If the title intrigues you..., Jul 20 2004
So there are these two 15-year-old girls who've wandered into the bedroom of a party-hearty rock star, right? And they've just come in from the rain and their clothes are soaking wet, so they have to change. And there's a big party going on downstairs. What do you think happens next? That's right: The girls, giddy with delight, jump into the musician's bed -- and jump up and down on the mattress. Then they fool around with his... guitar collection! And when they change their outfits... well, it happens off-screen and the rocker is nowhere in the vicinity. That's a taste of the thoroughly wholesome flavor of "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen," a perky vehicle for Lindsay Lohan of "Freaky Friday" fame. It's set in a world where the streets of New York's Soho neighborhood are startlingly kid-friendly, police stations are squeaky-clean, and even garbage bags come in pastel shades. A word to the wise: If you find the title tantalizing, you'll probably love the film. Gail Parent's screenplay at least offers a few witty lines and some fresh twists on some standard situations, and the irresistibly lively Lohan gives her fans their money's worth, singing, dancing and clowning around cheerfully. She's nicely teamed with Alison Pill ("Pieces of April"), who puts her own distinctive spin on the timeworn wallflower-waiting-to-bloom role. Lohan plays aspiring actress Lola -- her real name is Mary, but that's not exotic enough to suit her -- who is mortified when her mom (Glenne Headly) decides to transplant the family from Manhattan to Dellwood, N.J. A shared love of the band Sidarthur brings Lola together with Ella (Pill), a kind but socially awkward type. Lola and Ella scheme to crash Sidarthur's farewell concert in New York and the exclusive after-show bash, for which their archrival Carla (Megan Fox) already has secured an invitation. What sets "Drama" apart from the run-of-the-mill teen tale is its surprisingly even-handed approach to its characters. Instead of being forced to sneak into the city to see the show, Lola and Ella actually work out a mutually acceptable compromise with their parents, who are not portrayed as useless neurotics or stern disciplinarians. Even Stu Wolff (Adam Garcia), the hard-drinking Liam Gallagher type Lola idolizes, is not drawn as an egomaniac or a louse -- and, aside from throwing donuts at the police, he's certainly a perfect gentlemen around the girls, even when he's sauced. Lola's obsession with Stu is also very PG and pretty amusing as well. Stalking him through the streets of New York, she tells Ella, "Except for the garbage and the cars, it's just like following Heathcliff out on the moors!" Later on, an incident will drive our heroine into what she calls "a depression only Hamlet would recognize." Like the Hayley Mills films of the 1960s or the Jodie Foster comedies of the 1970s, "Drama" continues Disney's tradition of creating silly yet endearing movies with immensely likable female stars. Just as previous generations embraced "That Darn Cat" and "Candleshoe," you can bet that 20 years from now a lot of moms in their mid-30s will see "Confessions" in the video store and tell their kids, "I remember seeing that one a long time ago -- it was soooo good!"
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