comedy-drama film
Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, illness, betrayal, grief, etc. ...
released as a
Disney Channel Original Movie
Since its launch on April 18, 1983, American cable and satellite pay television channel Disney Channel airs and/or releases/distributes original first-run television films under the banner names of Disney Channel Premiere Films until October 1 ...
. It premiered on July 21, 2006. It is based on the novel ''How My Private, Personal Journal Became A Bestseller'' by Julia DeVillers. Sisters Kay and
Danielle Panabaker
Danielle Nicole Panabaker (born September 19, 1987) is an American actress. She began acting as a teenager and came to prominence for her roles in the The Walt Disney Company, Disney films ''Stuck in the Suburbs'' (2004), ''Sky High (2005 film), ...
star as Jamie Bartlett and her
alter ego
An alter ego (Latin for "other I") means an alternate Self (psychology), self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original Personality psychology, personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other ...
Isabella (Iz or Is), respectively. Both sisters have starred in previous Disney Channel films: Kay in '' Life Is Ruff'' (2005), and Danielle in ''
Stuck in the Suburbs
''Stuck in the Suburbs'' is a 2004 American comedy film that premiered as a Disney Channel Original Movie. It was released on July 16, 2004, and stars Danielle Panabaker as Brittany Aarons and Brenda Song as Natasha Kwon-Schwartz. Brittany, a ...
'' (2004); like ''Read It and Weep'', those films also premiered in July in their respective years.
Plot
Freshman Jameson "Jamie" Bartlett has three best friends named Connor (who has a crush on her), Lindsay, and Harmony, a brother named Lenny Bartlett, and a mean enemy named Sawyer Sullivan, whose boyfriend Marco Vega is the object of Jamie's affection. She also owns a tablet PC, on which she keeps a journal she writes in every day. In the journal, she writes about a character named "Isabella" or "Is", a popular girl with incredible powers who stands up to a mean girl named Myrna. In actuality, the journal is a more imaginative version of Jamie's life, with Is being loosely based on Jamie and Myrna being based on Sawyer.
For an English assignment, Jamie has to write an essay of her choice. Her printer dies, and Lenny refuses to let her use his. Lindsay offers to print the essay if Jamie emails it to her, but she accidentally sends her the
journal
A journal, from the Old French ''journal'' (meaning "daily"), may refer to:
*Bullet journal, a method of personal organization
*Diary, a record of personal secretive thoughts and as open book to personal therapy or used to feel connected to onesel ...
. After Lindsay turns the journal in for Jamie, it wins a writing contest and is published as a book. Jamie's book attracts a lot of publicity, eventually becoming a bestseller. She appears at many book signings, on reality TV shows, is often interviewed, and meets stars whom she has always wanted to meet. Soon, success gets the better of Jamie; she becomes increasingly materialistic and critical of the world around her, quitting her job at her father's pizza place, ridiculing Lenny's guitar playing, and favoring fame over her friends. Her newfound popularity is dashed during a television interview where she inadvertently reveals that the
antagonist
An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the main enemy or rival of the protagonist and is often depicted as a villain.
Cast
*
Kay Panabaker
Stephanie Kay Panabaker (born May 2, 1990) is an American zoologist and former actress. She is known for her roles as Jenny Garison in the 2009 reboot of '' Fame'', Debbie Berwick on ''Phil of the Future'', and Nikki Westerly on '' Summerland''. ...
as Jameson "Jamie" Bartlett
*
Danielle Panabaker
Danielle Nicole Panabaker (born September 19, 1987) is an American actress. She began acting as a teenager and came to prominence for her roles in the The Walt Disney Company, Disney films ''Stuck in the Suburbs'' (2004), ''Sky High (2005 film), ...
Tom Virtue
Tom Virtue (born November 19, 1957) is an Americans, American actor. He is known for his roles in the television series ''Even Stevens'' (2000–2003) and ''The Secret Life of the American Teenager'' (2008–2013).
Filmography Film
Television
...
as Ralph Bartlett, Jamie's father
* Alexandra Krosney as Harmony
* Marquise C. Brown as Lindsay
* Allison Scagliotti as Sawyer "Myrna" Sullivan
* Chad Broskey as Marco Vega
* Connie Young as Peggy Bartlett, Jamie's mother
* Nick Whitaker as Lenny Bartlett, Jamie's older brother
* Falisha Fehoko as Jennifer #1
* Malinda Money as Jennifer #2
* Joyce Cohen as Miss Gallagher
* Paisley Van Patten as Amber Tiffany
Differences between the book and the movie
The movie was based on the book ''How My Private, Personal Journal Became a Bestseller''. Julia DeVillers, the author of the book from which the movie was made, has a cameo in a pizza parlor scene. There are numerous differences between the book and the film. They are:
* In the book, Sawyer has long blond hair. In the movie, she has short brown hair.
* In the book, Harmony lives part-time in the city and part-time in the suburbs. In the movie, she lives in one place.
* In the book, Lindsay has light skin, red hair, and blue eyes. In the movie, she has dark skin, black hair, and brown eyes..
* In the book, Lindsay is constantly upset with her weight, but in the movie, this is never mentioned.
* In the book, Harmony has dark skin, black hair, and brown eyes. In the movie, she has light skin, green eyes, and red hair.
* In the book, Connor has brown hair. In the movie, he has blond hair.
* In the book, Connor is the new kid. In the movie, he is already friends with Jamie in the beginning.
* In the book, Jamie gets a laptop after she writes the book. In the movie, she uses her laptop to write her book.
* In the book, Jamie didn't kiss Connor but in the movie, she did.
* In the book, Jamie has an older sister named Allie, but in the movie, she has an older brother named Lenny. In the scène when Jamie was deleting friends off her list of online friends, one of their names was Allie.
* In the book, Jamie calls her story ''IS'', but in the movie, she calls it ''IS Saves the World''.
* In the movie, there was a school dance. In the book, there wasn't any dance.
* In the movie Jamie talks to IS. In the book, she doesn't.
* In the book, Jamie's parents are Steve and Robin. In the movie, their names are Ralph and Peggy.
Downtown Salt Lake City
Downtown (also called City Center) is the oldest district in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The grid plan, grid from which the entire city is laid out originates at Temple Square, the location of the Salt Lake Temple.
Location
Downtown S ...
. Murray High School was also the set of: '' Take Down'' (1978), the auditorium scene of ''
High School Musical
''High School Musical'' is a 2006 American Musical film, musical television film produced by and aired on Disney Channel as part of the network's List of Disney Channel original films, slate of original television films. The first installmen ...
'' (2006), ''
Minutemen
Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Min ...