StarStruck

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Modern Cinderella story is clean musical fun for tweens.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this squeaky-clean Disney movie is a worry-free choice for tweens. Sara’s infatuation with Christopher -- while possibly grating on parents’ nerves -- may resonate with viewers and raise some issues about our celebrity-obsessed society and the role the media plays in it. The story promotes strong messages about honesty, humility, self-acceptance, and strength of character, inspiring tweens to have confidence in themselves and their beliefs, even if it means going against the flow.

  • Kids learn the danger of judging a book by its cover, since neither Jessica nor Christopher turns out to be exactly what the other assumed.
  • The movie promotes positive themes of self-image, individuality, and honesty. A teen celebrity must make a difficult choice between playing to others’ impression of him to further his career and staying true to himself and treating the people he cares about with respect.
  • Jessica’s honest, unpretentious style inspires Christopher to re-examine the direction his own life is taking and make some changes in the name of happiness, rather than success. Sara’s infatuation with Christopher is revealed as the shallow obsession that it is.
  • Not applicable.

What's the story?

A family vacation leads to the chance encounter of a lifetime when Jessica Olson (Danielle Campbell) runs into teen superstar Christopher Wilde (Sterling Knight) on a visit to Los Angeles. Despite the efforts of her celebrity-crazed older sister, Sara (Maggie Castle), to meet the singing sensation, it’s Jessica who accidentally makes his acquaintance -- and the unpretentious Midwestern girl’s nonchalance toward his status throws the pampered star for a loop. The more time Christopher spends with her, the more he likes who he becomes in her presence. But he faces a difficult choice between being true to his feelings and furthering his red-hot career.


Is it any good?

 

STARSTRUCK is bound to strike tween girls the right way with its tale of unlikely love between a handsome heartthrob and an “ordinary” girl. The modern-day spin on the Cinderella story is the stuff that girls’ dreams are made of, and Knight’s good looks and charisma certainly don’t detract from the story’s appeal.

True to Disney tradition, StarStruck manages to spin a romantic web without the trappings of anything sexually suggestive, so it’s mild enough for the tween set. Kids who tune in will also be inundated with positive messages about self-image, self-confidence, and strong character. The movie also raises a number of issues that tweens likely will relate to, including the repercussions of celebrity obsessions and the ability of the media to affect our impression of people and events.


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What families can talk about

  • Families can discuss celebrities. Tweens: Can you relate to Sara’s obsession with Christopher? Do you have similar feelings toward a celebrity? What attracts you to him or her? How do you think their real personalities compare to your impression of them?

  • Tweens: How does the media influence your impression of stars? Why is our society so infatuated with celebrities? What are some examples of infatuation taken too far?

  • Talk about dating and romantic relationships: What are some essential qualities of a healthy relationship? What do you value most in a friend or partner? What characteristics could you not accept in a boyfriend or girlfriend?


This review was written by Emily Ashby
Teen, 16 years old
March 5, 2010
 
Not great, but beats a lot of the other shows and movies Disney currently offers.
This is actually a pretty watchable movie. I watched it last Thursday night because nothing better was on and I was waiting for Family Guy to come on TV at 10. Anyhow, this movie is about a girl named Jessica who meets a celebrity named Christopher Wilde. Jessica and Christopher begin to fall in love, but his manager warns him that this can't be, or else he will cancel Christopher's new movie. The protagonist, to me, wasn't a very likable character-- she seemed very stubborn and unfriendly, my sister and I both agreed-- and Christopher was a first class jerk. But it held my attention, and that's what a movie should do.

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Adult
February 15, 2010
 
One of the BEST movies I have EVER watched!!!!! :)))
OMG,I loved it!!!!!! The songs are so amazing and the actors were so good at doing their parts!! It reached my TOP 5 MOVIE LIST!!!!!!!!! Its perfect for anyone and it will make you watch it again and again.

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Teen, 15 years old
March 16, 2010
 
