Customer Reviews

Read It and Weep

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Read It and Weep (2006) tries to package elements of 1996's "Harriet the Spy" into an episode of "Naturally Sadie" and then throws in the standard "teenage girl's upward social mobility causes her to neglect her best friends". This is one of those movies that give film producer's anxiety attacks about their job security. It not only looks good on paper (the book from which it was adapted is excellent) but it is very well executed. Good songs, Kay Panabaker has an effortless charm and does a slick voice-over narration, the acting for the camera direction is excellent (even getting a nice performance from Jason Dolley-which will strike anyone who has seen him on "Corey in the House" as quite an achievement), and the budget was large enough for professional production design.

So why is the whole less than the sum of its parts? And why did this movie fail to generate any real reaction despite an aggressive promotional campaign on the Disney Channel? My guess is that when all is said and done the thing just doesn't have any bite, having had the book's more realistic and controversial elements stripped out for the adaptation. Couple that with the fact that the movie's structure sends the wrong message; heroine Jamie Bartlett is perfectly fine with her celebrity status and unconcerned about blowing off her friends until she overreaches and her new world begins to fall apart. It is not the shallowness of her new world that she finds objectionable but the fact that she has soon alienated everyone she has been trying to impress.

Then there is fact that none (absolutely zero) of the movie's comedy elements are humorous. It's not meant to be a comedy but the producers have clearly inserted stuff (the pizza selections for example) only for their comic qualities. Unfortunately none of this stuff is even remotely funny.

Finally there is the whole imaginary alter ego thing (Kay's older sister Danielle), a character who pops in and out of countless scenes as a kind of counterpoint to the voice-over commentary. Ultimately this adds nothing to the story and the repositioning of the character with each sentence is genuinely irritating. If they had to go with this kind of thing it would have been better to have the competing angel and devil whispering in her ear. The reason being that the alter ego thing is too close to actual schizophrenia; not the mentally stable heroine role model Disney should be showcasing to an unsuspecting preteen market.

High school sophomore Jamie Bartlett (Kay Panabaker, "Phil of the Future") has three semi geek friends (who would only be geeks in a teen movie), and documents her life in a journal-the names are changed to protect the innocent. The journal is accidentally turned in as a school assignment and then published and quickly becomes a bestseller. Jamie is plunged into the life of a big-time celebrity and elevated to the top of the school's social hierarchy.

Although it should be obvious that he characters in her journal have real-life in-school counterparts, no one seems to notice or to particularly care. Then during a talk show interview Jamie slips up and reveals that the journal's villainess is based on new friend and school queen bee Sawyer Sullivan (Allison Scagliotti-Smith). Since this should have already been clear to everyone, the viewer must work to suspend disbelief as Jamie's adoring classmates turn against her for the nasty characterizations in her journal.

The DVD (and the Disney Channel broadcasts) are in 4:3. The DVD has two featurettes. "Making of Read It and Weep" (4:30) talks about making the movie. The second featurette focuses on which cast members keep journals and on the Panabaker sisters discussing their careers from the perspective of sisters.

There is also a Jordan Pruitt two-minute video of her singing "Outside Looking In". The music video interweaves various types of students taking class photos with the song about fitting in.

The "Read It and Weep" premise should have gotten a better treatment but the movie should be enjoyable for many in the middle school crowd; especially if they are crushing on one or more of the actors. There is little that is worth the interest and attention of younger or older viewers.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

I am so happy this movie is finally coming out!!!! I read the book last year, How My Private, Personal, Journal Became A Bestseller, the novel based on the movie, Read It And Weep. Personally, I thought the movie was much better than the book. The book was so boring. When I saw the premiere for Read It And Weep on Disney Channel, I was so impressed! Keep it up Disney Channel! Your movies have always been a huge sucesses!!!!!!!

I wasnt even going to watch the movie, because the previews to it didnt look interesting. But a night when I was bored the movie just came on, so I watched it. AND I FEEL IN LOVE WITH IT!!!!!! It's actually a really good movie, and it has come to be one of my favorite Disney Channel movies of '06, "Cheetah Girls 2" is the first!!!!

Well the story had a good plot, nice ending but if they could have done it again they should have picked someone cuter for the part of Marco. And you should give a music video for "I Will be Around" because it is a great song. I personally think that they should have switched "Is" and Jamie around for a little bit of excitement and next time maybe you should put in a little more stars so people would actually want to see it for the stars and not only the movie. Beacause alot of the time I rent movies beacause Corbin Blue, and Vanessa Huchens are in it, and then the movie turns out to be no good.

When I first saw the previews for this movie I thought it would just be another traditional Disneychannel movie- boy, was I wrong!!! This movie is definitely a change of beat for Disneychannel! The entire cast is very talented - ( and as far as I am concerned the Panabaker sisters deserve an award for this one! ) The overall lesson in the movie is to just be yourself- and I think lots more teens need to hear that message! I give this movie 5+ stars!

my sister loved this movie and i looked for it found it for a good price u cant find a better one so stop looking! itz a super dooper sweet package

THIS IS TRULY MY NEW FAVORITE FAVORITE MOVIE EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE IT AND NOW I FINALLY HAVE IT ON DVD!!!!! ALL THE STARS AND CHARCATERS ARE ALL GREAT!!!! BY FAR 5 STARS!!!!!!

The first time I watched this movie, I thought it was so-so, enjoyable, but not something I'd watch over and over again. Then, when I viewed it later, I couldn't believe that I'd ever thought that. I'd almost be inclined to say this is as good as High School Musical.

Jamie's a regular girl with regular friends and a regular life until her journal accidentally is submitted as an assignment and then gets published. Jamie is thrust into the life of being popular, where she has to deal with staying true to herself and her friends, whilst dealing with the main character of her book, IS, who is an alter-ego of herself.

Sure there are the plot fallacies, without a doubt, but they were minor enough that I was able to overlook them and enjoy the movie. The acting was superb, the facial expressions down to a 'T.' This movie actually reminded me, when I first heard about it, of Harriet the Spy, but it's entirely different and holds a flavor all its own.

Isn't anyone tired of the same old plotlines? Girl becomes popular, loses her real friends, realizes in the end she is wrong, friends come back. Also, the same old love interest story. Overall, this movie is your typical Disney movie, which is just a fun cute movie to watch. The father in this story becomes completely annoying as he is running his own pizza parlor into the ground, but no one has the heart to tell him to stop (duh). The main character's book is a bit childish, why would everyone in the High School be reading it in the halls and be so excited about it??? There are more than a few goofs in this movie that are easily spotted. So the main character has a mental problem, fine, but they should have focused on that a little more I think to give more depth, but then again, it is a Disney movie not meant to be too serious.

I am 15years old and i love love love love love love this movie.
I am a german girl and a lot of my friends love this movie,too.
I hope we can buy the DVD in Germany,too.
Kay Panabaker, Jason Dolley and all the other actors are so great.
WE LOVE IT!