What Do The Critics Say?

"The dialogue is stupid, the plot is stupid, and unfortunately, the stars are as brainless as their plastic counterparts. This is girl power?" Dezhda Mountz E! ONLINE "The derivative Bratz is a great big pink marshmallow of a movie, aimed at one demographic only: tween girls into fashion and lip gloss. Anyone else, enter at your own risk." Kit Bowen HOLLYWOOD.COM "I suspect 8-year-old girls will like it just fine." Chris Hewitt ST PAUL PIONEER PRESS "Wow, is this movie mind-numblingly vapid and shrill." Christy Lemire ASSOCIATED PRESS "It's earnest, silly and sweet, with just enough food fights and musical numbers to keep everyone else from gagging on the goo." Teresa Wiltz WASHINGTON POST "The filmmakers have gone below the lowest common denominator, aiming a teenage story at 8-year-old girls. It's clunky, condescending and insulting." Rich Cline SHADOWS ON THE WALL

"Pumped up, prancing and glossed to within an inch of its shallow life, Bratz is everything parents have to be very afraid of for their daughters, not in the least because tweenie girls are going to love this choreographed confection of fashion, friendship and teenage rivalry. From the director of Raise Your Voice comes an unabashedly commercial franchise." Emma Gardiner FILMINK "The Bratz girls emerge as live-action characters in a glossy, market-driven film. something seems terribly amiss. The characters in Bratz, however, present the singularly jarring spectacle of adult actors behaving like young girls while dressed like women on the prowl." Jim Schembri THE AGE "Just when you think the agony has subsided and the kids have to go home for supper, a freakin' music video breaks out." Scott Weinberg CINEMATICAL "Despite looking like they're old enough to vote, they play girls in their first year of high school who have wardrobes larger than most suburban homes. By the time they're 16, they're driving classic sports cars to school because, as this film suggests, you're only as good as you look. What makes this even more uncomfortable is that the makers of the film have tried to hide the true nature of the Bratz brand with themes of female empowerment. The Bratz are four best friends who also happen to be outrageous racial stereotypes." Rodney Chester THE COURIER MAIL "The whole thing reeks of loopy desperation, with only newcomer Logan Browning coming away unscathed as an all-singing, all-dancing Tracy Flick, while the usual empowering messages are muddied by the need to crowbar in the Bratz’ passion for fashion. And yes, that is Jon Voight lurking wretchedly in the background as the school principal." EMPIREONLINE

