Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen is a
2004 American comedy film based on the
book by
Dyan Sheldon. which was released on February 20, 2004, by
Walt Disney Pictures. The film was directed by
Sara Sugarman with screenplay penned by
Dyan Sheldon and
Gail Parent. The film was produced by
Robert Shapiro and
Matthew Hart. The film stars
Lindsay Lohan,
Alison Pill, and
Adam Garcia.
It was filmed in various locations, primarily south-central
Los Angeles. The film was release in late February 2004 opening with little positive feedback from critics, but reached number two in the
United States box office behind
Adam Sandler's
50 First Dates. It was released July 20, 2004 on
VHS and
DVD.
[homevideo.about.com/library/weekly/aa072004a.htm]
Plot
Fifteen-year-old Mary "Lola" Cep (
Lindsay Lohan), who is desperate for attention, moves with her family from
New York City to the
suburbs of Dellwood,
New Jersey, much to her chagrin. Her new attitude then gets a reality check as she begins to realize she must become best friends with the most popular girl in school, Carla Santini (
Megan Fox), and her two followers Marcia (
Ashley Leggat), and Robin (
Barbara Mamabolo). Lola makes friends with an unpopular girl named Ella Gerard (
Alison Pill), as they share a love for the band Sidarthur (spelling as in script and on concert banner in film, however sometimes interpreted as Sidartha or Sid Arthur), whose lead
singer, Stu Wolf (
Adam Garcia), is the object of Lola's crush; Ella has a crush on Steve, the
bassist. Lola also meets Sam, a cute guy who takes a liking to her because of her large breasts. Later she tries out for the school play, a modern version of
Pygmalion named "Eliza Rocks" because the teacher wanted to base it on a modern-day New Yorker with "modern, hip" music. The play uses
David Bowie's song "Changes" as its main theme. After getting the part of Eliza over her brand-new enemy Carla, the resentment between the two grows. Later they hear an announcement over the radio that Sidarthur has broken up and that Stu Wolf does not ever want to work with the band again. Lola and Ella are devastated. After school, Lola and Carla end up challenging each other on the dancing machine at an arcade. While there, Carla reveals that she already has tickets to Sidarthur's sold-out farewell concert due to her father being Stu Wolf's lawyer (mentioned earlier in the movie). Lola tells Carla that she and Ella have tickets, too, based on a connection of her mom's. Lola then wins the dancing machine game and earns some respect from the others.
Lola tries to get tickets as well in the hopes of upsetting Carla. But because she's grounded and has no allowance, Lola asks Sam to "
borrow" Eliza's dress. He nearly gets caught when Miss Baggoli, the drama teacher gives the performers a break from training and goes to the drama room, but she is distracted by Lola while Sam hides as a mannequin, behind a mirror, and eventually exits behind Miss Baggoli's back. Ella offers to pay for both of their tickets at first. After failing to obtain tickets legally, Ella and Lola take a train to New York City in order to buy tickets from a
scalper. But things don't go as well as they hoped because Lola had left her bag behind the sink on the train, and now doesn't have the money to pay for tickets. Lola and Ella finally give up, and they walk through the city to find Stu's after-show party.
Afterwards, Lola goes home, upset, and decides not to go to the performance, but she is spurred on by Ella's encouragement. Meanwhile as Miss Baggoli questions the absence of Lola, Carla confirms that she knows Eliza's script and that she will take the part. Just in time, Lola arrives and goes on stage as her part. Just as she is about to go on stage, Lola's mother wishes her good luck and finally calls her by her nickname "Lola". Then she goes on stage and gives a great performance and then the scene focuses on the after-party at Carla's. Stu Wolf shows up on the doorstep to see Lola and return her necklace but to save herself from humiliation, Carla attempts at saying he is here to see her, but is promptly proved wrong when Stu sees Lola and gives her the necklace, in front of everyone. As Carla's lies become apparent to everyone, she somberly backs away from the crowd and falls into the fountain, greeted by everyone's laughter. In pity, Lola helps her up and the two resolve their issues. After dancing with Stu, she dances with Sam and they eventually share a kiss, ending the film.
Cast
Filming locations
Most of the movie was filmed in
Canada. Scenes at the high school were filmed at
Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute, in
Scarborough,
Ontario,
Canada. The scene in front of the concert venue was filmed at
Toronto's
Elgin Theatre on
Yonge Street. As well
Montreal was the filming locations for many of the scenes. Scenes were also filmed in
King City Secondary School in
King City, Ontario.
[hollywood.premiere.com/movie-Confessions+of+a+Teenage+Drama+Queen]
Reception
Reviews
Based on 87 reviews collected by
Rotten Tomatoes, the film received an average 13% overall approval rating.
[www.rottentomatoes.com/m/confessions_of_a_teenage_drama_queen/] Parent Previews gave the film an overall grade of C+.
[www.parentpreviews.com/movie_reviews/confessions-of-a-teenage-drama-queen/] Dennis Harvey of
Variety magazine commented in his review that "Based on
Dyan Sheldon's popular youth fiction,
Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen emerges a strained showcase for up-and-comer
Lindsay Lohan as a sophisticated
Big Apple teen unhappily relocated to
New Jersey. Minimally funny comedy feels like a
Disney Channel pic that got boosted to theatrical after Lohan scored a hit opposite
Jamie Lee Curtis in the "
Freaky Friday" remake. Nonetheless, it should have a lock on the 7- to 12-year-old female demo for a couple weekends before finding longer tube/tape shelf life."
[www.variety.com/review/VE1117923179.html?categoryid=31&cs=1] Ultimate Disney reviewed the
DVD saying that it "doesn't garner a recommendation as a film, and its DVD special features are as breezy and shallow as the movie itself. Lindsay Lohan fans and teenage girls are bound to be the most interested, and they might well enjoy it on the surface as light entertainment. But for others, one viewing may be more than enough."
[www.ultimatedisney.com/confessions.html]
Box office
Despite mostly negative critical reception, the film grossed a modest $9.3 million in its opening weekend (February 20-22, 2004), debuting at #2, right behind
Adam Sandler's
50 First Dates. The film did fairly at the box office, grossing $29 million domestically and $30 million worldwide.
[listing-index.ebay.com/movies/Confessions_of_a_Teenage_Drama_Queen.html]
