Undiscovered

Cheesy plot? Check. Mediocre acting? Check. Stilted lines? Check. Clichéd Hollywood characters? Check. Undiscovered had everything you would expect to find in a mostly bad teen movie. But it did have a few redeeming qualities as well. Like great music, a really funny supporting character, not to mention a lead actor who can really work a pair of leather pants. I went to see a sneak preview of Undiscovered expecting to make fun of it, but I walked out of the theater mostly wanting to check out the soundtrack. The main male character, played by Steven Strait, is a want-to-be rock star who has a ten second encounter with a pretty girl on a New York subway. Fast forward two years, the two meet again in Hollywood. Then, in what seemed to be a highly contrived plot point, the girl, now a successful model, decides to fast-track the guy's career, all while pretending she doesn't like him. Fast forward a few months, the guy's career is taking off, but the pair are still in limbo. I won't say anymore about the plot. Suffice it to say that while the script and story seemed a little forced, and I was pretty sure the director/photographer wanted to make me throw up with a lot of shaking hand-held close-ups, Undiscovered had a pretty good cast of up and comers and a great soundtrack. I was really surprised by Ashlee Simpson, and actually walked out of the theater with more respect for her than when I walked in. Who knew the girl could actually sing.

Although not the most sophisticated movie. Storyline is cute and Steven Strait, Pell James and Ashlee Simpson were pretty good. Some line didn't make sense and the sceen where he's acting like a rock star on stage not even noticing the groupie and Josie fighting over him was a little ridiculous and tacky. It may not be up to par with other really good romantic movies such as Notting Hill, Sleepless in Seattle, Pride and Prejudice, The Princess Bride, Pretty woman, When harry met sally.(I can add a lot more but I be sitting here for a good solid hour or so)Aside from all those movies it still is cute feel good (if you're a sap like me) movie. PS. The soundtrack's awesome too.

The film tries to camouflage its mediocrity behind an edgy MTV style aesthetic, which only works if you're in sixth grade. the film doesn't even manage to capture a remotely compelling portrait of struggling actors in LA before accelerating into a ridiculous turn of "let's make our friend famous".

Steve Strait isn't bad, could be promising in future projects, and Pell James is decently likable but bless her heart she's not yet strong enough to carry a film. As far as Ashlee Simpson goes, she's really not the worst actress on the planet or even in the movie, but that's the most positive thing about her i could think of to say. When she's not visibly trying to be arty and deep her acting talents stand above Jessica Alba & Paris Hilton, yet still decidedly below a cadaver on CSI. Watching her jam is especially hilarious. I don't think her voice sounds bad, but she's transparently trying so hard to be rock that I was surprised the extras didn't start booing her pretentious efforts. It's one of those movies that fails because you're not watching characters, you're watching unconvincing people who seem to think they're acting. Honorable mentions: Shannyn Sossamon is amusing as a dim supermodel, and Carrie Fisher is great because she looks like she can't wait to get away from all these boring prats and home to a very dry martini. And a warning to all: the lack of excitement makes the movie feel an hour longer than it is.

So if you're like me and you love to make fun of bad movies aimed at the WB crowd, or if you're one of THOSE who actually thinks "one tree hill" is a good show, then Undiscovered is a decent rental. if not, don't waste the 90 minutes of your life.

this is a review for anyone who doesn't care that ashlee simpson is in the movie or what it made at the box office and just want a movie to rent because they are bored.

with that being said i found this movie entertaining. there was no point that i felt like i wanted to turn it off or watch another movie. i paid four bucks to rent it, do i regret it? no. i rented the movie despite the negative reviews because most of the people commenting on it had not seen it.

the performance of the lead actress is effective but nothing special. i think its a crime they had shannyn sossamon cast for the movie and used her as the worst character in the entire movie. she could have been much better in the lead role. ashlee simpson was fine in the movie. she wasn't great but she was just really in a sidekick role, nothing demanding.

the plot was good enough to keep my interest, the music was really good so i'm probably going to investigate the soundtrack and the direction was music video-esquire, i guess you can decide for yourself if that is a plus or a minus.

so overall if you like movies that can be classified as 'cute' but aren't corny, if your someone who watches the OC on occasion or if you are just looking for a movie with feeling but isn't too heavy then i say go for undiscovered.

Luke (Strait) and Brier (James) are two beautiful young people who have a chance encounter on a New York subway. Shortly later, they both go to L.A. to find fame, he as a rock star and her as an actress, but when they run into each other again, they have to decide whether their relationship is strong enough to withstand "the business." Undiscovered was named by many as the worst film of 2005. I can't say I really agree with that. The movie is kind of weak but it's still tolerable and it's also pretty harmless. The premise is fairly interesting even if it's not very original. The execution is only average but still much better than expected. The romance is pretty weak though and just not very interesting. The two leads don't have enough chemistry to make the movie work. There are a few moments of intrigue and some nice performances but the end result is still unsatisfying. The reason the film is kind of lackluster is because of the writer and the director. John Galt wrote the screenplay and he fails to really add anything new to this movie. Also, Meiert Avis just keeps everything by the numbers without adding any surprises.

The acting is only okay with Carrie Fisher giving the best performance. She isn't given a lot of screen time but she still manages to give a few funny lines. Pell James is pretty good as Brier Tucket. She has that "model" look and she has an engaging quality that kept focusing my attention to her. Steven Strait is only okay as Luke. He's a little dull but he has that "rock star" look that suited the character. Ashlee Simpson plays Clea and she is actually only a supporting character in the movie. Her performance is surprisingly average (like the film) but she should stick to singing. Shannyn Sossamon was just annoying and not funny while Kip Pardue was only okay.

I think the supporting characters really kept this movie moving. The scenes between Clea and Brier were pretty nice and engaging. Most of the characters were also pretty likable so the viewer at least cares for a happy ending. The ending was surprisingly good but very obvious. The music wasn't as painful as I was expecting it to be. I don't really like the type of music that was performed in the film but some of the songs were decent. Of course, there were a few cheesy songs but they can't all be winners. I think the movie was unfairly bashed because of Ashlee Simpson's appearance. However, she didn't bring down the movie and the film itself wasn't horrible. In the end, Undiscovered isn't worth checking out but it's not a travesty either. Rating 5/10