Selena Gomez Finds
Romance in the
Mediterranean
by Amanda Bellafiore
BeansTalk Conributor
Selena Gomez is to Monte Carlo as Hilary Duff was to The Lizzie McGuire Movie. By taking the scenario of a small town girl who suddenly finds herself living the life of a strangely similarly looking rich and famous girl, while on a European vacation, and putting a smiling Disney star in front of it – you get Monte Carlo.
Directed by Tom Bezucha and produced by Nicole Kidman, Monte Carlo tells the tale of Grace (Selena Gomez), whose long anticipated trip to Paris with her best friend Emma (Katie Cassidy) is dampered before it even begins by the addition of her uptight step-sister, Meg (Leighton Meester). Once they get ditched by their lousy Parisian tour guide disappointment swallows the trio but quickly spits them back out once Grace is mistaken for a spoiled British heiress named Cordelia Winthrop Scott (also played by Selena Gomez). From this point on their vacation becomes a paparazzi and boy fueled misadventure to Monte Carlo, sparkled with all the glitz and glamour these young women can only dream of.
Gomez is definitely following the right Disney starlet’s footsteps as she takes a page from the Hilary Duff handbook by staring in this light-hearted role, and also lending her voice to the movies anthem, “Who Says”. But as good as it is to see Gomez continue to brand her sweetness, it is refreshing to see Gossip Girl’s Meester and Cassidy out of their element, away from the Upper East Side and scheming for good instead of evil, as Grace’s go-to sidekicks. Also taking a break from his normal “Glee”-full self, Corey Monteith takes a break from singing and dancing to play Owen, Emma’s Texan boyfriend who winds up following her to Europe. New to the American scene are Aussie Luke Bracey and French actor Pierre Boulanger who play the love interests to Grace and Meg. With their debuts under their belts, lets hope we see more of them on the big screen because they aren’t too bad to look at, and in Hollywood that can go a long way.
Monte Carlo won’t be a critic’s favorite but for the movie-goer simply looking to get lost for two hours in a fun and entertaining adventure, this movie will be a sure fire hit among it’s masses.
