Movie Review: "Camp Rock"

   Our kids love Disney Channel original movies, and this recent summer TV movie is no exception.  We had recorded it before I had the new baby and just got to watch it last night.  One of the big draws of course is the fact that The Jonas Brothers, the popular teen boy band, stars in the film. 

   Mitchie Torres (Demi Lovato) is a musician who plays guitar and writes her own songs.  She daydreams about spending her summer at Camp Rock, a mecca for teenagers with ambitions toward a career in music.  She's bummed because her parents can't afford to send her, until her mom lands a contract to cater all the food at the camp.  She's in!

   But when she arrives, she quickly finds out that life at camp is a lot like high school, with a snobby clique that centers around Tess Tyler (Meaghan Jette Martin), the daughter of a famous diva.  Mitchie, itching to be popular, falls into the trap of trying to be friends with the bossy, vindictive Tess.  She goes so far as to lie to the other campers that her mom is head of a big record company in China.  That's bound to blow up in her face, right?

   Meanwhile, the owner of the camp, Brown Cesario (Daniel Fathers) brings in his moody nephew Shane (Joe Jonas) to instruct a hip hop dance class, hoping it will bring the wayward pop star back on track with his attitude.  Shane overhears Mitchie singing one day, but she disappears before he can find out who that voice belonged to.  He spends the rest of the film trying to figure it out.  Meanwhile, he and Mitchie become friends as his self-centered wall slowly fades away over the summer.

   As with most Disney formula films, the heroine has to face the music eventually as the truth comes out, and when Tess turns on her to suit her own selfish desires.  But it all leads to a happy ending!

   One of the fun features this particular version of the film had was that the song lyrics ran along the bottom of the screen so the kids could learn the words and sing along.  Printable lyrics were also available from the Disney website the night it was broadcast in late June.