Teen Beach Movie - Movie Review

With the release of Teen Beach 2 just around the corner, I thought it time to tackle one of my favourite Disney Channel films of all time.

Back in 2009 Disney Channel brought us Wizards of Waverly Place from the shores of Puerto Rico. Now they bring us Teen Beach Movie, a fun beach party inspired film. McKenzie (Maia Mitchell) and Brady (Ross Lynch) are two surfers who are magically transported inside a classic ‘60s beach party film, Wet Side Story, where a surf-and-turf war between the surfers and bikers is in full swing. After accidentally changing the film’s plot causing the film’s hero and heroine to fall for them instead of each other, Mack and Brady must find a way to change the plot back whilst also finding a way back home.

The storyline progressed at an easy pace for the audience to follow, while still taking the time to learn about each of the four main characters in detail. The plotline of Wet Side Story, a spoof off of the popular film “West Side Story”, was both funny and enjoyable to watch. McKenzie’s insistence that girls can do anything boys can do provided a great message to the audience, as well as adding that extra conflict to the plot.

The acting was typical for a Disney Channel Original Movie and most of the cast did a terrific job at over-acting their parts when it came to the Wet Side Story characters. Lynch and Mitchell had very believable chemistry, while Grace Phipps (Lela) and Garrett Clayton (Tanner) did a great job at over-acting their own character’s relationship.

The film was let down as it was laced with continuity errors. One such error occurred towards the end of the film when Mitchell’s hair changed from being up to down from shot to shot. Other errors occurred throughout the film, though this was the most noticeable.

The costumes for this film were very similar to those that were used in beach party movies in the ‘60s. The girls in this film wore high-waisted bikinis which covered their navels, a nod to Ms. Annette Funicello to whom the film was dedicated.

The movie’s soundtrack was reminiscent of ‘60s beach party tunes, and contained tracks that were catchy and fun to listen to. ‘Can’t Stop Singing’, sung by Lynch and Mitchell, reflected the plot and worked to parody the genre of movie-musical with lyrics such as ‘this can’t be happening’ and ‘don’t tell me it’s a song’.

As we saw back in 2009, Puerto Rico has some beautiful beaches which we got to see again in this film. It’s a shame however that in the ‘Can’t Stop Singing’ scene, there was a modern city visible in the background although this part of the film was set in the ‘60s.

With catchy tunes, a progressive storyline and a beautiful location, Disney Channel has once again produced a thoroughly enjoyable film, one that I will be dancing to for many years to come.

Did you enjoy Teen Beach Movie as much as I did? Which song from the film is your favourite? Let me know in the comments section below, and don’t forget to tune in to Teen Beach 2 June 26th 8p on Disney Channel.

Stay random!

~ Jenna