2 of 3

As it is, I suspect that only the 13-and-under set is really going to buy into the Confessions vision of teenage-hood. Most actual teenagers have already noted the startling lack of opportunities for air-guitar montages. The question is: If you're a parent, do you want your tween to buy in? And if you're a teen, are you buying it?

1. Ella's parents didn't like Lola because they didn't approve of her single mother. It wasn't until they thought Lola's father was dead that they accepted her. What do you think about Ella's parents and their attitudes? About Lola's willingness to lie to be accepted?
   
   
2. Did you find Lola's drama queen antics endearing or annoying?
   
   
3. Why do you think Carla was so mean to Lola? Do we all have a "Carla side" to our personalities?
   
   
4. The basic premise is all about seeking popularity? What does the Bible say about the pursuit of popularity? (See Philippians 2:1-11 and James 2:1-13.)
   
   

Tight, low slung jeans and short skirts abound, accentuating the almost sultry hip-shaking during some dance scenes. Lola seems to have no problem "embellishing" or otherwise distorting the truth, though this is addressed later on in the movie. Stu, the rock star object of Lola's affection, is a drunk who Lola inspires to get into rehab. The movie never address why Lola's parents don't live together.

Actress Lindsay Lohan (Freaky Friday) plays Mary, a teenager prone to exaggeration and melodrama, in Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen. In Mary's way of living life, everything from her wardrobe to her past is material for embellishment. But when her family leaves the sights and sounds of New York City for suburban New Jersey, she has to make an impression in a new school. Soon, she's competing with the most popular girl in the class, Carla (Megan Fox), for the lead role in a school production of Pygmalion.

"The film deals with the pressures teen girls face concerning clothes, music, and trying to fit in—but very superficially," says Phil Boatwright (Movie Reporter). "This hasn't the depth of Ghost World or the intensity of Thirteen. Indeed, Disney Studios is copying itself, for it has the same look and feel of it's own Lizzie McGuire." He also notes that this fifteen-year-old and her friends seem to appear a bit too … uh … mature. "And both the camera and the wardrobe department were bent on accentuating these girls' burgeoning adulthood."

Michael Elliott (Movie Parables) says, "Lohan … plays Lola with energy to spare. It is a performance that will no doubt appeal to the preteens and 'tweenies' in the audience but may grow tiresome for everyone else. Being in the presence of a drama queen may be amusing at first but it gets old very quickly."

He describes the film as "mild … by today's standards," and notes that "wrong behavior is punished, parents are shown as being concerned and caring for their children, and lessons are learned by those who need to learn them."

David DiCerto (Catholic News Service) writes, "Lohan's effervescent elan makes the formulaic ride enjoyable. [Confessions] examines the pressures many teens experience in trying to gain acceptance from their peers. The film tries to counterbalance such conformist tendencies by encouraging a healthy respect for what makes each person unique, and by imparting the dare-to-be-different message that peer approval should never come at the cost of losing one's self-identity."

Bob Waliszewski (Plugged In) has reservations about Lola's tendency toward reckless invention. He appreciates some of the lessons learned. "Since her story tackles subjects like teenage insecurity, self-esteem, friendship, jealousy, honesty and alcoholism without embracing the vices of vulgarity, violence and sex, mothers (and dads) who decide their teen girls (just try to get guys to go!) need to see this drama queen preen will certainly be able to turn a trip to the theater into an opportunity to discuss deeper issues."

next page... |  2 of 3