22. Monte Carlo (Film)

MONTE CARLO (Fox 2000 Pictures, 2011)

Directed by Thomas Bezucha

GENRE: Romantic Comedy

HONORS: Nominated for Teen Choice Award for Choice Summer Movie

REVIEW:

Following her high school graduation, Grace Bennett cannot wait to go on her trip to France with her best friend Emma Perkins.  That is until she learns that her uptight stepsister Meg will be coming along with them.  When the girls get to Paris, they discover that the trip Grace booked is not as amazing as the brochure indicated, complete with drive-bys of famous sites and a cramped hotel room.  However, their luck changes when Grace gets mistaken for a famous British heiress and the girls find themselves on a private jet to Monte Carlo.

OPINION:

Being swept away to a foreign land with your friends, along with glamorous clothing and huge hotel rooms, is a really fun idea and viewers are able to live vicariously through the girls in the film.  When Grace, Meg, and Emma go to their first ball, they each wear gorgeous dresses and jewelry, urging viewers to look on with envy.  Because the girls all come from middle class families in Texas, they are just as astonished by the decadence of Cordelia’s life as the audience is, making them much more relatable than if they were born into such extravagance.  Although there are some tough topics, such as Meg’s mother’s recent death, the majority of the film is lighthearted and plays to the emotions of the mostly female audience.  I really enjoyed the film and I think that many tweens will enjoy it, as well, especially with the casting of Wizards of Waverly Place star Selena Gomez as Grace and Glee’s Cory Monteith as Emma’s boyfriend.

IDEAS:

This film would be great for a movie night at the library, as well as a library display for light-hearted, adventuresome tween movies.