Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Alyson Stoner | ... | Alice McKinley | |
Luke Perry | ... | Ben McKinley | |
Lucas Grabeel | ... | Lester McKinley | |
Penny Marshall | ... | Mrs. Plotkin | |
Ashley Eckstein | ... | Miss Cole (as Ashley Drane) | |
Parker McKenna Posey | ... | Elizabeth | |
Dylan McLaughlin | ... | Patrick | |
Bridgit Mendler | ... | Pamela | |
Ann Dowd | ... | Aunt Sally | |
Jilanne Marie Klaus | ... | Kelly (as Jilanne Klaus) | |
Jona Xiao | ... | Loretta | |
Boris Kodjoe | ... | Mr. Edgecombe | |
Monica Parks | ... | Mrs. Price | |
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Lindsey Trout | ... | Salesgirl |
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Alexandria Basso | ... | Marilyn |
Still mourning the death of her mother a few years back, Alice McKinley finds her life seriously disrupted when her father Ben buys a store and moves her and her older brother Lester to a new town. In the painful throes of adolescence, Alice has a rough time adjusting to her new school, especially after she gets the stern Mrs. Plotkin as her core teacher. Feeling shy and isolated, Alice frequently escapes into a vivid fantasy life that occasionally gets her into hot water. But with a little unexpected help from Mrs. Plotkin, Alice learns not to judge by appearances or jump to conclusions. More importantly, she confronts her father over his inability to accept their loss and move on into the future. Written by breakdown
I'm giving this a 10 not because it was Lawrence of Arabia or some earth-shattering, life-altering drama, but for two reasons: 1) to counterbalance the snobs who gave it a low rating, and 2) because for what it is, it was really good. Yes, it could be a Saturday morning Disney Channel show. Yes, it reminded me of Lizzie McGuire or That's So Raven and other programs of that genre. But folks, that's what it's supposed to be! Why are you trashing it when it is so obviously not trying to compete for an Oscar? I'm a middle-aged father and watched this with my son. We both thoroughly enjoyed it. Penny Marshall was a an unexpected delight.I've never seen the Stoner girl before, or most of the cast for that matter, but thought they were all very talented. No--I haven't read the book that people mention on the boards, so I don't know if was faithful or not. Does it really matter? It had well-defined characters, good interaction and lots of momentum. I'm a professional musician and I even liked the soundtrack. This movie presented a believable story about commonly shared family circumstances (okay...for middle-class white kids) treated with humor and respect. Funny, good acting, cute kids, no cursing or stupid sexual jokes, and valuable messages for teens. So, I guess I had more than two reasons for giving it a 10!