Stargirl

The movie took a good book and removed all the important plot points so it's just a collection of sunsets and singing and weirdly out of place emotional outbursts. The characters lack a depth that seems to have been replaced by quirky outfits, and the movie is insulting to the intelligence of youth using a vernacular that is obviously fabricated by adults. And of course in typical Disney fashion, the movie stars white people set against a backdrop of people of color in a brashly obvious act of tokenization.

Leo Borlock moves to a small Arizona town with his mother after his father's death. His new school is a place lacking in hope which is highlighted by the school's empty trophy case. He joins the marching band and has his group of nerdy friends. One day, homeschooler Stargirl Caraway (Grace VanderWaal) joins his class. He falls for her immediately and her quirky hopefulness infects the entire school.

I have to admit that I thought this has something to do with the DC character. That went away quickly as I watched the movie. Then I hoped that this has something to do with Starman. That would have been interesting but not to be the case. So we march on. This is a rather standard coming-of-age teen movie with a rather standard manic pixie dream girl. It is not something to be hated. The kids are adorable. I don't know anything about Grace VanderWaal. I watched a couple of America's Got Talent episodes but not her's. She has a sincerity which is very endearing in a manic pixie dream girl and her singing has the same sincerity. The boy is equally endearing. They make this movie endearing. I do have to say that the drama isn't that well written. I do not like that the whole school turned on her over leaving the game. It needs setting up. It needs magic. It needs fantasy. The whole school needs to be under her spell. It comes late to the game. Flowers need to be sprouting under her feet. Song birds need to be dressing her in the morning. That turn needs help and also it needs to be shown not told. On the other hand, I like the bike idea and that's an easier concept to make the dramatic turn. It is more internal and more about her character. It is grounded and it doesn't need the big setup. It does need the little brother. Quite frankly, it fits. It fits the birthday ties. It fits her and it doesn't need fantasy. I'm not going to claim that this is breaking any new ground. VanderWaal could have an interesting career although I don't know if she is going to breakout. This is a nice Disney movie for the whole family.

I read Stargirl in school as a class in eighth grade and loved it. The characters and story were so good. Apparently from this movie though, the narrator was a boy named Leo. I didn't know that. This movie though... If Grace VanderWaal isn't playing the uke and singing while the camera is spinning around her, then the movie is just... okay. I didn't really care for Leo. Stargirl was the only character I liked. I liked how Stargirl finished her fight with the "mean girl" at the dance in the book better than the movie. I don't feel like watching the whole thing again but I would watch the scenes where Grace plays her uke with the cheerleading squad.

One of the great ironies of this film is that the choreography was done by Mandy Moore who, not so long ago, would herself have been starring in this "vehicle." That said, VanderWaal, a legit child phenom if ever there was, acquits herself well in an under-stated performance, doing most of her numbers almost acapella. The film starts slow with no gimmicks and builds nicely. VanderWaal does indeed have a future in film. If she wants one.

It started as a light, very light movie. However, ended with a cute little message, not more cute than the movie itself. Truthfully, the story was below average. It had very few tent poles, didn't really have negative characters although they tried them. Disney did a wonderful job with the lights they presented it with. Also, it was wonderfully edited and shot. It's quite musical too. The cast were amazing. If truth be told, our own Los Pollos Hermanos aka Gus Fring aka Giancarlo Espacito wasn't really needed in this simple sweet adorable movie. It seemed quite a waste of his stupendous abilities. Also, the Doctor from The Last Ship wasn't really required either. The movie is quite average, one time watch, however, should give a watch to experience it. I really enjoyed the experience of watching this beautifully crafted movie although it wasn't profoundly artistic. It is amazing to see how Disney created a good movie despite a below average story. It could make a few early teens cry too.

Don't shy away from the message.