SLEEPOVER

US, 2004, 89 minutes, Colour.
Alex Vega, Mika Boorem, Jane Lynch, Sara Paxton.
Directed by Joe Nussbaum.

Sleepover is aimed at its target audience, younger teenage girls, very squarely – but perhaps not fairly.

Four friends, looked down on by the rest of the class, decide to have a sleepover at Julie’s house but go out on the town. They have a series of adventures which include deciding to go on a scavenger hunt throughout the night against their popular rivals. Their activity involves hijacking one of their fathers’ cars. They also go into some clubs, have to escape Julie’s mother. There is even a touch of romance.

However, more adult audiences may find these kinds of high jinks rather hard to sit through.

Alexa Vega is Julie. She made an impact in the Spy Kids series. The other leader is Mika Boorem who had some good roles from 2000 on in such films as The Patriot, Along Came a Spider, Hearts in Atlantis and Riding in Cars with Boys. She also appeared in a number of episodes of Dawson’s Creek.

The film was directed by Joe Nussbaum who had made only a short film prior to this but was in pre-preparation for American Pie 5. (Some compensation for adults is the appearance of comedian Jane Lynch as well as an appearance by Steve Carell as Officer Sherman.)

1.The niche audience for the film? Girls, parents? Fourteen-year-old girls? Dreams and fantasies?

2.The high school film tradition, the PG rating, the focus on fourteen-year-olds and their worlds and problems?

3.The title, the American custom, the girls, the sleepover, end of school year, their parents, rules, disobeying them? Consequences?

4.The atmosphere of the mean girls films? The ordinary girls, the so-called aristocratic and snobby girls, their presumptions, looking down on the ordinary girls?

5.Julie and her friend going to leave for Vancouver, school over, coming out of classes, the discussions with Stacey, her pulling out of the slumber party to go to the dance, her picking on Yancey for her size, their inviting Yancey to the sleepover – and the friend later admitting that she was there to fill up the gap? Her being hurt?

6.Stacey, meanness, going to the dance, her boyfriend ditching her, her inability to cope, her plan, going to Julie’s place, the treasure hunt, the snobbish girl and her being in league with her? The rules?

7.Julie, her relationship with her mother, her mother’s directness, her going out, at the dance and seeming young, to Julie’s shock? Dad, practical, the water in the house, fixing the pipes – and the disasters with the hole in the roof etc? Julie’s brother, back from college, lazy, wanting money? His covering for her?

8.Julie forced to go on the treasure hunt, the noise, the policeman at the door, later meeting him with the small car, his trying to take her in? The escape? The different tasks, getting the scarf, going to the dance, seeing her mother, dropping her scarf? On the skateboard and getting home to answer her mother’s phone call? Steve seeing her and her being the girl of his dreams? Getting into his house, the shower, taking his boxer shorts? The policeman and his security, taking the plaque from the door of the car? Going to the dance, persuading the plain girl at the door that she would be like her in four years’ time and therefore should let her in? The dance, the need to get the crown, the bet with the girls? Steve, his speech, calling her up, giving her the crown, dancing with her? Going home, the trellis being broken, the tree-house crashing against the house, talking to her mother, the girls pretending to sleep? Her mother realising what had gone on? Steve, his arrival, the crown – and the kiss? The farewell to her friend?

9.The other girls, the friendship, helping Julie, Yancey and the car, all together, crashing the car, getting the power again? Going to the dance, Yancey hurt? Her being invited to dance and her happiness with the dance? Their all being back at the end, the sleepover?

10.The smug boy with Stacey, ditching her, lying to her, the other girl(s?) and their cattiness, the fight? Steve and his friend, skateboarding, seeing Julie, wanting to meet her, crowned, and giving her the crown, dancing with her, the kiss? The yob group, the champion dancer, with Stacey, not continuing the date, the photo of himself in a coma?

11.The parents, their relationship with their daughter, nice, the gawky brother, his going back to college?

12.The policeman, the oddball character, the comedy of his seriousness – and ringing his mother to pick him up?

13.Innocence, rites of passage – as if…?