Release Date: January 29th, 2008
Running Time: 103 minutes

The Film

No matter how many PG and PG-13 films about high school are released, the reality is that teenagers don’t talk like they do on the Disney Channel. They lead very R-rated lives so softening the content and making bubblegum movies about high school aimed at pre-teens seems very contradictory. Charm School retains all the clichés of a teenage angst film but portrays the story in a more realistic, R-rated world that automatically makes it better than ninety-percent of the pop teen films out there.

The film stars Martha Higareda as Adela Leon, a spunky teen who has no problem acting however she wants, which often lands her in trouble. Her father just happens to be the next potential, conservative candidate for governor of Mexico City. Fearing that Adela’s antics will cause him his political future, Adela is sent to a renowned “finishing school” with the hopes of turning her into a proper lady. As you can imagine, this doesn’t work out as planned. Adela immediately clashes with the schoolmistress and shocks the other students with her unbridled behavior. However, it is this same free-spiritedness that makes her different and ultimately draws people to her. What ensues is typical teenage girl stuff featuring boy drama, catty arguments, and the like. I don’t say that in a negative way, it is what it is.

Charm School may not break any new ground in terms of the structure of the plot, but at least it doesn’t hold back and turn it into High School Musical. These girls swear, they try drugs, they talk about sex—it’s R-rated material, but the truth–a throwback (in a very loose sense) to some teen films from the ‘80s. Mean Girls had the potential to be a vicious, cutting portrayal of teenage bitchiness, but was instead watered down and loss a lot of its bite. Charm School doesn’t hold back. I’m not saying it is American Pie, far from it, but at least the tone of the dialogue and situations is more on the realistic side.

If nothing else, Charm School is a film about teenage girls that can actually be enjoyed by teenage girls. It’s not aimed at twelve-year-olds wishing they had all the drama of a teenage life. That is a success in of itself.

The DVD

The video is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. Vibrant, bright colors pop on the screen, but the level of detail was a bit disappointing. Grain is a problem and the overall image seemed to lack a final bit of refinement.

The audio is offered in Spanish/French Dolby Digital 5. 1 Surround Sound with English/French subtitles. It’s far from an active track, but dialogue is clear and balanced with the rest of the audio elements.

The Extras

The disc boasts four short “making of” featurettes: The Start of Production, Fall of Adela, Adela’s Fight, and Performance. The segments provide a half-decent look at the production and certain segments from the film, but overall they are still very much an electronic pres kit.

The music video “Como Soy” by Ximena Sarinana is offered as well.

Final Thoughts

Charm School is a film that knows its target audience. However, if you aren’t a teenage girl, you might want to stay away from this one.