Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Silly, Pre-teen Fun, October 24, 2006
"Sleepover" is a four star flick--if you're thirteen. I'm not saying that it's a bad film, it's just very, very demographically targeted at a specific audience. The producers knew exactly what they were doing when they green-lighted this project. It stars "Spy Kids" alum Alexa Vega, and "Darcy's Wild Life" and "Aquamarine" star Sara Paxton. It also features Sam Huntington ("Jungle 2 Jungle," "Superman Returns"), and pre-teen starlets Kallie Flynn Childress, Mika Boorem, and Scout Taylor-Compton. The adult cast features a pre-"40 Year Old Virgin" Steve Carell, fellow "Virgin" star Jane Lynch and "Daddy Day Care" star Jeff Garlin.
The plot revolves around a, you guessed it, sleepover, in which a jilted Paxton decides to gang up with her friends to challenge Vega and her brood to a scavenger hunt. The prize in the balance is to either sit at the fountain during lunch or near the trash bins. Sophomoric, I know, but it works perfectly in this little comedy. The tasks in the hunt range from swiping a tag off of a rent-a-cop car to "borrowing" a pair of underwear from the apple of Vega's eye.
From there, the story becomes pretty formulaic. The girls go from one task to another and achieve them with pre-teen humor in full force. Carell fails horribly in his attempt to catch the girls in the act. It all plays out like an expanded episode of "Full House" where D.J. and her pal Kimmy get into typical pre-teen sitcom trouble. In the end it works as a pre-teen story, but most people older than fifteen will probably not care to watch it more than once.
Although it's a pretty good flick, I'd only consider buying it when my daughter hits the age of ten or eleven. Even then, however, this movie would probably only warrant a four year shelf life before my daughter grew tired with it. It's perfect for sleepovers, and coupled with Paxton's "Aquamarine" (which is actually pretty good), it's a guaranteed good time for young girls.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Sleepover" is "Mean Girls" for the 'tween crowd, December 1, 2004
When I watched "Mean Girls" I could not help but think juniors in high school have nothing on girls in junior high. Surviving eighth grade is the hard part for teenage girls, but at that age you still have to be driven by somebody to the movie theater, so Hollywood continues to aim for older adolescents. "Sleepover" is about junior high girls, although on the final day of junior high, as they are about to become freshmen. But while we once again have the clash between the girls who rule the school and those who aspire to such lofty positions, this is a film that emphasizes "cute" over "cruel."
Julie (Alexa Vega) is having a sleepover not only because it is the last day of school but also because her best friend Hannah (Mika Boorem) is moving away. Farrah (Scout Taylor-Compton) is coming as well, but Julie's former best friend Stacie (Sara Paxton), has moved on to be Queen Bee of the snooty girls and will not be attending. When Stacie and her pack of brats insult Yancy (Kallie Flynn Childress), Julie invites her to be the fourth. Stacie has a date to go to the high school dance with the second string quarterback in his sports car, but he is more interested in parking than in dancing, so Stacie decides it would be more worthwhile to crash Julie's sleepover and challenge the girls to a scavenger hunt. This will require Julie and her friends to break the rules laid down by her mom, Gabby (Jane Lynch), because they will have to leave the house. But at stake is the prime seating place for eating lunch in high school, and there is also a good-looking boy.
Now, if the most high and mighty junior high girls on the face of the Earth think they are going to get to sit in the best place at lunch in high school, then they have a rude awakening in store for them. But the idea of a privileged place is certainly going to resonate with young viewers (although an outdoor lunchroom is not really a part of our culture) and "Sleepover" is clearly intended as an adolescent fantasy. How else do you explain the interest of high school boys in under-aged girls (who manage to get into dance clubs) or why there are kings and queens named at end of the school year dances (or why anyone other than a senior would get the crown).
Ultimately, "Sleepover" is above Julie and her friends getting a boost of adolescent self-confidence that will allow them to survive the horrors of high school. Julie has an advantage in that Hannah is there to give her a push. Hannah has her act together in a way that Stacie and the others never will; you get the feeling Hannah could be Queen Bee but that the role never goes to anyone who would be a benevolent leader. Your tolerance for this film will have to do entirely with your ability to enjoy all the cuteness. But subtlety is often lost in such adolescent fare (and there is an unexpected "nude" scene), and if other films directed at the 'tween audience could follow in the wake of this one that would be a good thing. The problem of course is by the time a film like this gets made and ends up on DVD a leading girl like Vega is already beyond the 'tween stage and in danger of becoming another yet Lindsay Lohan or Hillary Duff and the vicious circle continues in terms of teenage movies. But hopefully the success of this film will engender more to follow, even if a new crop of young stars will need to be found for each one.
