Stuck in the Suburbs (TV Movie 2004) Poster

(2004 TV Movie)

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5/10
The best song here... is Brenda.
Ddey652 June 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Saucer-lipped Danielle Panabaker plays Brittany Aarons, one of four girls who are hot for pop singing boy-toy Jordan Cahill(Taran Killam). However Miss Aarons, a budding songwriter, seeks a little something more in her life than her plastic existence. Ten minutes into the movie later, comes Natasha Kwon-Schwartz(Brenda Song), a new girl who walks into school like she owns the place, and passes herself off as a sophisticated upper-crust New Yorker/globe-trotter. Only she doesn't come from the part of New York you might think she does. Ahh, Brenda Song... where were girls like her when I was growing up? Upon Natasha's arrival, Brittany slowly starts to make a move towards breaking out of her conformist routines, but not before becoming an extra in Jordan's latest music video, and inviting Natasha to join her and her groupie friends. When Jordan's entourage bumps into Brittany and Natasha, they all collect their stuff, and get each other's cell phones. Once Brittany gets a hold of Jordan's much more sophisticated phone, Natasha convinces Brittany that it'd be fun to mess with his career. Along the way they find that Jordan's life is not the life he chooses, but rather the one his record company wants for him. They won't even allow him to use the lyrics he wants for his own songs. At first he's terrified that his personal barber give him a major haircut, but eventually accepts it as the first step towards a break from his plastic image. During the movie a member of Jordan's entourage, who's also his best friend(Ryan Bellville) reminds him that "3 years ago, you were playing music in your parents' basement, and I was backing you up..." which makes it look to me like the guy had a grunge band, before the music industry wrote off grunge completely. But no -- rather than evolve into the down-to-earth singer/songwriter the movie suggests he'd become, he remains a pop-brat.

I suppose it helps to actually be a girl under the age 16 to fully enjoy this movie, or at least to have been that age during the pop-explosion of the late-1990's. This doesn't mean it's a completely bad, it's just not one of the better ones. But what the hell, give it a try anyway.
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7/10
Good for a Disney movie
TheArgentWolf16 October 2005
It was a lot more interesting then I thought it was going to be. I loved the storyline, and I think it would be a lot of teenager's dreams to get something like this happen. It's a good film that shows you no matter what background you're from, you can always do what you want, so it's a nice positive message.

The acting is pretty good, despite it's a Disney film, though as usual the 'little annoying brother' character was unnecessary. Danielle Panabaker's acting was a little boring, but Ryan Belleville was brilliant, as was Brenda Song.

All in all, it was a good film, and I'd watch it over and over again! 7/10.
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6/10
A little messy but with Disney Channel Original Movie classic themes so essentially harmless. Lots of screaming girls though.
quiqueperezsoler17 April 2020
If this movie was anything else but a Disney Channel Original Movie it'd be a disaster. I'm not the target audience but I've grown with DCOM like High School Musical and Camp rock which today I still enjoy, so I look at these movies with different nostalgic eyes. But the plot is messy to the point of being confussing and the inconsistencies in regards to many technological and straight up pop-star-world-related misconceptions could be overlooked if not for the abundance of them.

The plot came full circle in many themes and subplots it set up so the ending of the movie does feel like a fulfilling conclusion yet the second act (or middle of the movie) it's completely ridicolous because it doesn't provide reasons for the plot to unravel that way. They are in the same town and yet the celebrity or the assistant couldn't have found the phone sooner? It sure lend to funny and character development moments but it felt too unrealistic. Other movies like High School Musical and Camp Rock don't have that many unrealistic scenarios and work coherently with the development of the plot.

IN CONCLUSION, the movie is a fun movie for kids alone, especially suburban kids. Adults might find beats of it interesting related to being stuck in a boring place, not conforming with social norms and staying true to yourself and your loved ones (a Disney staple). It's not that self-aware of its mistakes because the movie concerns itself in making it work and fun. It could have been a little deeper in its message but it decided to have this clean superficial cut. Again, dumb downed and fun for kids
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4/10
teen girl drama
SnoopyStyle14 September 2014
Brittany Aarons (Danielle Panabaker) is a squealing teenage girl living in the suburbs. She is in love with pop star Jordan Cahill (Taran Killam). Natasha Kwon-Schwartz (Brenda Song) is a new girl in school after a couple of years in Europe. Brittany is quickly attracted to Natasha's worldly life as she hides her Jordan Cahill love. Brittany accidentally switch phones with Jordan when Eddie (Ryan Belleville) drops the phone during Jordan's video shoot. The girls start to have a bit of fun with Jordan's phone.

