Mandy is not one of the popular girls. She doesn't live in a gated community like so many of the students at her high school. She supposedly looks like a nerd to others, but even with the glasses, she doesn't to me. And her architect father Tom, who has had to raise Mandy on his own since her mother died when Mandy was little, is more than a little overprotective.
On her eighteenth birthday, Mandy gets contacts to replace her glasses, and a phone that can send videos--not because she needed one to be like the others, but so he can spy on her! Mandy likes Drew, the hot guy at school, and after she falls in the pool and he rescues her, he likes her too. And he invites her to the party of the year. But he's still with Lisa, who is evil and hates Mandy; now she has a real reason to.
When Mandy drops her phone and Lisa finds it while Mandy is doing something her father would not approve of, that's it. Mandy is grounded. But will she let that stop her? No! With the help of Alexa and Cayenne, and a claim that she has to study with Alexa, Mandy really manages to put one over on her father.
Tom has his own problems; while checking in with Mandy every half-hour on her video phone while she is "studying", he must baby-sit the bratty son of his sister Marsha, who has an attitude.
And no matter what obstacles she faces (including more physical comedy, and more problems caused by Lisa), you just know Mandy will reach her goal!
This is nothing more than a cute teen comedy, though the deceptions are brilliantly executed and fun to watch. And there are plenty of surreal nightmares that make this at least a little more than fluff. The actor playing a furniture salesman is quite good. Kevin Pollak is too good-natured to come across as big brother, but definitely overprotective.
There's no quality acting here by the usual definition, but for what this is, everyone does a good job. Ashley is quite good-looking, even in the nerdy glasses, and really hot in the dress she eventually wears.
Ashley does sing, but it's not my kind of music at all. There is pleasant background music, but most of what is called music in this movie doesn't really qualify as music in my opinion. But I'm closer to Tom's age than Mandy's, and they didn't make this movie for me.
Even after being cleaned up for TV, this movie falls just short of family fare. It's fine for older children, but after cleanup, even some young kids could watch.
It's actually pretty good.
