7 out of 10
 

Familiar with the classic story of "Cinderella"? "Sleepover" is another fairy tale, which is best suitable for young teenagers and parents alike to go and see. Four "individual" friends: Julie, Hannah, Farrah, and Yancy (Vega, Boorem, Taylor-Compton, and Childress), who are anxious to improve their social status, spend a night together at Julie’s house to celebrate the last day of their 8th grade school year. The night that the group has together, turns into an event that they will never forget. An adventurous evening takes place in the city, in which the four girls are challenged by a popular clique in school to an all-night “scavenger-hunt", a search for a list of items they must find. With the prize being their new high school cafeteria's "best" table, the battle between the "popular" versus the “unpopular" begins with a certain lust as the losers of this hunt, are to eat by the school dumpster for the entirety of their high school careers.

Popularity played a huge role within this film and it shows how the life of some teenagers may vary according to how popular they are. Julie is a teen who is affected greatly by her unpopularity as she has a crush on Steve (Sean Faris), a “Prince Charming" like student that goes to her new school. She claims that, “Steve doesn’t even know I exist," which clearly shows that she is unpopular within her own school. Stacie (Sara Paxton) is a girl in whom popularity is abundant based on her looks and what she wears. She is very arrogant and is an ignorant girl who tends to look down upon those who are not “cool".

The parental roles within this film are stereotypical in the way that they are caring, sensitive and yet overprotective. Today, we see some adults still treating their adolescents like they were still in pre-school. The audience is shown this in the movie as Julie’s mother is trying to take control of her, telling Julie that she should stay to watch over them and not go out. Eventually, Julie’s mother decides to go out and tells Julie not to leave the home while she is gone. We see contrast within Julie’s father however, for he does not even know that Julie and her crew have sneaked out of the house as he is mainly focused on the job of fixing the water cleaner in the home. Therefore, the viewers are given a perspective that fathers are not as sensitive as mothers are, on the issue of a child growing up.

Joe Nussbaum, the director, is known for his documentary in 1999 called “George Lucas in Love". Nussbaum’s first actual movie, “Sleepover", is a production in which many can relate to, unlike some flicks out there where relation is uncommon. Julie, like “Cinderella", receives her crown at a dance from the man of her dreams. Moreover, Julie gains the trust of her mother by showing that she can handle herself in the outside world.

Sleepover is a fairly entertaining comedy that pits the typified popular girls versus the unpopular girls in a competition. While it demonstrates how each crowd goes about accomplishing the intended goal, this movie should be watched with a relaxed mood, not a tense one. This movie is set in an upscale suburban area for general appeal. The plot is as easy to understand as possible, setting the stage for somewhat predictable situations. Stereo types are the absolute bread and butter with which the movie shall either be set or broken.