There is some attempts at making fun of the unanimity and the lack of originality in the suburbs. There are good barbs that are wasted on this teen girl movie that is practicing exactly that. There is little originality or any interesting characters. Brenda Song is playing the cooler edgier girl which kind of says it all. She and Panabaker are fine as teen girls. Taran Killam is not a pop star and doesn't have that vibe. He's probably the biggest problem ... other than the constant squealing.
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6/10
"Bubblegum Blackmail"
Kamurai253 October 2020
Decent watch, probably won't watch again, and can't really recommend.

The movie is good enough. Danielle Panabaker and Brenda Song do a good job carrying most of the movie, but I don't know told Taran Killam he could play a teen pop star.

The ladies look about 5 years older than their schoolmates, and Killam about 5 years older than that, so it's super awkward anytime they share the screen with other actors.

This is "teen drama" mixed with "swapped phones" and a bit of "blackmailed celebrity". The story just doesn't have a lot of substance, there isn't any lesson, and the characters are barely redeemable when it comes down to it.

It's a fun, maybe younger audiences might like it more, but most likely the dated technology is going to be off-putting for them.
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3/10
its everything u expect from a Disney film
unconditonal_love25 November 2006
i found the film a bit predictable and boring but i am 14.

i was really annoyed with my little cousin as she was very hyper that day so i saw a film on the Disney channel and put it on and told her to watch it.

she is 6 and she loved the film, some bits she didn't get like the ending but i didn't get that either y was Eddie the star of the video shoot i thought it was Jordan's video?! but she did enjoy it.

i noticed the mistakes such as at the end Jordan was not actually playing the guitar, but she never.

it is definitely a film for if you are seriously bored or 10 and under.

it calmed my cousin down well.

although all she did was sing for the rest of the day then.
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Is this what Disney Channel Original Movies have come to?
SCI_PaloAlto26 November 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I grew up in the 90s; therefore, you must understand that i witnessed firsthand the premiers of the greatest DCOMs. I was there when Brink! appeared, Zenon, Halloweentown, Johnny Tsunami, etc, These movies constitute my childhood. When these movies came on, not only myself but whoever I was watching them with would stand completely in awe for 1h30, talk about it for the week to come and catch it again the next weekend. I don't think words could express the amount of excitement Zoog Disney brought.

Even when I watch them now, the dialog doesn't seem that bad (so effective in fact, that I actually remember parts of conversations literally word per word, from movies I saw over ten years ago). The characters are believable, funny, granted a little stereotypical but that's what makes Disney's charm...

I sat my little brother down in front of the Disney channel to try and convey and make him understand my feelings for DCOMs. Enter Stuck in the Suburbs... my brother looked at me slightly puzzled, asking me if I had always been gay. I feel more disappointed and betrayed now than, what could I compare this to?, when Han Solo found out Lando sold him out to Vader...

Half the movie, and I'm not exaggerating, is flashbacks. There is no talent in these young actors (some of which are older than I am) whatsoever. The plot is ridiculous; it feels like a bunch of old rotting corporate people over at Disney sat around a table and asked themselves "How can we seem hip to these youngsters?" OK, maybe all the DCOMs were like that, but they at least made a little effort to not let us realize they think we're complete idiots.

And apparently this type of movie works... Stuck in the Suburbs is rated almost as much as Zenon or Airborne. How is this possible? DCOMs got even cheesier and people prefer them now? (though apparently the lack of curse words is enough to give it 10/10 for some people) Christ, it's a completely different generation.
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7/10
The family is cute and won me over, cute, silly, cliché, teenager, boring and cool, all at the same time...
RosanaBotafogo13 January 2023
At the age of 14, Brittany Aarons (Danielle Panabaker) and her friends are very bored with the monotonous life they lead in the suburbs, until they receive an unexpected visit from star Jordan Cahill (Taran Killam). News that her idol, the talented pop singer Jordan Cahill, will film her new music video in a place that, until this moment, was the most boring in the world: her neighborhood! Brittany and her friend Natasha (Brenda Song) can't let this opportunity pass and without thinking twice they come up with a plan to invade the film set to be close to the singer of their dreams. Two hands.

