Teen Beach Movie – A review from me and my Dad

Teen Beach Movie is the latest Disney Channel Original Movie premiering July 19 on the Disney Channel and The Family Channel in Canada, starring Ross Lynch and Maia Mitchell. My dad and I went to advance preview. So, in the style of At The Movies with Siskel and Ebert, here is our review:

Hannah: The movie is about a young couple, Brady and McKenzie. They are really good at surfing and it is the first choice of their hobbies. McKenzie has to leave her town and go to a different school. Brady wants her to stay but she made a deal with her aunt that she will stay for part of high school then she will move.  Brady and McKenzie were listening to the radio when they heard that there were going to be 40 foot waves in the ocean the next day. Mackenzie wanted to go for a surf before she left for her new school. The next morning Mackenzie got her surf board and went out to the waves – she was so determined to have one last time in the water. When it was getting really dangerous Brady got  a boat and tried to get McKenzie but they both crashed into the wave. When the two woke up McKenzie was really mad at Brady because she knew she could it herself.

When they got to the surface they saw people dancing and singing and Brady recognized the people, the words, the clothes – everything. Brady and McKenzie were in Brady’s favourite movie, Wet Side Story which took place in the 60’s! McKenzie was very confused and was thinking of a way to get back home, but Brady wanted to have fun and joined the scene at the beginning and that’s where the fun really begins.

Eric: If this starts to sound familiar to you adults out there, Teen Beach Movie is a bit of a spoof on the Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello Beach Party movies – a group of independent, fun-loving teenagers are free to do whatever they want without parental guidance, and singing along with the action. If ever a film genre was ripe for a remake, it’s this one. It’s High School Musical on the beach, and Glee without the school problems, and it’s perfect for the kids who love pop music in 2013. There have always been certain peculiar movie genres that gain a mythical reputation – Hitchcock, or the courtroom drama of To Kill A Mockingbird, for instance. Beach Blanket Bingo and the others have never really received its critical acclaim, but the kids didn’t care, and frankly, neither did I.

Hannah: Don’t forget West Side Story, too. There were so many films that took parts of the story from that, like Grease.

Eric: Absolutely. In West Side Story, there were the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds – in Teen Beach Movie, it was a rivalry between the bikers and the surfers fighting for Big Mamas, the local restaurant. And like West Side Story, the gangs thought each other were different from one another, but in reality, they both wanted the same thing – peace among each other. After Brady and McKenzie were transported into their own West Side Story, they needed to play along with the plot and characters and try to fit in. But after their film’s lead man falls for McKenzie, as well as their film’s lead girl falls for Brady, the film’s plot changes completely. They need for the film to end correctly for them to be transported back into their lives, and, as they say, hilarity ensues.

Hannah: I loved having questions while watching the movie – How will Brady and McKenzie get back to where they came from and how can they get Lela and Tanner to fall in love with each other when they already like them? Can Brady get McKenzie to change her mind about leaving for the school? And will they change the movie forever?

Eric: The songs in the film is one of the substantial achievements – to dig deep back into pop music in the 60s for the audience to relate to is tough enough, but the writers updated the style and feel with their original material but never forgetting how simple and fun the Beach Movie music was. It’s fun to play spot the influence – you’ll hear The Beach Boys, Frankie Valli, The Crystals, Buddy Holly, and Elvis among them, often in the same song. As Hannah and I are both music fans, the songs (released Tuesday on iTunes and stores) will find their way into your CD player for a long time.

Hannah: Also if you are a R5 fan, Austin and Ally, like Maia Mitchell or Ross Lynch, then you would totally love this movie. This movie also has a lot of unique and fun songs. The audience is for the whole family and awesome for kids.

Eric: I have to admit, Ross from R5 is truly amazing to watch. He’s only 17, but already has the presence of a great actor and singer. He captures the excitement of a pop idol, while never falling out of the fun zone.

Hannah: I wasn’t surprised at all! He started his music career when he was 4, has been in Kidz Bop and R5 is one of the most popular bands in the world. I’m still in awe that Maia Mitchell is from Australia but in the movie has an American accent, I love it when people can do another accent well.

Eric: Disney shows they still have the right surf…err…stuff. Their vision of sand and song could turn into Beach Party Movie into a new franchise like High School Musical, and there’s no reason to think they wouldn’t succeed.

Hannah: I’d love to see more of the characters. And I can’t wait to check out the soundtrack, too. The songs were just as important as the story to me. The idea to make the songs into dance numbers felt like a series of music videos, without distracting me from the story.

Eric: It’s a perfect movie for kids and adults to watch. They’ll both get their own laughs and memories out of it.

Hannah: I can watch this again and again. And I will on Friday!