Monte Carlo – Starring Selena Gomez – movie review

Monte Carlo is this year’s big teen/chick flick of the year. It follows Grace, who is 18, fresh out of high school, and going on the vacation of a lifetime with her best friend Emma. However, Grace’s step sister Meg is forced to go along since their parents do not trust Emma. They travel to Paris, but quickly find themselves caught up in a mistake and have to find a way out. Can they save face or will they make fools out of themselves?

The movie was designed to be the big hit of the summer, with three fairly large stars–Selena Gomez, Corey Montieth, and Leighton Meester. The production was heavily promoted, and in the months leading up to its release we saw more of the stars talking it up. The mixture of light drama and limited comedy keeps the movie simple. It was easy to follow; I did not find myself wondering what was going on at any point. It is the perfect summer movie for a group of teens or teens at heart. While it is not Oscar-worthy, I do think that it does deserve to be in most teens’ top films to see this summer.

The main group of characters were Grace, Emma and Meg. But we also saw plenty of their love interests. But the main focus is on the trio–and Cordelia, of course. Meg was the more sane, down to earth character–perhaps even the voice of reason. Grace was the hopeful one who has big dreams, and Emma was the classless one. Cordelia is the kind of person who plays the villain in the movie, but I will just leave it at that.

I was happy with the plot, which is very loosely based on a book called Headhunters by Jules Bass. It was fun, romantic and told a tale of friends. Selena had a tough role in the movie, but the way they wrote it for her helped shape it into a workable character. 

The movie was filmed in Budapest, and the backdrop is beautiful. As to why they did not actually go to France or Monte Carlo, I have no idea.

The clothes, set, and camera angles really helped add to the movie. When Cordelia was coming back into the hotel and the camera looked up at her, for example, you knew she was a big deal and major drama was about to happen. They portrayed the emotions well, and it felt believable.

For a light summer film that is highly entertaining, Monte Carlo is the way to go. The cast helped bring the movie to life and keep it fun. I highly enjoyed it, but I figured I would when I first saw the trailer.  For the usual family rating and ages, I will start out with this movie is targeted for teens. Is it safe for kids? While I personally do not recall anything offensive, I do think it does deal with a few items that are not meant for kids. So 13+ is my age suggestion for teens, but as a parent you may want to use your own judgment. Now onto the 1 out of 10 rating, I give it an eight (8). It was cute, well executed, and fun.