Silly to the extreme, but cute, Brittany's family is beautiful, the teenagers are fans of a standard, normal boy, it represents me at 14... The development is that boring stuff of all the other standard movies, but the family is cute and won me over, cute, silly, cliché, teenager, boring and cool, all at the same time...
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1/10
don't watch this movie without a supply of advil.. or better yet.. DON'T WATCH IT.
rebeccachapman1524 August 2005
In short this movie was awful.

I understand it's a Disney movie, which are generally shallow movies with mediocre plots and bad acting. HOWEVER, i must say this is the worst of all Disney movies, with bad acting, LOTS OF IRRITATING SHRIEKING TEEN GIRLS(my god), and an extremely unrealistic plot. Even as a 12 year old there is no way i would have liked this movie. The only way this movie could have been any worse is if they attempted to put it in theaters or tried to sell it in a local video store.

Do yourself a favor and change the channel before watching this, no matter how bored you are on a Sunday afternoon.
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3/10
It could have been good...
yoyo00209 August 2007
...if only Disney had stayed away from it. See, I think that this movie has some potential. Well, the main character's situation does, at least. Take out the whole Jordan Cahill thing, and you've got the beginnings of a decent movie! Of course, you also lose more than half of the film, but, oh well. Not that much of a loss.

So, here it goes: you take a typical, preppy, suburban teenage girl (Danielle Panabaker, who's actually a decent actress) whose best friends screech a lot, mostly over a "pop sensation" (I'm assuming it's a direct quote from the movie; movie's like this almost always involve that particular phrase) named Jordan Cahill. Except, of course, TPSTG wants more out of life. Enter Brenda Song's character, a sophisticated individual who is just what TPSTG needs (honestly, I don't care what the character's real name is, I like the acronym better). The two new friends go to see Jordan Cahill (one to drool, one to make fun of the droolers), and they come out of it with his cell phone. Hijinks ensue, and everything turns out alright in the end.

If only Disney, or any major film studio for that matter, didn't have such a low opinion of 8 to 14 year olds. Or maybe if 8 to 14 year olds expected a little more out of the movies targeted at them. It's sugar-coated crap like this that make me more than a little unsure who to be more disgusted with (a little film called 'High School Musical' comes to mind...)
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10/10
Thanks for keeping it clean!
bananaannah25 November 2005
My daughter loved your movie and wanted me to tell you that the absence of drinking, smoking, and drugs is really great. Thanks for making good family oriented entertainment. She is currently working on a Girl Scout badge called 'High on Life', which asked her to view three shows/movies and rate their quality based on the presence/absence of all references to drinking, smoking, and drugs. Your movie was one of her favorite choices. She would like you to know that she can't wait until you make another movie that is free from substance abuse. Here's an idea for the next movie... please make the next one about an eleven year old girl that has three older and one younger brother and a younger sister.
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5/10
Boredom and Bubblegum
bkoganbing4 June 2010
Watching Stuck In The Suburbs I got the feeling that in the end all I saw was one long commercial for the multiple and myriad uses of the cellphone. And the uses seem to multiply monthly.

Danielle Panabaker is your average by Magic Kingdom standards teenage girl from the suburbs who finds her life sanitized and boring there. Not even the arrival of friend Brenda Song from New York seems to lift her spirits.

But then the arrival of pop singing star Taran Killem to Pannabaker's town to do a music video really lifts the whole town's teenage female population. Killem is the latest bubblegum sensation who is concerned that he will not have a career after this burst of popularity when the next teen idol arrives on the scene. Something I'm sure every one of them worries about. He'd like to do more meaningful songs and at least aim at having staying power like a Crosby or a Sinatra.

When they literally collide their cellphones exchange and since they both store all the meaningful and important things on those phones, their lives are irrevocably tangled. At least until the phones get back to their proper owners.

Stuck In The Suburbs is a pleasant enough 90 or so minutes from the Disney Studios and the cast performs well enough. But with technology being what it is, can you imagine the same kind of film done in the future when we have Star Trek like communicators, Tricorders, and transport devices?
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10/10
Great Movie!
p_g8631 October 2011
I'm surprised this movie didn't get rated 10 stars. I rate it 10 because it's light comedy and fun and very colorful. Plus, I love the scenery so much, it just grabs my attention. The whole movie with Panabaker and Brenda Song is just amazing. I'm surprised though that the girls were able to figure out what "Jordan's people" are doing wrong like not letting him record his version of a song.

