The typical 'tweenybopper movie fan is unlikely to be savvy to the rote, one-dimensional nature of clichés such as catty in-crowd queen bees, cardboard-cutout dream boys admired from a distance, and underdog cliques of pretty, outcast Everygirls--but that's no excuse for building a whole picture around such threadbare characters and the inevitable plots that go with them. Unfortunately, that's exactly what happens in Sleepover, the latest example of how Hollywood can strip a halfway decent idea of any originality by saddling it with tedious stereotypes and the false hope of easy, prepackaged solutions to adolescent problems. The plot: four "average" junior high girls (led by Spy Kid Alexa Vega and Blue Crush's Mika Boorem), who are nervous about being accepted, are challenged by four shallow, cruel, fashionista cheerleader types to a one-night, sneak-out-of-the-house scavenger hunt. The winners get to eat lunch at the "cool" table at school next year. Ironically, through laziness and a failure to follow up on its themes, Sleepover actually serves to reinforce the very selfish, status-symbol-driven, stick-with-your-own-kind teen culture it's meant to decry. Not a necessary purchase. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary (by director Joe Nussbaum and costars Alexa Vega, Mika Boorem, Scout Taylor-Compton, and Kallie Flynn Childress), the 10-minute making-of featurette 'A Guide to the Perfect Sleepover,' four 'Meet the Girls' profile featurettes (2 min. each), three minutes of cast 'Sleepover Confessions,' a five-minute gag reel, a brief 'Ready, Set, Action' behind-the-scenes segment, a photo gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: a decent extras package for a disappointing film.] (R. Blackwelder) [Blu-ray Review—Jan. 1, 2019—Music Video Distributors, 89 min., PG, Blu-ray: $29.95—Making its debut on Blu-ray, 2004’s Sleepover features a nice transfer with DTS-HD 5.1 audio. Extras include audio commentary by director Joe Nussbaum and costars Alexa Vega, Scout Taylor-Compton, Mika Boorem, and Kallie Flynn Childress, a 'making-of' featurette (11 min.), 'Meet the Girls' costar profiles (7 min.), a gag reel (5 min.), 'Sleepover Confessions' (3 min.), a 'Wrap Party Reel' (3 min.), a 'Ready, Set, Action!' behind-the-scenes featurette (2 min.), and a photo gallery. Bottom line: a fine extras package for a forgettable ‘tween flick.]
Sleepover
MGM, 90 min., PG, VHS: $19.98, DVD: $26.98, Nov. 23 Volume 19, Issue 6
Sleepover
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