| Bratz: The Movie | |
|---|---|
 Official poster for Bratz: The Movie |
|
| Directed by | Sean McNamara |
| Produced by | Isaac Larian Avi Arad Steven Paul |
| Written by | Susan Estelle Jansen Adam De La Peña David Eilenberg |
| Starring | Nathalia Ramos Skyler Shaye Logan Browning Janel Parrish Chelsea Staub Anneliese van der Pol Malese Jow |
| Release date(s) | August 3, 2007 |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | N/A |
| Official website | |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Bratz: The Movie (or simply Bratz) is a live-action feature film based on cartoon characters and dolls of the same name that was released to American theaters on August 3, 2007. The film is rated PG by the MPAA for thematic elements. It opened at #9 at the box office and earned $4.3 million in U.S. ticket sales in its opening weekend.
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The film was announced on May 15, 2006, when MGA Entertainment, Avi Arad Productions, and Crystal Sky Pictures teamed up. Under the deal, Crystal Sky Pictures financed the film, while Avi Arad and MGA executive produced. John Doolittle and Susie Singer Carter penned the screenplay.[1][2]
The shooting of the film was completed on March 24, 2007.
Paula Abdul was dropped from the production before the completion of the film due to unknown reasons. She was originally enlisted to provide wardrobe designs, choreograph the film, executive produce, as well as hold a role in the film. This was revealed on Hey Paula, her own reality show on her personal life. It has been speculated her erratic behavior may have been a reason behind her involvement in the film being cut.[3]
The film was shot at Santee Educational Complex in South Los Angeles, California, while in session.[4]
The four best friends: Cloe, Yasmin, Sasha and Jade, are about to start high school. Although nervous, they feel excited and confident that they will excel. Head girl Meredith Baxter Dimly wants everyone to belong to a group (i.e. a clique), and goes about organizing people. She doesn't like the independent spirit of the four girls. She plots to destroy their friendship and make them conform to her pre-fabricated cliques. Cloe is an ace soccer player. Sasha is soon recruited as a cheerleader for her cheering ability. Jade does well in science club and designs great outfits. Yasmin's special talent is to sing; however she has terrible stage fright. She meets Dylan, who is deaf, but he is very good at lip reading. She makes a crass remark of the group of four, and ends up making a terrible start to her High School career. The friends begin to drift apart, as they are compelled to stay within their cliques.
The film then moves forward two years, and the girls no longer see or speak to each other. It's just as Meredith wanted and she acquires a temporary victory. Meredith is also organizing a talent show and she engineers it every year so that she can win. By enlisting the least talented acts and throwing out any real competition, this virtually solidifies her victory. Coupled with the fact that her adoring father is the school principal. This further enables Meredith to behave in such an appalling manner.
Yasmin begins to get to know Dylan, who is learning to "feel" the music he can no longer hear. Cloe and Cameron really like each other, but Meredith likes Cameron as well, and goes out of her way to sabotages their relationship. One such occasion ends in the four girls accidentally destroying a bust of one of their teachers, leading to them being sentenced to detention. However, this has the opposite effect that Meredith desires when the girls repair their damaged relationship and vow to stay together.
Meredith prepares for a second "Sweet Sixteen Party" in a bid to secure her waning popularity, even having MTV film it, but it turns out badly for her. When Meredith is done with her own performance, she calls on Yasmin to sing, embarrassing her with a video that was given to her by Yasmin's brother. Later Yasmin bumps into Dylan. They also kiss until Meredith puts a stop to it.
Meredith's downfall begins thereafter in spectacular fashion when the servants she hired for the party refuse to serve her. Then she falls off the back of an elephant she rented for the party. Next she crashes into her birthday cake, and finally plunges into the pool. Completely humiliated, Meredith screams out in rage, calling the girls "brats". They decide to take the name as their heading, and now they are known as BRATZ.
Throughout the film, Sasha is coping with her separated parents, she gets confused about who she is meant to be staying with on occasion, and wants them to try again. Cloe and her mother are struggling to make ends meet, this forming a crucial part of the talent contest thread. Jade, beautiful as she is clever, is nonetheless keeping a part of her identity hidden from her parents. This hiding of the identity applies in particular to her overprotective mother. This makes her uncomfortable as Jade's mother oppresses her. There are moments of comic relief, which are provided by the younger siblings of Yasmin and Meredith. Comic relief moments also appear when we see the Vice Principal and Principal Dimly. Cherish appears to hate her elder sister, Meredith, and the two have a series of poisonous exchanges. Yasmin's younger brother inadvertently provides Meredith with a great deal of ammunition against the Bratz girls.
Inevitably the film ends happily, with Meredith vanquished. And the Bratz winning the school talent show.
The DVD was released on November 27, 2007 with Music Videos, Out-Takes and Much More.
The vast majority of reviews for the film have been extremely negative. Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune called the film "the most horrifying of 2007", remarking that, while the film seems to promote "releasing what's inside" and "letting your spirit soar high" it's all about clothes and outer beauty. He also said that Jon Voight's talent is wasted: "the actor—a good actor; remember?—looks as dazed as he did after being horked up by the snake in Anaconda." Ty Burr of The Boston Globe advised parents to rent Midnight Cowboy, saying it would be "less damaging on their [the kids'] psyches than this soulless mall rat of a movie." Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club concluded his C- review with "This is why the terrorists hate us."[5] In his year-in-review column, however, he cited the film as a "guilty pleasure." [6] A notable review in the Chicago Tribune said that "by the time the movie is over, one hopes the Decepticons will come in and take care of business." Because of that, Richard Roeper and Michael Phillips added Bratz on their top ten worst movies of 2007.
There have, however, been some positive reviews, such as Teresa Wiltz of the Washington Post who describes the film as "earnest, silly and sweet"[7], along with Adam Schubak of TV Guide who says "Although the film at times seems more a showcase for the trendy clothes specifically tailored for each character's unique personality, it does convey a positive message about loyalty and friendship."[8] Paige Wiser of the Chicago Sun-Times also states that while it is a "Frivolous, and...forgettable" film, that it is ultimately about high school tolerance. [9]
The film currently holds a 7% critics approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It received five Razzie nominations, including Worst Actress (all four stars were nominated as a group[10]) and Worst Picture, but it did not win any of the awards for which it was nominated.
Bratz: The Movie opened at #9 at the box office. As of August 5, 2007 (the end of its opening weekend), the film has earned a U.S. gross of $4,310,000.[11]
The stars of Bratz: The Movie have said that there will be a second live-action Bratz movie in some interviews.
| Song | Chiefly Sung By | Other Singers | Scene |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Fabulous" | Meredith | None | My Super Sweet 16 Party |
| "It's All About Me" | Meredith | Meredettes | School Talent Show |
| "Bratitude" | Bratz | None | School Talent Show |
| "Open Eyes" | Bratz | None | MTV Video Music Awards Pre-show |
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