My biggest complaint with "Sleepover" is actually about the end credits. This is where we get to see photographs of the cast with their names. We get Alex Vega (Julie), Mika Boorem (Hannah), Jane Lynch (Gabby), Sam Huntington (Ron), the trio of Sara Paxton (Staci), Brie Larson (Liz), and Scout Taylor-Compton (Farrah), the duo of Douglas Smith (Gregg) and Katija Pevec (Molly), with Steve (Sherman) and Jeff Garlin (Jay). Left out are Kalie Flynn Childress as Yancy, who had more to do than the Stacie or Liz characters, Russell (Evan Peters) who had way more to do that Gregg, and Sean Faris as Steve, the boy toy in the bottom of the box is even further down. Here is this above average juvenile cast in a nice ensemble effort and suddenly at the end what becomes important are what their agents negotiated for their clients rather than what actually happens in the film. At least on the DVD you have a commentary track with director Joe Nussbaum and Vega, Boorem, Taylor-Compton and Childress giggling their way through the film to get you back to thinking happy thoughts about the movie.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
35 years old and I watched it 3 times in one week!!!!, January 28, 2005
Last week I watched this movie because my friend's twelve-year-old daughter who I was watching wanted to see it. I thought I would "suffer" through. I LOVED IT!!!! I convinced my 42-year old husband to watch it and he thoroughly enjoyed it although I had to drive him crazy to get him to watch it. Then, last night, before I had to return it to the video store, I watched it with another 12-year old whose parents are close friends.
Why I liked the movie:
First of all, it's cute and it moves at a great pace. It pokes fun at the adults enough to be genuinely funny and not overdone. And the portrayal of the oblivious dad, the overprotective mother, and the big brother who comes through in the end is soooo accurate in my experience.
Second, while the snot girls are mean, they aren't heartless and they get their coming-tos in the end. Also, the main one, Stacey, has enough character development...finding out what older guys CAN be about and being disappointed, etc. that she is not a completely unsympathetic character.
My favorite two characters are Julie and Yancy. Julie because she's got spunk and Yancy because she is such an honest character. I also loved that Yancy's character is bolstered, let down and bolstered again. My favorite subplot has to be the celery vs. brownies theory...what a great point to be made for girls who are bigger or struggle with other physical self-esteem issues...find someone who is interested in you as you are, not as they might want you to be!
Also, I loved the fact that the closest it came to swearing of any sort was "For the love of carbs!"...there wasn't even any euphemistic stuff like "freaking," etc. Now, I am not a prude, believe me...I am a recovering alcoholic and have been in therapy for seven years. I started "going around the block" at about Julie's age and so, yes, I have ISSUES :). However, it is sooooo refreshing to watch a movie that isn't violence, sex, and swearing and just makes you feel good for everyone in the end! (even the snotty girls...at least they still have each other...Hannah moves away).
Another thing I was impressed with is the scene where Steve figures out from the yearbook who Julie is and says she grew up "nice"...instead of focusing on T & A...he lists her school activities...debate, basketball, and her hobbies...skate boarding, etc. In other words, it's not all about shallow stuff...he's attracted to her physically sure, but his real interest is piqued when he finds out a little about WHO she is not WHAT she is. His character does this again by the fountain when he compliments her not on her looks but on her laugh. These are great messages for both adolescent boys and girls!!!!
Of course, Ren, the Patrol-Tec guy, and "Sponge-Bob" give the movie lots of extra hoots and interplay.
This is just a great movie, period. I am probably going to buy it...for myself :). It goes on my list with 10 Things I Hate About You, Never Been Kissed, and Miss Congeniality as a keeper for cute movies that give you warm fuzzies and move at a pace that keeps it interesting!
Compliments to the writer of this script, the actors who made it real and the director and producer who pulled it together seamlessly. Yes, I would give it an Oscar if they would make a category for well done youth films...books have awards for Children and Adolescent literature...maybe movies should too and we'd see some better quality in PG and PG-13 movies!! Just my humble opinion.
OK, I am done now :).
Heidi Rosin, 35
Sioux City, IA
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