good back-story, and good acting

Fresh and Exciting

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Criticizing "McKenna Shoots for the Stars" is kind of like criticizing a junior high play: you feel bad for doing it but unless your kids are involved, you really have to wonder if there's a reason why you should be watching. As I write these words, I feel like a bully, picking on someone small and defenseless but the bottom line is that the movie isn't very well written or acted and while there are some sweet things about it, the picture is so harmless that it becomes bland after a while. The story follows aspiring gymnast McKenna Brooks (Jade Pettyjohn) who injures herself while practicing a difficult routine. McKenna was struggling with her studies due to her busy schedule so her parents (Ian Ziering as Mr. Brooks and Nia Vardalos as Mrs. Brooks) get her a tutor. If she can improve her grades, she can get back into the competition once her ankle heals. McKenna really resents having to be tutored by Josie (Kerris Dorsey) and hides her after-school study session from her best friend Toulane (Ysa Penarejo). As she starts becoming friends with Josie, she and Toulane start to drift apart. Meanwhile, there's always the fear that even if she gets back to her old self, McKenna won't be able to make the big competition.This was a made-for TV movie based on a doll that's meant to teach little girls some wholesome lessons about self-esteem and overcoming odds and in that sense, yeah the movie is fine. There's not really a bad guy in this movie, the problems are realistic and everyone watching will learn some nice lessons about not jumping to conclusions, being yourself, fulfilling your dreams, learning to ask for help and more. There are no lame love plots (something that should hardly ever appear in a children's film where everyone is a pre-teen) and it's kind of hard not to be won over by at least one of the stories of the girls taking a leap of faith and succeeding. Particularly effective for me was the sub-plot following Josie, who is in a wheelchair and dreams of riding a horse. What makes me vote negatively for this movie is the acting; it just isn't that good. Even the seasoned actors like Nia Vardalos aren't really giving it their all. I also cringed at some of the dialog, which is written to feel very artificial, not at all sounding like anything any 9-year-olds I know would say.I could have gotten over all of these flaws because children don't notice bad acting (I can attest to that, some of my favorite movies as a kid feature unbearably wooden performances) and wouldn't give a second thought to the writing. The biggest flaw for me is that the film doesn't really have any bite to it. It just wraps itself up really clean, has humor that might make adults chuckle once in a while but is really only meant for little girls and feels like an after-school special. It's completely harmless and you might even learn something, but unless your little Princess demands that you sit down and watch this with her, there's no reason to.Some people will say that I should consider the audience for this film and to them, I'll say this: Of course little girls will like McKenna's adventure. They'll probably love it and watch it over and over while brushing their McKenna doll's hair. But at a certain point, children will like anything they can follow and somewhat relate to, and they don't have the kind of exposure to see the flaws in movies. If I had a daughter of course I'd let her watch this but I'm not a little girl and I don't want to pretend that I am. I'm going to assume that you can read this review and tell for yourself if this is something you would want to see so I don't have to feel bad about giving this movie a 2 / 5. I can't do that and not feel a little bit guilty unfortunately, but even if it was playing on TV or you could rent it for free from the children's section of your local video store, you have no business watching this if you're an adult. I'm really sorry, crew of "McKenna shoots for the stars". I wish everyone involved the best but I have to be honest here and tell you that if you make a sequel, I'd watch it (because I am compelled to watch anything I set my hands on) but this film here, is just not that good. (On DVD, March 7, 2014)

Let me make one thing perfectly clear - the only reason why I watched this is because I got a five pack of movies with My Girl, My Girl 2 (which were great movies), Matilda and Judy Moody and The Not Bummer Summer (Which has to be one of the worst family movies ever!) so this was the last one on there and the only one I heard nothing about prior to watching and for a movie that's basically a premise that's been recycled a thousand times before - this isn't bad.Okay so the plot. McKenna is a child gymnast who is struggling at schoolwork. Her parents decide to give her a tutor - a paraplegic named Josie. When a gymnastics demonstration is up to show all the children's parents, McKenna is accidentally bound to a cast on her foot, which has to stay on until three weeks before a qualification to compete in gymnastics. As she works on her studies Josie and her become friends and they help each other. Josie helps McKenna with her schoolwork - obviously and McKenna helps Josie to achieve a dream she has of riding horses.Okay so one of the things I liked when it comes to this movie is that there isn't a villain. Everyone who you could point a finger to and say "That's the villain" usually changes before the movie is over. To see that in a movie that is almost every sports movie ever made this is a very refreshing change of pace.If there was anything I didn't like it would be the predictability and the pop songs. I'm not kidding most of the soundtrack are pop songs that aren't that good. And I also didn't really like the dance/gymnastics sequences, especially the only dance sequence about half an hour in. This goes on for 3 minutes and adds nothing to the plot, which begs the question of "why did they show it?".So if you're looking for an interesting take on a story that has been told endlessly then this movie is for you. I personally thought it was okay and there are a few things going for it like there being no villain, the relationships between characters are somewhat believable but it's predictability drags it down massively. You can almost guess "okay this is something she will rise above by the end of the movie" "oh this is the obstacle to make her battle against all odds to get into competitive gymnastics". If you're fine with stuff like that then you might even love this movie, me personally - I liked it but it isn't great.

