Bratz The Movie Parent Guide
Parent Movie Review
I’ll admit I’m out of my league when it comes to the Bratz. Having all sons, we’ve missed the craze at our house. However, I’ve seen enough of the dolls with their sexy clothes, brash attitudes and come-hither looks to know they’re not necessarily the kind of girls I want my boys bringing home.
Surely though, with millions of dollars in sales, someone is bringing the Bratz home. And in an era when a movie can be more about marketing than it is about storyline, it seemed only a matter of time until the girls should venture onto the big screen. The problem was how to bring those flaunting fashionistas to life and still earn a PG rating that would allow their hordes of little fans to see their film.
Director Sean McNamara appears to have skirted the problem by toning down their provocative personas and dramatically improving their modesty levels. He’s also sent them off to high school as fresh-faced freshmen where they encounter the clique-riddled campus of Carry Nation, reigned over by a bad-to-the-bone, self-centered snob of a student body president, Meredith Dimly (Chelsea Staub). As the daughter of the school’s principle, a cowering dimwit aptly named Dimly (and unfortunately played by veteran actor John Voight), she runs the school with an iron fist and maintains her popularity by keeping everyone segregated into their assigned factions.
But after two years of cowering to Meredith’s wishes and going their separate ways—-Jade (Janel Parrish) as a science/home-ec geek, Chloe (Skyler Shaye) as a soccer star, Sasha (Logan Browning) as a cheerleader and Yasmin (Nathalia Ramos) as a journalist and wanna-be singer—-the girls realize they still want to be friends. That’s when they decide to break free of Meredith’s tyrannical rule and stoop to some revengeful tactics of their own.
However, while they talk about breaking up the cliques, it is more common to see these BFFs (Best Friends Forever) hanging out in the mall. Invited to Meredith’s second Super Sweet 16 extravaganza, the first thing the foursome has to do is find something new to wear. Unfortunately, Chloe (the impoverished girl who has still managed to go through numerous outfit changes) laments she has nothing to wear and no money to buy new clothes. Luckily for her, Jade has not one, but two, gold-enveloped gift certificates from her divorced parents who are competing for her love and she magnanimously passes one on to Chloe so that the girls’ consumer frenzy won’t be interrupted by a lack of funds.
It’s a blatant buy, buy, buy attitude with extravagant parties (complete with an elephant and MTV film crew), and a feel good finale that rivals anything Broadway could muster up on stage.
To its credit, most of the film’s content is as bland as the girl’s personalities. Other than Meredith’s treacherous acts, there is little more than brief profanities, a couple of super short skirts, a few quick smooches and some schoolyard fights. The moviemakers also temper the consumerism by showing the girls working together for a common goal.
Still Bratz: The Movie is little more than 90 minutes of painful fluff. However, if this latest trend is something your daughter just can’t miss, at least these modified Bratz are a tamer version of what you’ll find on store shelves.
Starring Nathalia Ramos, Janel Parrish, Logan Browning, Skyler Shaye. Running time: 110 minutes. Theatrical release August 2, 2007. Updated April 2, 2009
Bratz The Movie
Rating & Content Info
Why is Bratz The Movie rated PG? Bratz The Movie is rated PG by the MPAA for thematic material
Heading off to high school, this foursome’s biggest concern is what to wear. Afraid that her parents won’t approve of her fashion sense, Jade dresses one way to leave home and then changes her clothes at school. On campus the girls meet the treacherous Meredith, a tiara-wearing cheerleader and other highly exaggerated characters. An accidental slip starts a food fight in the schoolyard and a mean remark sparks a fight in a classroom. There are some mild sports injuries and an unplanned dip in the pool at a party. The script includes infrequent profanities, some name-calling and brief depictions of sibling rivalry.
Page last updated April 2, 2009
Bratz The Movie Parents' Guide
In this film, the bad characters are very, very bad and the good characters are very, very good. Is this a realistic portrayal? How accurate is the film’s depiction of high school?
Cliques are a major theme in the movie. Why do people form cliques? Can a person be a member of only one interest group? Does the constant portrayal of cliques in movies reinforce the idea in a real high school setting?
In what ways do the girls support and help each other? How do they deal with their ethnic, financial and interest differences?
Home Video
The most recent home video release of Bratz The Movie movie is November 26, 2007. Here are some details…
DVD Release Date: 27 November 2007
The DVD release of Bratz: The Movie offers to spoil fans with deleted scenes, twelve featurettes, two music videos, and an audio commentary by director Sean McNamara. Presented in widescreen, the film provides audio tracks in English (Dolby Digital 5.1) and subtitles in Spanish.
Related home video titles:
John Voight stars in another teen story about a young boy who is wrongfully sent to a juvenile detention camp in the movie Holes The made-for-TV Disney special High School Musical has a positive portrayal of kids breaking free of cliques.
The Bratz dolls are not the only fashion toys to break into show business. Barbie also has a line of movies, such as Barbie as Rapunzel and Barbie: Fairytopia