Picture This Review

The reviews for the ABC Family Original Movie Picture This! starring Ashley Tisdale were not exactly kind. While some of those reviews were unfair, it is easy to see why this film is a TV/direct-to-DVD movie instead of a summer blockbuster.

The film has a simple plot - so much so that it's almost like an elongated episode of a teenage sitcom. Mandy Gilbert (Tisdale), an unpopular high school student, is asked to a party by the hottest guy in school, Drew Patterson ("Life With Derek"'s Robbie Amell), but is unfortunately grounded by her overprotected father. Mandy convinces her father that she is going to study at her friend's house while she and her two sidekicks dodge several bullets to get to the party including buying a dress, paying for save Mandy's father's car from impoundment, and Drew's jealous girlfriend, who is one step ahead of Mandy the whole time. Oh, and then there's the fact that Mandy and her father both have new video phones, which her father uses to make sure she is indeed studying (she cleverly is able to disguise whatever she's doing at the moment of his call to look like something completely innocent).

Okay, maybe it's not incredibly simple, but there is one twist: Mandy's friends know that Mandy was only invited to the party so Drew could lead her up to his tower, get her in the shower, and take away her flower. (Don't know what it means? Good!).

The entire plot is almost like a modern Cinderella story. The only trouble with this movie (well, there's more trouble than we'll list, because after all, it is a TV movie) is that Mandy's character goes from geeky pet store clerk to instant hottie in the matter of a day. She traded her glasses in for contacts and even performs an upbeat pop song in order to earn money.

Mandy goes through all these changes just to get the guy who, following the family tradition, does take her up to the tower, as Mandy's friends predicted. She leaves after suspecting that he wants to advance their relationship, which truly does not. At the end of the movie, the two end up together at the prom.

Now what is wrong with a teen movie sending the message that maybe it's okay to be happy without the guy/girl and having to go through all these changes?