This is a wholesome movie, featuring young girls from about 9 to about 15. Some are gymnasts, there is no foul language, no sexual innuendo. The parents are all nice. The only hint of anything improper are a few "white lies" a couple of girls tell because the truth would be embarrassing. Like having your best friend know you need a tutor.Cute Jade Pettyjohn, about 9, is 4th grader McKenna Brooks. She is a naturally gifted gymnast and is putting a lot of pressure on herself for an upcoming tryout. Her goal is to get to the 2016 Olympics as a gymnast. Her parents want to make sure she doesn't neglect other things, like school studies.Two things take the story where it goes. First McKenna's grades are in danger, she has trouble focusing on what she reads and as a result has little actual comprehension. So another student, about 14 or 15, helps her. Second she ignores her coach's instruction and does a difficult balance beam dismount, fracturing an ankle requiring her to be in a cast for 8 weeks.The story is handled well and young Pettyjohn plays McKenna very well. Her tutor, confined to a wheelchair, is Kerris Dorsey as Josie Myers. Best friend gymnast is Ysa Penarejo as Toulane Thomas. It was nice to see Cathy Rigby, still looking good at 60, playing the coach.We pretty much know where the story will go, there are several side stories that help make it interesting. It was set in the Seattle area with nice shots of Mt Ranier in the background, but it was filmed in Canada.

McKenna Brooks is in the fourth grade but hopes to be an Olympic gymnast someday. She pushes herself really hard, and Coach Isabelle worries she's not ready for some of the moves she attempts. McKenna's best friend Toulane also aspires to be an Olympic gymnast because her older sister was hurt and lost her opportunity. Correction: Toulane's mother aspires for Toulane to be an Olympic gymnast, and Toulane can't tell her mother how she really feels. Meanwhile, McKenna is having trouble in school, and her parents expect her to improve her grades or no gymnastics. Her teacher Mr. Wu suggests Josie as a tutor. Josie is in a wheelchair, which gives the movie another opportunity for an inspiring story. But even though she is quite friendly and patient, her techniques make McKenna feel like a little child who has to start over. It will be a long road uphill, with plenty of obstacles to overcome.This movie offers a lot of lessons about responsibility, determination, and the real meaning of friendship. It is kind of preachy but gets the message across with feel-good moments and plenty of humor.Kerris Dorsey and Ysa Penarejo, as Josie and Toulane respectively, both do a reasonably good job acting, and both have their moments, but one can tell they are acting when they deliver dialogue. Dorsey does a very good job when it is her turn to be frightened, after Josie has been so strong and confident.Nia Vardalos and Ian Ziering both do okay as McKenna's parents, but they're not quite up to the superior level one might hope for. Vardalos has more to do and does it better.Jade Pettyjohn, however, becomes McKenna and does an outstanding job. She is so adorable and easy to like.I didn't know Cathy Rigby could act, but I did not know which one was her. I figured she might be the coach, but she was so good.The gymnasts also do an excellent job. In McKenna's case, we can't see her face and her hair is slightly different when she is doing her most difficult stunts, so I think we know what that means. It's hard to believe they're just kids. It's a beautiful thing to watch all these kids going through their routines--almost like Esther Williams without the water.As would be expected for a movie targeting young girls, there's not a lot of music. There is a lot of what young girls think is music. But the movie does offer four exceptions to the rule. There is generic background music which is listenable for someone with my taste. And a song with the lyrics "Breathe in, breathe out" is sort of good. But two of the movie's funniest scenes have good music. One is a hilarious sequence where McKenna tries out different tutors. In another, Toulane behaves like a spy because of her jealousy when McKenna has secrets and other friends. In the library she uses her gymnastics skills to sneak around. The music resembles the "Mission: Impossible" theme.The movie makes effective use of visual effects and editing, illustrating McKenna's problems with concentration, and dramatically showing her difficulty, through rapid-fire editing, taking a test when she can't remember anything.This is a very good effort and one that is really worth seeing. There is no offensive content here. Just a few scary scenes, but this is appropriate for all ages.