It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Blistering performances.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Basically the movie's plot is a good idea/well-meant, but unfortunately completely miscast with Victoria Justice. Did she think (for lack of roles), 'if Charlize Theron gets an Oscar for ugliness, I can establish myself in an "ugly" role as a serious actress'? Ridiculous, especially since the "uglification" takes place only by giving her glasses - which does not provide any credibility and is also a massive insult for all girls who need to wear glasses and are still not ugly or (ugly) outsiders as a result. Eden Sher is a much better fit and convincing, but the evil cliché for the choice of the 'bitch characters' destroys all good approaches: the bad guys are of course all blondes (even including the principal!) - it cannot get any more trite - and on the "decent" side there is not a single blond - pure cliché AND not even true. When I look around as well as think of my schooldays, the power-hungry bitches who bullied others are/were all brunette or black-haired (roughly the Victoria Justice type or even darker). Maybe this is different in the US, but the prejudice that blondes were getting preferential treatment has not been true since the 50s / 60s. The (wannabe-)coolest/most popular and most beastly ones are the dark-haired girls - that's at least what I experience(d), sorry if it does not please you. Overall, the whole movie comes across as pretty insincere (despite the well-meant intentions and potent beginnings) or even as a mere vehicle, so that Victoria J. can finally pair-up with her buddy Avan Jogia (at least on film)- sorry, pathetic, not enough, wrong approach/execution.

In spite of its attempt to appeal to geeks by CONSTANTLY pandering with sci-fi references, this is ultimately a good example of what happens when a talented cast gets little to do. That's not to say there aren't funny moments. There are! (Especially from Eden Sher.) But the overall experience feels empty. It's yet another teen movie version of Animal Farm with very little imagination and not even a clear idea of how the "losers" take over the school. I had at least hoped for a fun, cathartic story about getting revenge on the "mean girls" but even that angle is subverted. The filmmakers force us to feel sorry for the people we'd rather love to hate and suck the fun out of it. Yet the "geek vs chic revolution" story continues, even after we're left with no side to root for. I get it… That was the point. Okay. But it was very unsatisfying. Again, it wasn't awful or un-watchable. Just… "eh."

Mindy (Eden Sher) is aiming for MIT. Band geek Jodi (Victoria Justice) has been her best friend since 3rd grade. The two outsiders have been targets for Queen Bee Whitney (Claudia Lee). Mindy tries to make peace but Whitney humiliates Jodi. The girls set to overturn the high school power structure by uniting the disenfranchised.The basic plot structure is well done and the young cast is solid. I really like Eden on her TV show. Many of the girls playing teens are in their 20s. This is not that different from other high school dramedies and should work well. Eden Sher is playing her wacky nerd character and Justice has good friend chemistry with her. Claudia Lee is a fine mean girl but this is no Mean Girls.There are two main problems. First, the release seems to have run into some delays. I'm guessing that this was filmed around 2015 but the two years delay does mean that Victoria Justice is no longer the Nickelodeon It girl. She should be playing a college kid by now. It also leaves this movie out of time which is related to the second problem. The references in the movie are scattered all over the place. With the old computers and old early 2000s TV references, I wondered if the world is set at an earlier time. The modern cell phones and # place the movie in the present day. The competing time periods ultimately leave me unsatisfied. I want to like this movie for the young cast but the writing is not quite Tina Fey level. It has the potential but none of it is quite sharp enough.

Played this for my two nieces, ages 11 and 12, and they loved it. I could hear them laughing as I was cooking in the kitchen. I watched most of it from afar and it looked good.My younger niece already asked to watch it again, so I figured I'd post this review for anyone else who might have girls in junior high. It seems perfect for them.