Le Geek Charmant

(The 7/10 rating is just to counterweight the movie snobs who rate this movie as if it was meant to be freaking Godfather part 4.)

Honestly, everyone should chill and live a little. This movie is no masterpiece, but it was not meant to be one! The target audience are tweens - for whom this movie is perfect for. And, in fact, I myself enjoyed this piece quite a bit (at the fragile age of 17).

The idea is basic, let's be honest. However, the execution and the acting (in particular by Sarah Hyland) are definitely commendable and noteworthy. The style stands out from that of other 'mass produced' Disney Channel flicks (such as Starstruck, 16 Wishes, etc), with the occasional cuts to the footage supposedly from Josh's camera. It definitely does a lot to give the movie its own identity, and with it the chance to stand out from other, mediocre, productions.

As a side note -- this is one of those 'feel good movies'. If you are not a movie snob or a hard-ass geek, then give it a watch, even if it's just for laughs. You will (probably) enjoy the experience (if not the movie).

Geek Charming is nothing special. It can be dull at times but has some convincing leads. Sarah Hyland and Matt Prokop are equally charming. They never fall flat at any scenes and have some character development. Their character's relationship with each other shines through. The story is interesting and fun for the genre. It was something new for Disney Channel that I liked. It tells a great lesson about popularity and what it really means. Overall it's enjoyable and won't bore anyone.

Even though "Geek Charming" borrows heavily from earlier teen movies, such as "Can't buy me love", "Clueless" and the like, the execution is fairly neat.

The storyline is a typical rom-com about a geek and a popular girl where the romantic plot and the transformations of the lead characters through their interactions are perfectly predictable. Where this movie is different is that it shows more clearly than any other teen move I've seen (and I've seen plenty) is that the whole popularity issue is a by-product of the American obsession with celebrities. Granted, being famous brings a ton of perks and revenue streams from TV commercials, but that is only for the show. Personal life is something else. The trouble with high-school kids is that they sometimes so much aspire to a celebrity status that they end up convincing themselves that such status can be obtained by simply winning fake admiration of a subset of their peers at school. This movie shows that becoming a high-school celebrity is an objective hardly worth pursuing when stacked up against the alternatives such as friendship, love and developing one's real interests.

The acting is decent and the lead characters are very likable.

In sum, it might not become one of the teen movie classics, but for those who like the genre, it is definitely worth watching.

Geek Charming is an innocuous but all together impossible tale of the nerd who woos the diva with the technique of making a film documentary about her. Matt Prokop is the film geek and Sarah Hyland is the diva whose biggest ambition in life is to be Blossom Queen of her high school.

Even over 40 years ago I well remember about how high school was so regimented into a caste system of cliques. A lot of kids are going to see this teen comedy from Disney Studios and start thinking the barriers are not so impossible. Prokop has his set with other film buffs of which I could have been one and hits on the idea of making a documentary that will gain him a scholarship to film school. He decides to do a documentary exploring the secret of popularity with Hyland as the subject. She's thinking this will help her in her campaign to be Blossom Queens which is what they must call Homecoming Queen in her high school. The crowning achievement of her life? She reminds me so much of the equally vapid Mila Kunis in That Seventies Show who said that nothing would deter her from her ambition to be a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader.

And as these films go both start to change each other just by being in close association. It's the Disney Studios so their product is usually limited in the directions they go.

Propkop and Hyland are decent enough leads and attractive. But nothing terribly out of the ordinary here.

Dylan Shoenfield (Sarah Hyland) is the popular girl. She's the queen bee in Mean Girls. However she faces a challenge from an up-and-comer for her title. Josh Rosen (Matt Prokop) is a film geek. He is desperate for a subject for an upcoming contest. Then he comes up with an idea to shoot a documentary about Dylan and her campaign for the crown. Dylan agrees because she figures that it will be nothing but praises of her beautiful life. Then things happen to change everything.

This is a standard overly broad Disney fare. But Sarah Hyland is proving herself to be a good little actress. She is the center and the highlight of this movie. She's able to play the mean girl with likability. The guy isn't quite as good.