Stargirl (2020)

I'm a big fan of Grace, and I watched the film because of her. I also think Karan might have a good future career. So, I even found and read the book on which the film is based. The book was ok, although I don't understand its popularity - there are much, much better books for children and teens, that have more substance, more depth and less cliches. Perhaps young teens who haven't been exposed to any better literature enjoy it, and that's fine.

But no matter how much I wanted Grace's debut to be a success, I can't lie to myself or others - it's a really, really badly made film. Being a filmmaker myself, it almost makes me angry that someone actually got paid for directing and producing it. I mean, for someone who has all these resources to produce a result like this is mind-boggling. If I hadn't read the book, I don't think I'd even fully understand what was going on.

It's like they completely disregarded all of the emotional impact of the events in the book, all of the buildup, and just skimmed though a series of events for the sake of putting them on screen. Aside from her meticulously designed colorful outfits, you get zero sense of how quirky Stargirl is (the most important trait of her character), how involved the guys are in the talk show that they're hosting, and basically anything else that's supposed to matter. It's like they weren't even trying to create an emotional connection to any of the characters, because not one of them is even remotely interesting.

Another huge problem with the film is the sound design. I'm not sure why it is like it is, but it's bad. It's flat, the actor's lines are mumbled, and there are very little atmosphere sounds. This makes for very awkward viewing.

Lastly, I doubt that young people will like the film, except for maybe very young teens or children (but even they probably won't have the patience to watch it till the end because it's so emotionally flat). This is because no teens are the way they are portrayed in the film. It feels like a really old person's vague idea of how teenagers talk and behave. There's one place in particular that made me snort loudly, it was when Leo asked Archie "is she magic?" It was so completely random and silly, mostly because, like I mentioned before, there was zero sense of Stargirl's quirkiness or the profound impact she'd made on everyone. It's not completely unrealistic that a 16 year-old guy would as a question like this, but there should be a really, really good reason for it and a serious buildup to the moment where he asks it. Here, it was like: wait, what?

Lastly, for anyone who's looking for a film on a similar topic, I suggest to skip Stargirl and watch "Bridge to Terabithia" (2007) instead. Very similar story, but a much, much more engaging film that will be enjoyed by children and adults alike.

Fmovies: A beautiful movie, full of little moments. Grace was a joy to watch. Timeless it is.

I read this book several times with students and really enjoyed the fun upbeat characters. Loved the story. Loved the coming of age tale. The movie cut short the story to the point that the characters had little appeal. Stargirl is a tough person to cast. The casting was good but the feel of Stargirl was not there. The audio had some weird things going on, the editing was choppy and had a feel of throwing things together over a weekend. Love the book, wanted to love the movie.

Stargirl fmovies. One of the great ironies of this film is that the choreography was done by Mandy Moore who, not so long ago, would herself have been starring in this "vehicle." That said, VanderWaal, a legit child phenom if ever there was, acquits herself well in an under-stated performance, doing most of her numbers almost acapella. The film starts slow with no gimmicks and builds nicely. VanderWaal does indeed have a future in film. If she wants one.

Leo Borlock moves to a small Arizona town with his mother after his father's death. His new school is a place lacking in hope which is highlighted by the school's empty trophy case. He joins the marching band and has his group of nerdy friends. One day, homeschooler Stargirl Caraway (Grace VanderWaal) joins his class. He falls for her immediately and her quirky hopefulness infects the entire school.

I have to admit that I thought this has something to do with the DC character. That went away quickly as I watched the movie. Then I hoped that this has something to do with Starman. That would have been interesting but not to be the case. So we march on. This is a rather standard coming-of-age teen movie with a rather standard manic pixie dream girl. It is not something to be hated. The kids are adorable. I don't know anything about Grace VanderWaal. I watched a couple of America's Got Talent episodes but not her's. She has a sincerity which is very endearing in a manic pixie dream girl and her singing has the same sincerity. The boy is equally endearing. They make this movie endearing. I do have to say that the drama isn't that well written. I do not like that the whole school turned on her over leaving the game. It needs setting up. It needs magic. It needs fantasy. The whole school needs to be under her spell. It comes late to the game. Flowers need to be sprouting under her feet. Song birds need to be dressing her in the morning. That turn needs help and also it needs to be shown not told. On the other hand, I like the bike idea and that's an easier concept to make the dramatic turn. It is more internal and more about her character. It is grounded and it doesn't need the big setup. It does need the little brother. Quite frankly, it fits. It fits the birthday ties. It fits her and it doesn't need fantasy. I'm not going to claim that this is breaking any new ground. VanderWaal could have an interesting career although I don't know if she is going to breakout. This is a nice Disney movie for the whole family.

Almost like the story itself, Grace (Stargirl) is a spark of character and wonder surrounded by average characters and directing.

I've met people like Stargirl in the real world, and it is amazing how much one person can transform everyone around them. And when they're gone, the magic escapes. This film tried to portray that but sometimes dumbed it down to be a little too literal. It also made a couple character leaps, especially in the second act that just didn't sit right, they were poorly timed or portrayed.

Overall, solid effort. And great start for Grace in an acting career.