The Inside Story "Bratz is X-Men for girls," says Avi Arad, the producer behind such notable blockbusters as the "Spider-Man" trilogy, "The Hulk", three "X-Men" features, "The Fantastic Four", "The Punisher", "Ghost Rider" and a string of other #1 box office successes. So what was it about this project that inspired this legendary producer to take on the task of bringing the number 1 fashion doll in the marketplace to life? Friendship, the same theme and value that embodies what "Bratz" is all about. "Isaac is an old friend of mine and he said he was wondering about making the dolls into a live action movie," says Arad. "I said 'I think I see my way through it' and I became really interested in doing it. I felt that there is a story to be told to young girls that has to do with empowerment, with believing in yourself. Being a tween is a very tough age and the schoolyard is like a jungle. This movie is very special to me and I felt that "Bratz" has the opportunity to appeal to the same philosophical issues as some of the other movies I’ve made like the "X-Men" films. What makes these dolls really unique is their diversity." "Fans have been asking for this kind of a "Bratz" movie for a long time," says Isaac Larian, CEO of MGA Entertainment, the dolls’ creator. "Avi Arad is a creative genius so I knew we would get the kind of film we wanted. This movie is about friendship, it's about promoting diversity and acceptance of the people who are around you." "Avi is Hans Christian Andersen reincarnated, he’s one of the great storytellers of all time," notes producer Steven Paul ("Ghost Rider" & "Bitter Harvest"). "If you sit opposite him and you close your eyes, you’ll begin to envision an entire world. I loved the idea that there were these four girls who are best friends and the idea of kids going on a journey with them." Inherent in bringing a one-dimensional figure to life is how you create a backstory, a history that meshes and is easily communicated in a storyline designed to appeal to a young but savvy audience. "In order for you to make these dolls, these characters come to life, you have to expand their environment; you have to give them a home life, parents, aspirations, enjoyments, hobbies and dreams. In a movie you have the opportunity to take all of these things and surround them in real life," says Arad. "Family, friends, going to school, talking about their fears, how do they overcome them and how does all that fit together so that kids can relate." "The challenges for us in making this live action versus animation was the girls who buy the dolls. They have their own imagination on how these dolls look. So are they going to be okay or disappointed when they see the live action, real people playing those characters?" asks Larian. "But I think we've got a great, great cast and a terrific story so I’m sure our fans will love this film." For director Sean McNamara, taking the journey of transforming the dolls into real girls was a great opportunity to work once again with young actors as well as exploring another dynamic of filmmaking. "I chose to direct "Bratz" because it’s in my wheelhouse," it’s my genre. I love working with talented actors who are young and just finding themselves," McNamara said. "I’ve had the good fortune of finding Shia Lebouf, Jessica Alba and Hilary Duff and directed them in their first television series. BRATZ was a great opportunity to do a film that is a brand and I’ve never done that before. Also, I really like being involved in making great family movies." "Sean is a bright, big teddy bear," says Arad. "This movie is fun, it’s edgy but it’s really positive. You want a guy that understands and feels our script is full of moments about self-sacrifice, not in an over the top way, but just what kids do for other kids. There is a real sense of justice and redemption and that’s a journey Sean was interested in." With "Bratz" being the hottest selling fashion doll, the open casting call lured thousands of girls across the country to the Los Angeles offices of Crystal Sky. Casting the four "Bratz" was really, really difficult, there were many choices because there’s not just one talented kid out there. Each one has something special that they bring; either they’re a great dancer or someone is a better singer or there’s a little dramatic element to them, so what you end up looking for is somebody that has sort of the best of everything," Paul said. "We looked for girls who gave us a good vibe in the room about themselves and we watched them rehearse together. We also watched their parents. You can tell a lot by meeting the parents of young kids," Arad says. Janel Parrish who plays Jade says there was an ironic twist to her auditioning. "I had just done a voice-over for a "Bratz" commercial so I thought it must be a sign. I first tried out for the part of Yasmin and didn’t get it so I took off to Florida with my sister when I got called back to come in and audition for the part of Jade. When my manager called me to say I got the role, I was jumping up and down yelling 'Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me?' I was so excited, it still hasn’t sunk in." Logan Browning flew all the way out to Los Angeles from Atlanta to try for the role of Sasha and was soon told they passed on her. "After they told me I didn’t get it, I went back home and just as I made my peace with it; they called me back to try it again. This time I got it and I was the happiest person on earth." Nathalia Ramos who plays Yasmin was already in the back of McNamara’s mind after auditioning her for a television series the previous year. "I met her for the first time last year when I was casting for a family show," says McNamara. "Although she wasn’t right for that at the time, I told my casting director 'You got to keep a pin in her, we’ve got to know where she’s going.' When this movie came about I said, 'Get Nathalia in here.' She can act, she’s gorgeous, and she’s the right age." Skyler Shaye would get called back six times before she landed the role of Cloe. Chelsea Staub was cast as the high school antagonist, Meredith Dimly. "Chelsea Staub is actually the first person we auditioned for the role, which is a story I love to tell because that almost never happens. What I love about this role is that it’s not just some mean girl and that’s it. Meredith is very happy and friendly, willing to help everyone on the outside and then with a turn of a head, you get a look and you just know she has another agenda. Chelsea walked into the audition and just nailed it," co-producer Kyla Kraman (Avi Arad's assistant on "Elektra", "Fantastic Four" and "X-Men: The Last Stand") recalls. "These girls worked really hard to get their roles and we saw so many others that were amazing but at the end of the day you have to pick four," producer Steven Paul said. "We were also extremely lucky with Chelsea Staub who plays our antagonist, Meredith. She’s an amazingly talented actress." Ruling the school like a prison is Principal Dimly whose daughter Meredith, embraces the same austere and stern mannerisms of the school’s namesake, Carry Nation. Meredith keeps control of the students by organizing everyone in cliques. "Meredith is student body President, wins the talent show every year and basically the arch-nemesis of the "Bratz". She's a type-A personality, a perfectionist, highly competitive, insecure about her status and she’ll win at any costs. It’s all about her in her mind. The way she can get control over the students is by the old divide and conquer strategy, she assigns students to specific cliques and makes sure they don’t stray, and it works until the "Bratz" get to Carry Nation High," Staub's says of her character. "The most important element in this kind of movie is wish fulfillment, live out your dream but really live it out. Give it a shot! It’s also about diversity and discrimination. We have a bunch of girls who learn very quickly that the best thing they have is their friendship and their trust in each other," Arad notes. "The producers, writers and I hung out and talked about the fact that we had all lost friendships during high school, not because you want to but you start meeting new people and start hanging out with people that are into the same things as you," says McNamara. "This theme of cliques still happens even when you grow up, it’s in the business world; hey they are everywhere. I think that’s what I’m trying to say with this movie is that you don’t have to be part of a clique exclusively." "When I was in high school I didn’t belong to a clique. I had friends that were in band, that were cheerleaders, science club. There are a lot of pressures in high school for young girls to belong to a clique and to have a certain place," Parrish recalled. "A very similar thing happened to me with my best friend. We’d been in separable since second grade but once we got to high school we started hanging out with different kids and before you know it we didn’t see each other at all," says fifteen year old Nathalia Ramos. "Cliques are something to overcome in this world," says Arad, "that’s the social system and if we can unite kids without taking away their individuality, that’s fantastic." Synopsis

