How to Build a Better Boy

A couple of veterans from the Disney Channel, Chyna Anne McLain and Kelli Berglund are best friends and science geeks. That does not guarantee popularity in those frustrating high school years and after being put down by the high school trend setting teen queen Ashley Argota these two decide to create a boyfriend in Berglund's father's laboratory.

What they don't know is that the father Roger Bart is considerably more than a video game designer. He works for Uncle Sam and is developing a new weapon. Instead of a virtual boyfriend to holograph every now and then, the girls trigger a prototype of a new robot whom they program to be the dream boyfriend that anyone would want. When the program is complete, tall, blond, athletic and sensitive Marshall Williams comes into their lives. The perfect boyfriend for every girl and gay man around. Definitely these girls have learned How To Build A Better Boy.

But it's not just Argota who's upset. The government has discovered someone has hacked into Bart's laboratory and has put the program in motion. National Security is imperiled.

Watching this film a whole lot of possibilities occurred to me. For instance if one got an army of these one could take over the world unless someone put a worm in the program. And the race to make bigger and better robot soldiers, an interesting possibility for this country and other budding economic giants.

Still this is a Disney teen film and the first order is to get Berglund a love life. Williams does this for her, but not the way Berglund and McClain thought it would happen.

Not a great film, but a pleasant enough comedy with teen angst in it from the Magic Kingdom.

Ha, I don't know why I saw this movie. AHA. Can be regarded as history, the ugliest Disney film, in addition to the male master can watch a little bit, everyone else is ugly. Is that mean girI sure it's not from Thailand? And I speak French all day. Is it true that her brother, the lady, is not here to be a guest? Ha, like. If you don't like me, that's your problem. Right

I guarantee that if the title were, "How to Build a Better Girl", there'd be an outrage. As a guy, I find the very title and concept of the movie offensive. There are a lot of guys who try our best to make the women in our life happy, who actually care. A movie basically outlining an ideology of how men "should" be to make them "better", could really hurt the self esteem of some young men who try their best. Wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone.

This is a typical movie for kids. The movie is built on the like-ability of China Anne McClain. If you like CAMc, then you'll like the movie, and who doesn't like CAMc.

The movie starts with a conflict between China's BFF and a character played by Ashley Argota. The "bad girl" character is not something I'd expect see Ashley Argota play; plus, isn't she like 21 years old now? A little old to be playing a contemporary of China. Anyway, China's best friend said she had a boyfriend, and Ashley Argota doubted it so China, who plays a computer geek, decides to manufacture a fake online boyfriend.

She hacked into her dad's computer network to make up what she thought was a fake online boyfriend profile for her friend, but China didn't know that her dad was a defense contractor in the process of designing a super human robot soldier. China's hack activated this robot soldier who was programed to be China's BFF's boyfriend. It's a crazy story. And it's fun.

China thought she was just creating a fake online boyfriend who lives in a far away place, but imagine the surprise they got when the guy actually showed up at school. That's when the fun really started.

It's a fun movie. It's got a lot of laughs. It has a lot of adolescent hi jinx. But if you like China Anne, then you'll like this movie. And she is great in this movie.

So what's an old man doing, reviewing a so-called 'DCOM'? Well, I'm an English language teacher in Asia, so I skim all these movies to see if there are any that are good enough for me to use in a classroom... that won't make me throw up!

Finally, Disney TV made a movie for teachers like me!

(I'll edit this down to an hour, add hardcoded subtitles and rename it 'My Robot Boyfriend!' and my young students will be gurgling all over this!)

So, here I am reviewing a Disney TV movie!

This movie is great fun. It's silly, of course and the idea of it is preposterous, but it's great fun for the audience it's aimed at. No hidden morality propoganda - other than it's good to have a best friend who's got your back!

It gets the 8 stars, NOT for being an 8-star movie out of all the movies ever made, but for being an 8-star movie in its class.

Kelli and all the young players are great and did their jobs well, but the real star of the show (for me) was Ieva Lucs who plays the seemingly uptight- but inwardly emotional, Major Jenks.

She delivers the best line of the movie. When asked to read off a witness statement about the handsome missing robot she says...

"Yes... she said he was 'super cute candy sugar in my eye holes and the honorary mayor of Hunky Town,' Sir!"

Brilliant!

I would love to have seen the honorary mayor of Hunky Town have more fun with his super powers, but that's the little boy in me and this one is for the little girls!

Anyway, my point is that even grown ups won't have to have a bucket on stand-by when they sit down to watch this. It's fast moving, great fun and a super little modern fairytale.