I don't know why I put this on my Netflix queue. I think I wanted a teen comedy, and I tend to have a soft spot for coming-of-age stories. As I started watching this, I was much more aware of how terrible it was.
And yet, I found myself feeling better about the movie as it went on. I felt more forgiving of all of the corny jokes aimed at the younger crowd, and somehow, a sense of nostalgia set in.
It made me think of the Mighty Ducks movies.
When I was young, and there wasn't much to do during the summer, I would watch whatever movies we had around late at night. This included the first two Mighty Ducks movies. These movies worked for me. The sense of humor, the camaraderie, and the implied romantic elements. If I were a young girl, probably around 6th-7th grade, I would love this movie. I would think it was hilarious, and I would think that it encapsulated what I wanted my relationships to be like.
As an adult, it's not especially funny, and it seems like it tries a little too hard to be wacky. There are still some overly sappy moments that feel too nakedly manipulative, but after being exposed to a bunch of them in a short time, it becomes easier to forgive it.
I want to point out that they have a decent cast for this, including Steve Carell. And I think that the lead, Alexa Vega (who is best known for playing Carmen in the Spy Kids movies) is cute. But I think she looks far better with dark hair than she does with what seems to be her natural blonde.
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