Sleepover

Just to give an indication of how confused this movie is about its demographic, the spots that precede the DVD title screen of Sleepover range from a shoot-'em-up trailer to a commercial where an impish man in neon dances and proclaims, "Jub-Jub loves shapes, while Jen and her friend, Chatterbox, love to learn about words!" Sleepover is the epitome of bucket-scraping, soulless tween movies. All of the elements are here: a fluffy, recycled plot, wishy-washy characters, loads of product placement ("Dude, do you have one of those plush new Polaroid sticker cams?") and the worst acting this side of a skin flick. The movie begins in a junior high school that bears a striking resemblance to a massive university. It wastes no time delineating between cliques. Head nerd Julie (Spy Kids' Alexa Vega) decides to have a sleepover with her nerdy friends. Things become debauched when the "cool blonde girls" invite them to take part in an all-night scavenger hunt. The stakes are high: winner gets control of the "cool lunch table" once they begin high school in the fall. Oh the antics that ensue with little to no quaint moral foundation. The fun continues even after the movie is done, with a featurette called "Sleepover Confessions." Here, the cast tell tales of their very own overnight shenanigans. Highlights include such defiant gems as scrawling "I'm dumb" on a friend's forehead (in permanent marker, no less!) and sneaking out of the house only to break into a nearby church and hold a mock service. The commentary, featuring the director and way too many young actors in one room, is amongst one of the most irritating things ever put to tape. It includes such revelatory statements as, "That was soooo funny" followed by an hour-and-a-half of giggles and hugs. Plus: exclusive Mandarin and Cantonese subtitles, more. (MGM)