It certainly has It's faults and Virtues
On the bad side, Starstruck was a of Cinderella story, albiet with a few twists, which to be frank, has been milked so much that it is not at all orgininal, predictable, and therefore can be boring. Plus, you can only do so much with such a simple idea, and, not to be racist or anything, but would it kill disney for once not to have a black sidekick, because that idea is just getting old, and its so accented that its kind of missing the point of that all races are the same and equal, not just a bunch of whites, and then an "oh we dont want people to complain about racisim, so lets put a black guy in there!" . I also did not like the many holes in the background, and how Jessica and Christopher meet. Why are Jessica's parents so nonchalant about their daughter's many disappearances, in of all places, Los Angelos? Why is she not grounded when she re-appears, and seemingly doesn't tell them anything? And why is Jessica willing to go with a complete stranger to various random different places, with little despute? Sure, Christopher Wilde is a popstar, but he is still a stranger. If Jessica were obsessed with him, this would make more sense, but isn't the whole movie pretty much based on how she is not fazed about this kind of thing? Unfortunatly, the papparazi do not completely cover it. What is really going on with her Family? It would have been a lot better if the writers had made this more clear. For example, when Christopher hits Jessica on the head and takes her to the docter, it would have been better if Christopher's docter had said "well, you seem a bit confused, why don't you lie down a bit?" instead of "well, you are perfectly ok", because that would explain why she had gone with a stranger in the middle of Los Angelos to a docter, because if she were "just fine" one would question why she did this. this is just one of the things that doesn't make sense. The writers did not do a very good job with the plot (lately it seems that either Disney movies have ok writing and a bad plot, or an ok plot and bad writing!) Basically, the whole part where Jessica and Christopher meet does not make sense considering the characters and Jessica's family. On the bright side though, the music was really great, especially by the latest disney standards, the characters, although some people might disagree, both had some imperfections and virtues, which to me is realistic, while a character with all virtues is not. For example, Jessica can be very unfriendly, but that is often because of her honesty. The actors are actually pretty good, and you can laugh at the eccentric characters easily, such as Sarah, and though I complained about the idea earlier, I liked Christopher Wilde's sidekick, Stubby quite a bit, especially since the actor who plays him is excellent. The charisma is fairly innocent, and will not make many children uncomfortable. The best part is the ending, it is very sweet, and the song was really nice. All in all, if you are looking for something to fill your empty hours, watching this isn't the worst thing you could do. Although many parts do not make sense, its plot is alright, that is entertaining enough to keep you interested till the end.

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Adult
February 1, 2011
 
No good female role models.
A clean, fluffy, cornball movie that is appropriate for most kids, in the typical Disney fashion. However, I do NOT agree that the lead female character (Jessica, played by newcomer Danielle Campbell) is in any way a good role model. She is condescending towards her older sister, Sara, and shows almost zero sisterly affection or understanding for her celebrity obsession. It's perfectly normal for young girls to have their celebrity crushes, as long as they don't go overboard. I would sooner worry about girls who are "haters" and make fun of other people's hobbies or passions. The stereotypical portrayal of the "crazed fan" is getting so old. What's more disturbing however, is the way Jessica exhibits an extreme level of rudeness to a total stranger, famous pop star "Christopher Wilde" (played by Sterling Knight), on whom she passes every cliche judgment without bothering to get to know him first. He's good looking, rich and famous so he MUST be a jerk--right? Sometimes she is downright cruel, telling Christopher that his life is "fake", which is why he is not worth befriending. Eventually Jessica comes around and gives him a chance to prove his "realness", but her default behavior is unacceptable. Teaching kids to automatically latch onto the worst in people is the reason why they grow up with such cynicism and angst. I don't think any parent would wish for a daughter like Jessica, who showed unreasonable hostility towards a boy who was only trying to do the right thing by her (ex. bringing her to the hospital when he accidentally hurt her). Furthermore, the underage girls in this movie also engage in irresponsible behavior which would have disastrous repercussions in the real world. Going out to clubs, walking in dark alleys alone, and getting into a car with a stranger?! In HOLLYWOOD no less, just about the worst place for kids to pull those stunts. Positive side: Sterling Knight is a fairly talented actor who does well with the teeny-bopper material he's given. He is the only reason I watched this in the first place, but I hope in the future he's given roles that are less shallow or slapstick. I enjoyed his singing, especially the song, "Hero".

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Teen, 16 years old
February 3, 2011
 
Strong comeback for Disney after epically failing with the High School Musical movies.
A nice refresher from past Disney movies. The movie may not have the most original plot, but it was still really good. Who knew Sterling Knight could sing? I loved the, what some would describe as, dry humor which isn't what I would expect out of Disney. The songs were good too, slightly kiddish for me, but then again I'm 15 and still watch Disney channel so I shouldn't be complaining...

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Teen, 16 years old
March 22, 2010
 
Loved it!
A few days ago I tried to sleep but I was wide awake, so i turned to Disney channel looking for a boring Disney movie. This movie (Starstruck) is definitely not boring. I stayed awake and watched the whole thing! So much for going to sleep! Anyway, great movie!

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Teen, 16 years old
April 2, 2010
 
Perfect for tweens and older
It might have some teen action but very good.It has honesty and "don't judge a book by it's cover".

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Kid, 13 years old
March 20, 2011
 
»IT IS BORING«
If your bored and have nothing to do, then okay, I guess you should watch this movie, but other than that, DON'T! It's really stupid and theres no excitement or suspense in it.

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Kid, 12 years old
February 12, 2011
 
Great movie with good role models
I agree with the comment under mine. High School Musical movies needed some upgrading, and I think this made up for that. Some mild flirting, but not much. This was actually a very good, even though it was unoriginal.

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Kid, 12 years old
April 1, 2011
 
great , no bad stuff, good music, good role models

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This review was written by Emily Ashby
Topics:high school
Studio:Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Director:Michael Grossman
Cast:Danielle Campbell, Maggie Castle, Sterling Knight
Genre:Family and Kids
Run time:85 minutes
DVD release date:June 8, 2010
MPAA rating:G

This review was written by Emily Ashby
 

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ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
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