Bratz (2007)

Ok, ok, don’t judge me! I feel like it’s already started, but hey, you’d be surprised to know this film isn’t that much of a bummer. Yes yes, it’s one of those cheesy, shitty, over the top, like seriously over the top, overdramatic, kind of films. I fully accept that. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t some enjoyment out of it! I would definitely say that this film is chickflicky, 100% girly, not that only girls can watch it, but you know the genre.

So for starters, this film may be for those a little younger than myself, but hey! Some say Disney is for children! When I was younger, I used to play with Bratz dolls all the time, all of them Cloe, Jade, Yasmin and Sasha, I was always Jade. So I’m not going to lie to you, when a film was going to come out of the dolls I used to spend so much time playing with, of course I was going to watch it! Oh and especially when I used to play the playstation game, I still stand by the fact that, ‘Bratz: Rock Angelz’ was one of the best playstation games going… And you know what from the Bratz dolls, they have chosen the actresses extremely well!

Anyway… there are so many films like this one, and they shouldn’t be forgotten! Similarities such as ‘Camp Rock’, or ‘Lizzie McGuire Movie’, you know the type. Ok, so those two might be better, but you get what I’m trying to say. IMDb even suggest similarities in ‘A Cinderella Story: Once Upon A Song’ or ‘Princess Protection Programme’, which I understand. Films such as these ones have a very particular audience, but hey, I know a few people have guilty pleasures over them, so add this film to the list.

So what is this film even all about? Four best friends start high school, however there is one problem. At this new school, there is a Daddy’s Princess President of the school, who to say the least is a bit of a control freak and has to have the order in the school, to the point that everyone must be in a clique and sit at their designated table, this is Meredith (Chelsea Kane), the self-absorbed villain of the film. Although, these four best friends are Cloe (Skyler Shaye – which off point but I’ve noticed has considerably less screen time than the other three…), Jade (Janel Parrish – some may recognise as Mona from the one and only ‘Pretty Little Liars’), Sasha (Logan Browning) and Yasmin (Nathalia Ramos). They all like different things, and therefore all qualify for different cliques. So BFFs (as they say) at the beginning, soon turns into little recognition, as they jump two years ahead and they look exactly the same, but that’s really not the point… Cloe has become a football star. Sasha joined the cheerleading squad. Jade delves herself into science, while also loves fashion design. And Yasmin, well I think journalism? But they really don’t delve into her clique much… well not at all. She’s more there for the memory of the four girls once together, oh and that she loves singing but won’t do it due to her major fear of stage fright. They also bring back some other memorable names of the Bratz franchise, such as Cameron (Stephen Ford) and Dylan (Ian Nelson).

Behind all the cheesy, overdramatic front of the film, there is actually a worthwhile message as they delve into different people’s lives, although the sole message is that they all can still be friends no matter the differences, of course there is a moral! But Jade struggles as she hides her true self of a “passion for fashion” as her parents want her to amaze in science and maths. Cloe lives under the care of a single mother struggling with jobs and money. Sasha’s parents have gone through a divorce as a child gets in between the mess of it all. And finally Yasmin’s own brother turns on her, and she’s under the care of a guardian herself. So don’t be hating the film full on, because there is some essence of the film that is important for children to learn.

You know what, I do enjoy watching ‘Bratz’. It’s one of those feel-good, upbeat films. Just to sit and watch. I understand where hate could come from, but hey! Don’t judge a book by its cover. It’s enjoyable and fun, hilarious in how crazy and dramatic it is. I think those who loved the Bratz franchise would probably appreciate it more, but it’s a film young teens can appreciate. There’s even an elephant in it! Just get warped into the hilarity and randomness, it’s not that bad!