Read It and Weep (TV 2006)

A young girl turns into an A-List celebrity over night when her private journal is accidently published and becomes a best-seller.

Director:

Paul Hoen

Writers:

Patrick J. Clifton (teleplay), Beth Rigazio (teleplay),

Stars:

Kay Panabaker, Danielle Panabaker, Alexandra Krosney

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kay Panabaker	...	Jamie Bartlett
Danielle Panabaker	...	Is
Alexandra Krosney	...	Harmony
Marquise Brown	...	Lindsay (as Marquise C. Brown)
Allison Scagliotti	...	Sawyer Sullivan
Jason Dolley	...	Connor Kennedy
Chad Broskey	...	Marco Vega
Tom Virtue	...	Ralph Bartlett
Connie Young	...	Peggy Bartlett
Robin Riker	...	Diana
Nick Whitaker	...	Lenny Bartlett
Falisha Fehoko	...	Jennifer #1
Malinda Money	...	Jennifer #2
Joyce Cohen	...	Miss Gallagher
K.C. Clyde	...	Tim Kennedy (as KC Clyde)

Storyline

A young girl turns into an A-List celebrity over night when her private journal is accidently published and becomes a best-seller.

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Plot Keywords:

pizza parlor | pizza | disney channel original movie | writing contest | school dance | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Details

Official Sites:

Disney [us] Disney DVD [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 July 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

How My Private, Personal Journal Became a Bestseller

Filming Locations:

Murray High School - 5440 S. State Street, Murray, Utah, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Just Singer Entertainment, Salty Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

84 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Goofs

When the teacher is reading Jamie's story from the paper, she reads the line about Myrna being "zapped" along with her friends. Then she goes on to read about the Prince. When Janie looks back, the teacher is reading the line about "zapping" Myrna again.

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Quotes

Peggy Bartlett: Everyone love the pizza.
Ralph Bartlett: It wasn't me, it was Lenny!
Connor Kennedy: Great pizza, Mr B.
Peggy Bartlett: Great Job
[Ralph and Peggy kiss]
Ralph Bartlett: Okay, It was me.

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Soundtracks

"Outside Looking In"
Written by Keith Thomas
Performed by Jordan Pruitt
Courtesy of Hollywood Records

User Reviews

A Review from an 18 year old

For as long as I can remember, I've been addicted to Disney movies whether they were animated or on the Disney Channel. I remember waiting every month for the latest Disney Channel film to premiere and throughly enjoying each new film. Though I cannot pin-point exactly when it started happening but slowly Disney Channel movies began taking a turn for the worst and I stopped watching them as I grew older; no doubt they were still entertaining for little kids but one of the things I always enjoyed (and still do) about Disney is that they masterfully appeal to both children and adults, not to mention those inbetween. The first Disney Channel movie I watched in as long as I can remember was "High School Musical" and my faith in the channel was instantly renewed. But this review is not about "High School Musical", but about Disney's latest film "Read It and Weep," the first Disney Channel film since "HSM" that actually caught my attention.

"Read It and Weep" follows the (mis)adventures of a high school freshmen, Jamie, who is always on the outside looking in. True, she's got three great friends, a cool but strange older brother and loving parents but Jamie wants something more. She wants the hottest boy in school, Marco, to notice her and wants to be able to stand up against Sawyer and her gang of "Populars" for once. But, seeing as Jamie will never be able to get up the guts to do these things, she creates the character Is to live out these wishes for her. Is (short for Isabelle) is the girl that every other girl wants to be and every guy wants to date; in short, Is is perfect. Not only can Is climb the rope in gym class and get the guy, but she can also "zap" away any problem that gets in her way. Accidentally, Jamie turns in the story of Is to her English teacher and the "novel" ends up being published in the school newspaper because making it all the way to the Bestseller list. Suddenly Jamie (or rather, Is) finds herself sky-rocketing in popularity; Sawyer and the "Populars" actually want to be friends with her and Marcco is starting to look her way. But slowly, things start to get out of control, especially when Is begins to manifest herself as a more permanent part of Jamie's life and prompt Jamie to wonder how much of Is is just a character and how much of Is is in herself. Jamie faces the age-old dilemma of choosing between what she thinks she wants and what made her happy before, leaving a good message for all tweens who watch the film.

As an 18-year-old, I found certain things about the film bothersome that wouldn't even enter the mind of the tweens and younger children who watch it, so I know I'm simply nitpicking. The fact that Jamie's novel is so successful in such a short time is highly impossible, though enviable, but the plot is bearable given the fact that it's a light-hearted kid's film and the intended audience wouldn't care too much about all the steps it takes to earning that sort of career and popularity. The story is cute (based upon the pre-teen novel "How my Private Journal Become a Best Seller -sorry if that's not the exact title) and the characters are warm, though Jamie is slightly obnoxious at times. The real winner of the story, however, is Is (played by Danielle Panabaker, Kay's older sister) who doesn't get as much screen time as she should. Panabaker Sr. plays her character with a comfortable ease, no doubt feeding off the fact that she's used to upstanding her younger sis (though Kay has a promising career in front of her in the children's movie set, if I'm not mistaken) and is enjoyable the entire time.

For the intended audience, "Read It and Weep" offers a very important lesson: you don't need to be superhuman to be happy and content. Being yourself is just as fine as being like Is. While most children's films will force their messages down the throats of the kids watching, "Read It" manages to work the meaning into the story without making it painfully obvious.

As with any children's movie, the story is sub duded, written for a child to understand and enjoy (though this is one of the first Disney Channel films I remember where two of the characters actually kiss; there was only a peck on the check in "HSM." The little romance between Jamie and her background best guy friend was more then enough to keep me interested) but still manages to capture the attention of any age group. Even at the age of 18, I found the movie adorable and entertaining, something I would watch again given the chance.

While "Read It and Weep" is no "High School Musical", it is certainly a movie to stand with "HSM" when it comes to turning around the quality of Disney Channel movies. If Disney continues to make films like "Read It and Weep", which smartly appeal to kids, teenagers and older teens like myself, then they were be right back on track with the old films they used to make "back in the day." "Read It and Weep" certainly deserves a viewing, no matter your age and, if nothing else, will leave you with a hint of a smile on your face.