While cloning has received lots of press in the recent years with tales of Dolly the sheep and other genetically created critters, I think I now have proof that it's been going on for decades and has been done with humans. The evidence is 22-year-old actor Sean Faris. For those who don't know who he is -- and most won't -- he's appeared in various bit parts in some movies and TV shows and now plays the object of desire in the young girl romance comedy, "Sleepover."
After seeing it (if you dare), you'll likely agree that he, his overall attractiveness and killer, megawatt smile had to have been cloned from none other than Tom Cruise. Upon first spotting Mr. Faris and then for the rest of the film, that's all I could think of. Of course, the otherwise pedestrian and flat offering didn't do much to give me something else to focus on.
Something of a modern day, slightly older skewing and suburban version of "Adventures in Babysitting," the film really isn't about a sleepover. Instead, it features an impromptu scavenger hunt where the winner doesn't get Tom, uh, Sean Faris, but instead the highly coveted high school lunch spot.
I suppose all of that could have worked with more wit and imagination, but director Joe Nussbaum (who directed the acclaimed indie short, "George Lucas in Love" many moons ago) - working from a script by Elisa Bell ("Vegas Vacation") -- doesn't manage to make a convincing, let alone terribly entertaining film. From the on the nose dialogue and exposition to the haphazard plot, unbelievable character motivation and lack of some much needed cleverness and spunk, the effort might appeal to its target audience of "tweens," but probably few others.
Everyone knows that sleepovers really aren't about sleeping and the filmmakers have certainly infused their picture with lots of nocturnal activity. Yet, little of it's fun, funny or engaging, thus preventing the viewer from getting caught up in the proceedings and rooting for the girls to be victorious.
Its one slightly saving grace -- and I do mean slightly -- is that it manages to turn somewhat cute and a bit sweet in the second half. It's not enough to redeem the picture, but at least it makes it slightly more bearable than the first half.
The plot basically consists of two "us versus them" scenarios. The first has the protagonist -- Alexa Vega thankfully freed from the ever diminishing "Spy Kids" films -- employing her older brother -- bizarrely played by Sam Huntington ("Not Another Teen Movie," "Jungle 2 Jungle") as if suffering from a head injury -- to prevent their parents -- played by Jane Lynch ("A Mighty Wind," "Collateral Damage") and Jeff Garlin ("Daddy Day Care," TV's "Curb Your Enthusiasm") -- from learning that she and her friends have snuck out of the house from the titular activity.
That obviously provides plenty of opportunities for all sorts of related shenanigans. While the filmmakers succeed in terms of quantity, they fail in regards of making such material amusing. While Lynch's character is out clubbing on a girl's night out, Garlin plays the oblivious, handyman wannabe who spends the entire film trying to install a water filter in the kitchen sink. While younger viewers might enjoy the various decoys and distractions aimed at keeping them in the dark, none of it's as clever as it could and should have been.
The same holds true for the second antagonistic pairing that pits Vega and her friends -- played by Mika Boorem ("Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights," "Blue Crush"), Scout Taylor-Compton (making her feature debut) and Kallie Flynn Childres (ditto) -- battling their former friend turned "mean girl" embodied by Sara Paxton ("Liar Liar," "Soldier") and the rest of her clique. Rather than the wit on display in "Mean Girls," the battle is reduced to an unimaginative scavenger hunt competition that only partially meets that definition and stems from an unbelievable catalyst.
As those two "us versus them" scenarios play out and occasionally intersect, we're supposed to root for our teens' success and hope that they don't get caught by the bumbling security guard played with plenty of flair but little laughs by Steve Carel ("Bruce Almighty," TV's "The Daily Show").
Beyond the base level of all of that, the material is also supposed to be symbolic of growing up, becoming more independent and solving your own problems, as noted by a late in the game, mother/daughter talk. Yet, that's too little, too late, and I can only imagine that it will go over most of the target audience's heads. It may also horrify some parents that this is what young teen girls are thinking about and/or doing (including some of the sexual material).
All of which leads us back to Sean Faris. While it's hard to say whether he'll follow the Tom Cruise path or the one taken by lots of pretty boys who never amounted to anything in the biz, he's the most interesting thing the film has to offer. Since his is such a small and underdeveloped part, however, that isn't saying much. Potentially entertaining for less discerning, young viewers but probably no one else, "Sleepover" rates as just a 3 out of 10.
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