I'm also amazed how quickly Natasha (Brenda Song) comes up with ideas so super fast, but that's Hollywood for ya. After all, it is fiction. Overall, I LOVE this movie and wished it was put on DVD, but I am glad that at least I was able to record it, which I've seen so many times. This is the best movie with Panabaker and Brenda Song, but that is just me. ;)
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8/10
I am confused about the ending of this movie...
soccerhockeychick194 August 2005
Okay at the end of the movie the girls are coming home from soccer, and they are all obviously friends.

Jordan is on the phone with Brittany, and the girls are excited to see their music video on the TV.

The girls got to dance in the video, i get that.. but can someone explain to me how come Eddie was the star of the video.

I thought it was Jordan's video to do?

If anyone could email me and explain the answer to this question that would be really great...

soccerhockeychick19@hotmail.com ~Nicole~
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9/10
Hats off! We really enjoyed the show.
cecelli_capriotti25 October 2006
I know Im a little late getting this to you. I actually caught this the first week it aired back in '04. My nephew made me record the show for him because he really enjoyed. We use to live in New Orleans, we recognized the plaza. Cool thing, we were there when they were shooting "Growing Pains II" and i remember your trucks around the Italian plaza. Is the sound track available in stores? My nephew and his friends really enjoy singing to the music. Also, what has the lead actor done since the show? We liked watching him. Thanks again for a great family special that everyone can enjoy. We're hoping for a part II, any possibilities??
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10/10
WATCH THIS FILM!!!! (best for ages 0-1000000000000)
stuckinparmo4 March 2007
I'm Laura martin and I'm fifteen. I usually love all Disney channel original movie but this one was my favourite it was very funny, feel-good, exciting and fascinating. its suitable for all ages. i absolutely loved it. its a fantasy film, but its a good one. i would definitely recommend watching this film. there is a lot of screaming but its for good reasons. some comments say that this film well practically stinks but it doesn't it smells lovely (ha ha ha). my two younger sisters also loved it one of my sisters is six and the other eleven and my dad who is forty-two. this film is also funny and the cast are great actors and play their role's very well. Daniellle does a very well job and most of the actors are familiar and will be to most people. i know some people will disagree with me but I'm not afraid to give an opinion A TRUE OPINION and i think some people may not like it but i do and so do all my friends. Take today for an example Disney channel had a vote of two films today :model behavior or Stuck in the suburbs and stuck in the suburbs won. Everyone i know loves this film and people i don't know because it won the movie showdown. if there is anybody out there looking for a fell-good, happy, funny, movie i'd say stuck in the suburbs would be the right movie for you. i truly hope that my review of stuck in the suburbs helped everyone who is reading it. Please consider my review of the movie and watch it. Thanks for reading my review of Stuck in the Suburbs(A Disney Channel Original Movie). xx xx
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10/10
Brenda Song ,i love you.
get_a_clue_199221 December 2006
Hi!I'm Hang,I'm Vietnamese.Now,i'm 15. You are the best ,Brenda Song.I love you forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.I love "Stuck in the suburbs'' too,because it is sweet and funny :D .You are pretty,Dan and Brenda and all ! I love Brenda Song 's movies :''Wendy Wu'' ,''The suite life of Zack and Cody'',...I have a diary on the Internet called :''Brenda Song 's best fan''!.I use English here and only talk about Brenda Song! Brenda Song,your ID is chickybitz10111 ,right? Now,where do you live,Dan?And Brenda Song?Are you still best friends together?I think yes :) I love you I love you ...I want to say that forever ! Love you, Hang :D
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8/10
School location
deriselizabeth10 July 2020
Where is the school they filmed as the middle school located in Greater New Orleans area. I live where the movie was filmed. It's driving me nuts!
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I'm trying to start up my brain functions again
anne-freaks6 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I'm shocked upon this "in-depth" analysis of teenage mind. Thank you Hollywood. Again. It's true that i'm getting used already to the fact that writers actually think that every teenage girl is mental handicapped however it still makes me mad sometimes. Like in this case. I saw only the half of the movie but it was more than enough. I tell you what i saw. There were 50 chicks (each was around 14) running hysterically after a pig looking kid with coloured hair (when i first looked at it i thought there was guano on his head - you know being at a square with doves around is dangerous) who is a musician in the film however he still didn't make an effort to move his left hand to pretend that he is playing on a guitar. Pretty amazing, really. And the story is missing also. If there's anybody who feels entertained just by looking at children who are screaming and jumping around in crazy pink clothes after an ugly boy with no neck and with a guitar please tell me. (Exception: If you're a pervert i just don't want to know about it.) God, this whole film was so stupid. My illness which made me watch this movie amuses me better.
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