Radio Rebel (2012)

Number Rolled: 21

Movie Name/Year: Radio Rebel (2012)

Tagline: Can the girl who never speaks… become the voice of a generation?

Genre: Comedy

Length: 89 minutes

Rating: TV-G

Production Companies: Two 4 the Money Media, Goldenring Productions, Morp Services

Executive Producer: Kim Arnott, Oliver De Caigny, Jane Goldenring, Michael Jacobs, Robyn Snyder, Fernando Szew

Director: Peter Howitt

Writer: Danielle Joseph, Erik Patterson, Jessica Scott, Peter Howitt

Actors: Debby Ryan, Sarena Parmar, Adam DiMarco, Atticus Mitchell, Merritt Patterson, Allie Bertram, Iain Belcher, Rowen Kahn, Nancy Robertson, Martin Cummins, April Telek, Mercedes de la Zerda

Tara is the shy girl in school, she doesn’t make any waves. Hell, she won’t even answer a teacher’s question. What people don’t know, however, is that she is the loved and popular Radio Rebel when school lets out.

Selina’s Point of View:

I didn’t out-right hate the movie. On some level, I even enjoyed it a little bit. When I learned that it was a book made into film, I realized I would have no problem picking the book up. I bet it’s a decent read.

I just don’t think it survived the transitions to film. Not completely, anyway.

The actors tried, but they didn’t have much to work with and no one had any chemistry with anyone else. The principal was a caricature at best. I really hope the book gives more depth to the characters. I know my imagination would have better acting.

Still, there were some amusing moments and it wasn’t completely unwatchable.

In the end, it would probably be an interesting film for young teens and pre-teens, but for me… it is what it is.

Cat’s Point of View:

I remember the trailers for this film running on the Disney Channel before it first aired, however, I didn’t catch it then. I had high hopes for the concept, since the premise had stuck with me over the years.

Most of the TV Movies that air for the mouse network are laced with underlying life lessons. It was no different for this one. I found the story and the message behind it very compelling. It was something that I could identify with, personally.

Like any other teen-aimed movie, there were stereotypes highlighted with the high school class tropes. The message, however, clearly pushed to ditch such labels in favor of just being yourself and overcoming obstacles.

When I was younger, I was sometimes almost painfully shy. It’s still something that I occasionally struggle with. I discovered, much like the character Tara in this film, that technology was an excellent buffer that allowed me to more freely express myself and just be me.

Debby Ryan (What If..., The Suite Life Movie, Secret of the Wings) pulled me along on her character’s journey. Her performance was the quintessential essence of that feeling of everything overwhelming swirling around within you and yet lacking the ability to express yourself face to face.

Her transformation was paced well as she blossomed into herself. She’s a familiar face from some of the shows my daughter has enjoyed watching, and I enjoyed her in this role.

While this movie is geared towards teens, I believe it could be enjoyable at any age.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – None

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 62%

Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 4/5

Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 2/5

Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 4.5/5

Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 4.5/5

The Random Rating: PG

P.S. This movie is based on the book “Shrinking Violet” by Danielle Joseph.

Movie Trailer: