Almost Popular Delivers What You’d Expect From a Teen Movie
The moment you start watching Almost Popular, it feels like you’re watching a modernized copycat of Mean Girls.
The three popular girls ruling the school with fear, the mom who wants to act like a teenager, and the different groups of teens. However, the movie takes this reference, makes it clear that it understands the comparisons, and states that they are not Mean Girls. And that’s honestly what makes Almost Popular so fun.
While the movie is predictable (as most teen-coming-of-age movies are), it is also silly, heartwarming, and joyful. Even though one might not fully agree with Susie’s (Ruby Rose Turner) desire to become a POP Girl, viewers can understand where that is coming from. This is solely possible because Susie herself explains what life has been like for her and Bobbie (Reid Miller) since they were little kids. We see them being bullied and pushed out of big social events. Therefore, we’re rooting for them because everyone loves a story in which the underdog triumphs.
Their triumph doesn’t come from becoming popular, even though they do reach that goal in a different way. It comes from the fact that they are both able to accept who they are to their full potential. Bobbie was well aware of this potential before the wild journey to popularity, but he understood Susie needed to go on that ride to see her own worth.
When Susie first decides to buy followers, Bobbie makes her promise they won’t let anything come between them. This scene is the perfect foreshadowing of what is actually going to happen. As expected, the desire to become popular comes between them, and Susie forgets to take a second and care about Bobbie’s feelings. But in true best friend nature, the issue is resolved as soon as Bobbie sees that Susie needs him. The many years of having each other’s backs are more important than the mere days they have spent trying to be what they are not.
In the predictability of the movie, there are a few things that are worth highlighting and that stick with the audience long after the movie is over. The three popular girls comment shows how well the writers (Pamela Duffy-Little and Eleni Rivera) understand the genre. Even if Mean Girls is the only reference you have, as a viewer, you are predisposed to believe that the groups of popular girls come in threes. Therefore, that is what the film delivers. Because even when Renee (Isabella Ferreira) leaves the POP Girls, she joins Nice Girls Not, and they become another group of three.
The movie makes it very clear which era everything takes place in. The conversations Susie has with Siri and the close-ups of the characters’ faces as they read the text messages are one reminder of this. These instances are done in such a manner that the movie feels very camp, adding to the joyfulness of its storyline.
But there are three things that stand out the most because of how heartwarming they are. The first one is the pair of pink heels that Bobbie has spent his entire life trying to wear. One of the first things we learn about him is that his mother prohibited him from wearing the pink heels because his father would be upset. From that moment on, the heels become an important part of Bobbie’s journey.
When he is finally able to wear them for Pink Prom, he has reached his full potential as well. He isn’t afraid to be himself, even after the school made fun of him for his videos. It is because he isn’t scared that he has his own Cinderella moment when Anthony (Sir Cornwell) chases after him to give him back the shoe he lost and mentions how great he looks. Bobbie is also able to have his magical moment, even if his goal wasn’t that.
The second thing is the fact that even though we spend the entire movie rooting for Susie and Bobbie, we’re also rooting for Renee. We root for her to get away from Vicki Reinhard (Ellodee Carpenter) and get her chance with Dave (Elijah M. Cooper) because she deserves it. Unlike the rest of the POP Girls, Renee has redeemable qualities. It is clear that she doesn’t want to be mean, and she cares about others. So when she finally gets her kiss, the entire movie has come full circle, and everyone we rooted for has their happy ending.
The third and last thing is how nicely the movie handles the speech from the unpopular girl. Susie has two moments in which she is finally able to face her fears and those who kept bringing her down. Her words every time show how much she has grown from the beginning of the movie. Instead of succumbing to the popularity she so desperately wanted, she realizes that what truly matters is accepting yourself. And that is exactly what gets her the guy, the friends, and the big win.
Almost Popular is predictable, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good movie. If you’re looking for entertainment and a heartwarming feeling, this is the movie for you. It’s a movie that will allow you to feel silly and happy while the hero gets the happy ending.
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