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"Bratz: The Movie" By: Robyn Barnette
Lions Gate Entertainment, MGA Entertainment, and Crystal Sky Pictures present a film directed by Sean McNamara. Written by Susan Estelle Jansen, Adam De La Peña, and David Eilenberg. Produced by Avi Arad and Isaac Larian. Running Time: 110 minutes. Rated PG (for thematic elements). All right, so you're probably thinking....what is this, like, a movie based on a popular line of dolls? Like, OMG, yes! And if you are familiar with the Bratz dolls, much less this generation where instant messaging and social networking have become part of a staple of today's teenage adolescence, you probably know what terms like OMG stand for (Oh My God, in case you are wondering). That said, you know what you are going to expect from "Bratz: The Movie." It is one of the most cheesiest movies ever made, and that's a good thing: The characters are all in on the joke, and they have a fun time mimicking these characters who believe that shopping for fashions at dELiA*s and getting manicures at the neighborhood nail salon is what it means to stand out as individuals. Yasmin (Nathalia Ramos) is a Latina who wants to be a singer and who is greeted by a Mexican Mariachi band every morning before heading off to school; Cloe (Skyler Shaye) is the daughter of a single mom struggling to make ends meet; Sasha (Logan Browning) is a cheerleader whose wealthy parents went through a difficult separation; and Jade (Janel Parrish) is a science geek who knows how to express herself and let it all hang out through her passion for fashion. These four characters come from different and diverse socio-economic backgrounds and have been best friends for as long as they can remember....or as illustrated in this movie, they're BFFs (Best Friends Forever). They're not intelligent human beings who understand what the term "socio-economic" means. Like, OMG, it's one of those really hard words, you know? I guess they were not meant to be intelligent human beings anyway, but they don't come off as stereotypical airheads who "love the smell of retail in the morning." That dubious honor belongs to Meredith (Chelsea Staub), the student body president at Carry Nation High School. She uses a seating chart to assign each student into one of several cliques: Nerds, Skaters, Disco Dorks, Jocks, Goths, and many others. Meredith is a snotty "b" with an itch who always wants to be the center of attention — only because she has 10 million friends on My Space and is the daughter of Mr. Dimly (Jon Voight), the principal at Carry Nation High School. She's totally in love with herself, and she even tells the world that "it's all about me" during the high school's annual talent show. It's enough to make anyone cringe in disgust, and Meredith is committed to making the lives of Yasmin, Cloe, Sasha, and Jade as miserable as she can. She charts a course of action to separate the four girls, and her plan succeeds when they find themselves drifting apart: Sasha becomes a cheerleader, Jade joins the chemistry club, Cloe joins the soccer team, and Yasmin....well, Yasmin doesn't really know what to do, as she stands in the middle of the high school courtyard wondering where she goes from here. The girls reunite two years later, after an outdoor cafeteria food fight sends them to detention (interesting how they do not look any different than they did two years previously, but when you're filming a movie based on the Bratz dolls, I suppose anything is possible). There are bitter feelings between the four girls, but Yasmin emphasizes that in order for the girls to rekindle their friendship, "We be ourselves....just like how we used to be." And they be themselves all right, standing up against Meredith and proving that their friendship is in a class all by itself. As mentioned, "Bratz: The Movie" is based on the overwhelmingly popular doll brand manufactured by MGA Entertainment, Inc. The dolls themselves do not have any type of backstory that illustrates who and what the characters are. However, one of the issues about "Bratz: The Movie" is how effective and faithful the transition is from these plastic cartoon-like dolls with huge lips and oversized heads to real human beings who try resembling the dolls they're portraying? Bratz fans have their own ways of defining the Bratz characters that are not always in alignment with how the characters are defined in this movie. Not everyone, including young preteen girls between the ages of 8 and 14 who are Bratz fans, will think of Cloe as a soccer player who can do amazing bicycle kicks with a soccer ball; or Dylan (Ian Nelson) as a deaf student who can talk normally and who can "hear" things around him by feeling them. Director Sean McNamara and screenwriter Susan Estelle Jansen use the personalities of the characters as a channel to create the transition from dolls to real people. For example, Jade has always been thought of as a fashionista who enjoys exhibiting her flair for cutting-edge fashion everywhere she goes. In this movie, Jade is portrayed as someone who has an unbridled fashion sense, but who is also a genius at math and chemistry. She demonstrates a Bernoulli effect in a chemistry experiment where fireworks explode all around the classroom laboratory, and she uses drawings from a football playbook to teach the football team how to solve complicated math problems. Yet, during the high school talent show, Jade reveals her true inner talents when she explains to her parents and to everyone in attendance, "My passion for fashion expresses who I am." This unique combination of academics and fashion works, and Jade does not come across as an individual who religiously devotes herself to Elle magazine learning about Versace's latest fashion trends. Furthermore, "Bratz: The Movie" does not just reveal the characters' passion for fashion — the movie also reveals the characters' attitude, or "Brattitude" as they put it. It's attitude where they are not afraid to express themselves, either through fashion or otherwise, and they don't care what other people think. That especially includes conservative parents, who have blamed the dolls for desecrating family values with their short mini-skirts, crop tops, bare midriffs, and other provocative fashions that have become the dolls' trademark. McNamara could have extended the characters' "Brattitude" by having them wear such fashions throughout "Bratz: The Movie," as a powerful statement intended to defy parents' negative perceptions about Bratz. That doesn't happen, and McNamara understands how the Bratz dolls have been tarnished in the media as inappropriate: He presents the characters as ordinary people who have genuine feelings; who help each other out during difficult situations; and whose vocabulary is not limited to terms like OMG, BFF, TTYL (Talk To Ya Later), TSINF (That Is So Not Fair), and many other familiar text messaging abbreviations. Oh, and yes, McNamara also presents the characters as people who are always one step ahead in fashion and style. This is evident in the beginning of "Bratz: The Movie," where Yasmin, Cloe, Sasha, and Jade communicate to each other through video conferencing on their Apple iMac computers and debate what fashions they would be wearing on their first day of school. And during Meredith's extravagent Super Sweet Sixteen birthday party, the four girls elevate their passion for fashion to a new level when they transform ridiculous clown disguises into chic Japanese Harajuku style. Sasha even coins a new term for it: "Clown Couture." I confess that I am a fan of the Bratz dolls and admit to owning a large collection of them. I have been a collector of Bratz dolls for the past few years, but it's not likely that "Bratz: The Movie" will inspire movie audiences to rush out to their local retailers and start purchasing dolls and other merchandise with the Bratz label on them. It's easy to dismiss a movie such as "Bratz: The Movie" as trite and formulaic. And okay, I was one of many people who believed that a live-action movie based on the Bratz dolls was a terrible idea. But as the end credits rolled, and as I watched the music video of actress Janel Parrish performing the song "Rainy Day," I was very surprised that "Bratz: The Movie" was a lot better than I had anticipated. Everyone involved with the filming and production of "Bratz: The Movie" looked as though they had an enjoyable time making this movie, and it shows: It's dumb and silly fun, with a positive message about being yourself and standing out so you can be accepted by all your peers. Then again, haven't we seen so many other movies that convey a similar message about being yourself? Absolutely, and "Mean Girls" is one of those movies that comes to mind. However, I have it in myself to forgive the filmmakers for regurgitating this message, which has become as antiquated as Lindsay Lohan's career. You can't help but LOL (Laugh Out Loud) at that. | ||||
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