As long as they can remember, Yasmin, Jade, Sasha and Cloe have been Best Friends Forever. Inseparable since they first met, the young girls have always supported each other’s individual personalities, talents and fabulous fashion styles. But now as the foursome enters Carry Nation High, Yasmin, Jade, Sasha and Cloe face a brand new world: a blackboard jungle where, for the first time, they discover life as a teenager means dealing with a system of social cliques, all strictly enforced by senior, Meredith Baxter Dimly who 'labels' every student on arrival. What at first seems fun turns ugly as the girls realize the effect it is having on their friendship. Finding themselves being torn apart, the girls band together, rising up to fight peer pressure, in turn learning how true empowerment means standing up for your friends while being true to oneself and living out one’s dreams and aspirations.

The Verdict "While there are some minor redeeming points for "Bratz" it is in the main a very ugly film. It's squarely aimed at that very impressionable target group, every mum and dads darling little girl, the vulnerable tweener or early teener. In light of all the recent press regarding the sexualization of young girls, parents are advised that, where-ever possible, they should accompany their young ladies and young misses to the film. "Bratz" is filled with pitfalls especially when it comes to behaviour and problem solving. Their moronic attitudes cut across the values we should be upholding when it comes to educating our children. Unfortunately "Bratz" is hard to recommend, especially when considers the only highlights in the film are a food fight and it's songs. 1 1/2 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "BRATZ" stars .......
Logan Browning ["Bratz"]; Janel Parrish ["Bratz"]; Nathalia Ramos ["Bratz"]; Skyler Shaye ["Bratz"]; Chelsea Staub ["Arizona Summer"]; Kim Morgan Greene ["Race To Space", "Happy Endings" and "Miss Congeniality 2"]; Constance Hsu ["A Lot Like Love", "Sleepwalking" and "Black and Blue"]; Tami-Adrian George ["Sgt Bilko", "Starship Troopers" and "Lost Treasure"] and Jon Voight ["Zoolander", "Ali", "National Treasure" and "Transformers"] as Principal Dimly.
"BRATZ" was .......
directed by Sean McNamara ["Hollywood Chaos", "Treehouse Hostage" and "Raise Your Voice"]; screenplay by Susan Estelle Jansen ["The Lizzie McGuire Movie"]; art direction by Rosario Provenza ["Employee of the Month"]; costume design by Bernadene Morgan ["Dick Tracy", "The Majestic" and "Shade"]; production design by Rusty Smith ["Mystery, Alaska", "Meet the Parents", "Elf" and "Meet the Fockers"]; edited by Jeff Canavan ["Save The Last Dance", "Clockstoppers", "Raise Your Voice" and "Shut Up and Shoot!"]; cinematography by Christian Sebaldt ["Race To Space", "Resident Evil: Apocalypse", "Species III" and "Crossover"]; original music by John Coda ["Red Sun Rising", "Just Sue Me", "Race To Space" and "Girl Fever"]; set decoration by Karen Agresti ["Drowning Mona", "American Pie 2" and "If I Had Known I Was a Genius"]. Who's Who?

Logan Browning Janel Parrish Nathalia Ramos Skyler Shaye Chelsea Staub Jon Voight Emily Everhard Anneliese van der Pol Malese Jow Ian Nelson Stephen Lunsford Lainie Kazan William May Chet Hanks Carl Rux Kim Morgan Greene Constance Hsu Tami-Adrian George Kadeem Hardison Sasha Cohen Sean Patrick McNamara Lee Reherman

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

Sasha Jade Yasmin Cloe Meredith Principal Dimly Cherish Dimly Avery Quinn Dylan Cameron Bubbie Manny Dexter Mr Whitman/DJ Wax Katie (Cloe’s Mom) Julie (Jade’s Mom) Allison (Sasha’s Mom) Sasha’s Dad Bethany Tom McShavie Vice Principal Sludge

Run Time 97 minutes Rated PG [AUST] Copyright ©2007 - LIONS GATE FILMS - All Rights Reserved ©2007 All Rights Reserved - Protected by Australian & International Copyright. Trademark Laws Apply.