the only thing that stands out is the abrupt change in lighting levels, from a gloomy flat lighting in the beginning that suddenly changes to a brighter, yellower level to reflect the change in attitude of Ms. Gilsig. The actors on hand seem handsome and competent, even if their performances are exactly like those of every other actor in the equivalent roles in other bad Hallmark TV romcoms.

Unfortunately, whether because they considered this an undesirable job or because they are simply hacks with no real interest in their jobs, the people behind the cameras have performed their work by doing whatever is obvious and easy. It takes more than showing up, putting out an apple pie and smiling at the customer to sell a house. It also calls for more than that to make an interesting TV movie.

I am a lifetime Girl Scout and while it was a cute Hallmark movie, I was disturbed to see how they would place an adult in a troop role with no suggested training for her. She clearly was not provided training which is not he Girl Scout way and the very first meeting she attended she took the girls off site in her vehicle. I understand there are some artistic licenses but I was watching it going that would never happen! Another discrepancy was the two troops discounting the price of the cookies! Again, this never would fly and I'm a bit surprised Girl Scouts agreed to this script as shown. A cute movie in general but not the known standard for what goes on in troops.

It's a made-for-TV movie, so there are the usual issues. The plot is very predictable. The synopsis is that a flawed working-woman who isn't good with kids ends up taking charge of a girls scout. Tell me if you haven't seen a similar plot before? ... I think anyone familiar with movies can predict what sort of character arc and conclusion the movie would have (the kids will change her, right?). Since it's so family-friendly, some of the dialogue and scenes come off as sappy

But nonetheless, the movie isn't a hard watch. The acting is good, the kids are adorable, and there are some decent laughs (the scenes with the big-shot guy named Troy are good). It's not all bad.