Sydney White (2007)

Sadly Over-hyped

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

From my favorite movies..

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Fun movie to watch with your family and friends, obviously comparable to other teen movies but still a nice movie with a very interesting story.

I screened this movie first to make sure there wouldn't be any nasty surprises when I watch it with my girls (11 and 13). Usually when I do this I speed through -- this one I actually watched, and laughed. Which is what compelled me to write a review.For parents looking for a fun family film with a nice message that's still relevant and interesting for teens, this is it. It's amusing to find the Snow White elements sprinkled throughout, too.Suspend your disbelief and just enjoy it together. Anyone struggling with middle-school cliques and kids struggling to "Fit In" can take heart from this one.

Watching this brought back uncomfortable memories of 'House Bunny' although the latter was released a year later and I didn't buy the DVDs in chronological order. Where this succeeds and HB fails, is that Amanda Bynes makes the best of her role but Anna Faris looked very uncomfortable in hers - which to be fair to her was rather exploitative..Much of this is drivel, let's not kid ourselves. All credit to AB that she alone does not give up on the weak script and lack of direction, and in the end pulls a rabbit or two out of a decidedly tired hat. By the end of this movie I had forgiven much of the dull and uninspired performances because it all works out for the best. Sentimental twaddle it may be, but it won me over - so all credit for that.Saddest sight for me was seeing a 33 year old Danny Strong playing a student - a role he seems permanently associated with. He didn't look too impressed either. And I don't see Matt Long as the hero type but hey ... at least Sara Paxton makes a good bitch .. or witch. I didn't get the Snow White thing till about 3/4 way through, but then I'm a bit slow :)

I rated this one better than awful because I liked seeing Jonathon from Buffy in something again -- even if it was the same role.First, the concept is kind of cute for a short, but not an entire movie. The writing was forced and contrived. I have the feeling that the movie suffered the most during editing.Second, Amanda Bynes always looks like her eyes are crossed -- even when she's not trying to do it. She's just not funny. She always plays some sort of misfit girl who triumphs by being herself -- ironic, considering Amanda seems to always be a caricature. I would actually like to see her in something serious. I really want to give her a chance, but she is always cast in these trite roles where she wiggles and makes faces and somehow that's a good thing?Finally, the whole "I'm a Dork" segment was ripped off from Revenge of the Nerds. There was nothing in this movie that was unpredictable.Shame, shame, shame.