Starring: Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester, Katie Cassidy,Catherine Tate, AndiMacDowell, Cory Monteith
Directed by Tom Bezucha
Produced by Nicole Kidman, Denise Di Novi, Arnon Milchan, Alison Greenspan
Running Time: 109 minutes
“You must be the change you want to see the world”, that’s the provoking part of the valedictory speech, when Meg comes in late and use the exit door as a grand entrance. Everybody was in AWE!!! Have you notice that part?
Monte Carlo is 2011 romantic comedy film. It’s based on the novel Headhunters by Jules Bass. Grace Ann Bennet (Selena Gomez), an 18 year old girl who work as a waitress with her best friend Emma in a restaurant and put up some funds for a dream trip in Paris. Meg Kelly- Benett (Leigh Meester) is an old stepsister of Grace. Their father informed the paid trip to Paris, but Meg refused the offer as she could foresee a disastrous trip. Emma Danielle Perkins (Katie Cassidy) is a high school dropout, best friend of Grace and a socialite person.
During the first day of their tour in Paris, it’s proves to be horrible, when the tour guide of the bus left them behind. While walking in the rain, they find a posh hotel to dry up. By chance they meet Cordelia Winthrop-Scott; a spoiled British heiress (Selena Gomez) comes in, who complain her phone about a charity event she must attend.
When Cordelia leaves in the hotel, and Grace return to the lobby, everyone mistake her identity as Coderlia. The girls go with the flow of the precious moment they live as in someone else’s life. They spend the night with the luxuries in life of Cordelia’s suite and the hungry paparazzi with their cameras into Cordelia’s limo chase them while heading their way to Monte Carlo. They met Theo, the son of the philanthropist hosting Cordelia, who escorts them to a ball, with cold feelings of Cordelia thinking she’s a snotty brat. Grace encounters a problem as she encounters Cordelia’s suspicious Aunt Alicia. Then Emma is happy to dance with a prince.
After the event the girls relax on the beach where in Emma and Meg give expressive contempt each other and accusing Emma of wasting her life that cause Meg to storm out and bump into Riley, someone she met while in France. Aunt Alicia calls Cordelia’s phone, while the fake Cordelia plays polo with Theo. The real Cordelia picks up, and later, Aunt Alicia confronts Grace, thinking that Cordelia has hired a look alike and threatens Grace, stating that if her plan foils, she will have her arrested for identity fraud.
After the game, Theo takes Grace to a special place and watch fireworks. At the same time, Emma is dining with the prince she met the night before in the yacht but lonely. Meg is with Riley, the two share a passionate moment and start to know each other deeply. Riley, used to be a talented rugby player, but an injury kept him in the hospital for a year and enjoys traveling. Meg opens up to him about her mother, who was hospitalized for almost two years. Riley comfort and advice Meg to scream, but she refused. Owen, Emma’s boyfriend, a truck-loving football player, comes to France to win back Emma’s love and went to Monte Carlo .
With Cordelia’s unexpected return, the girls started to scramble and Theo, thinking that Cordelia is Grace, kisses her, causing him to get slapped. She, then goes up to the room and sees the newspaper in the trash can. When Cordelia check her luggage and find out the prized Bvlagri necklace planned to be sold at an auction was lost. She calls the police, but the truth the necklace is the backpack of Riley for safekeeping. Riley return back to the hotel with the necklace is in his hands, while the girls chase after him on his way to
Italy. The three girls proceed up to the suite, where they encounter Cordelia who’s furious, Emma ties her up in another room while the police heard screaming, in which Meg replies that Grace was so happy she found the necklace.
Meg goes down with the police and meets Riley, who gives her the necklace. Upstairs, Emma reconcile Owen, while Cordelia find time to escape and rush to the event. She tells everyone that Grace is an imposter, shocking Theo. Cordelia demands Grace arrested, but her aunt Alicia has bought the necklace for $6 million Euros.
After the trip, Meg and Riley climb at the top of the ancient ruin building and scream. Emma cooks while Owen installs the dimmed lights she always wanted and share laughter. Grace, volunteers in charity as Theo chases her and starts to formally introduce each other.
CRITIC:
I think you have heard and watched the Lizzie McGuire movie long time ago. The Monte Carlo Movie story is quite similar, but the aspect of the story is focused more on mistaken- identity twins story mixed up with a fairy tale epic.
There’s a romantic magical story blossoms beyond those horrible trip to Paris. But, after Grace is mistakenly identified as Cordelia, the snotty brat and British heiress, the three lovely ladies live a luxurious life and they discover their real prince in life. Grace finds her true love when she knows what she wants in life. Emma searches his real prince charming in life when Owen his boyfriend goes to Monte Carlo to win her back. Meg met his destiny with Riley.
I like the role of Meg because she is so charming despite her problems. About Emma, she’s cool and funny type. Riley and Theo play their part well as a new comer in the movie. Owen is an experience actor contributes will in the movie as a loyal boyfriend of Emma.
The Disney starlet Selena Gomez shows only her simple acting, not a heavy drama, as supposedly the people thinking as her first lead role movie. I like to see the intense drama of how she plays her two characters role and confrontation as being Grace and Cordelia. What do you think?
The best audiences for Monte Carlo are the teens and twins because they can relate much of the story. It’s a rated PG and wholesome story, adult also is welcome.