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source: McKenna Shoots for the Stars

Great movie! I really enjoy it every time I watch it.

This is a wholesome movie, featuring young girls from about 9 to about 15. Some are gymnasts, there is no foul language, no sexual innuendo. The parents are all nice. The only hint of anything improper are a few "white lies" a couple of girls tell because the truth would be embarrassing. Like having your best friend know you need a tutor. Cute Jade Pettyjohn, about 9, is 4th grader McKenna Brooks. She is a naturally gifted gymnast and is putting a lot of pressure on herself for an upcoming tryout. Her goal is to get to the 2016 Olympics as a gymnast. Her parents want to make sure she doesn't neglect other things, like school studies. Two things take the story where it goes. First McKenna's grades are in danger, she has trouble focusing on what she reads and as a result has little actual comprehension. So another student, about 14 or 15, helps her. Second she ignores her coach's instruction and does a difficult balance beam dismount, fracturing an ankle requiring her to be in a cast for 8 weeks. The story is handled well and young Pettyjohn plays McKenna very well. Her tutor, confined to a wheelchair, is Kerris Dorsey as Josie Myers. Best friend gymnast is Ysa Penarejo as Toulane Thomas. It was nice to see Cathy Rigby, still looking good at 60, playing the coach. We pretty much know where the story will go, there are several side stories that help make it interesting. It was set in the Seattle area with nice shots of Mt Ranier in the background, but it was filmed in Canada.

This movie is adorable. It has your traditional tween growing up and finding yourself story but it is also really entertaining. Everything always seems so much bigger than it really is in school and that is something that will never change. For McKenna her life is all about gymnastics and making the nationals then one day the Olympics. She learns life can be difficult juggling her passion with school and friendships but in true form she finds out what life is really about. This movie may not be deep or intellectual but it doesn't need to be. It's the perfect light- hearted finding the true you story. It shows that you can have it all if you work hard from the beginning and follow your dreams. And isn't that what all kids need, someone backing them to be the best version of themselves and teaching them that you only fail if you never try.

American Girl is a rare gem, one of the few companies that truly understands the nurturing of its young audience. Based on its 2012 Girl of the Year doll, McKenna is the story of McKenna Brooks, a young gymnast with dreams of becoming a competitive gymnast. As with all the American Girl movies, the production is bright, colorful, and upbeat, with plenty of tender moments between McKenna and her friends and family. Jade Pettyjohn is thoroughly engaging as McKenna, with fine support from Nia Vardalos, Ian Ziering, and Cathy Rigby playing (of course!) McKenna's gymnastics couch. The American Girl movies obviously strive for a pure and sensitive approach, and this movie is no different. There is a delicacy and innocence to it that could make a cynic very uncomfortable, but for families who are looking for clean, wholesome, old-fashioned children's entertainment, the American Girl movies always fit the bill.

McKenna Brooks is in the fourth grade but hopes to be an Olympic gymnast someday. She pushes herself really hard, and Coach Isabelle worries she's not ready for some of the moves she attempts. McKenna's best friend Toulane also aspires to be an Olympic gymnast because her older sister was hurt and lost her opportunity. Correction: Toulane's mother aspires for Toulane to be an Olympic gymnast, and Toulane can't tell her mother how she really feels. Meanwhile, McKenna is having trouble in school, and her parents expect her to improve her grades or no gymnastics. Her teacher Mr. Wu suggests Josie as a tutor. Josie is in a wheelchair, which gives the movie another opportunity for an inspiring story. But even though she is quite friendly and patient, her techniques make McKenna feel like a little child who has to start over. It will be a long road uphill, with plenty of obstacles to overcome. This movie offers a lot of lessons about responsibility, determination, and the real meaning of friendship. It is kind of preachy but gets the message across with feel-good moments and plenty of humor. Kerris Dorsey and Ysa Penarejo, as Josie and Toulane respectively, both do a reasonably good job acting, and both have their moments, but one can tell they are acting when they deliver dialogue. Dorsey does a very good job when it is her turn to be frightened, after Josie has been so strong and confident. Nia Vardalos and Ian Ziering both do okay as McKenna's parents, but they're not quite up to the superior level one might hope for. Vardalos has more to do and does it better. Jade Pettyjohn, however, becomes McKenna and does an outstanding job. She is so adorable and easy to like. I didn't know Cathy Rigby could act, but I did not know which one was her. I figured she might be the coach, but she was so good. The gymnasts also do an excellent job. In McKenna's case, we can't see her face and her hair is slightly different when she is doing her most difficult stunts, so I think we know what that means. It's hard to believe they're just kids. It's a beautiful thing to watch all these kids going through their routines--almost like Esther Williams without the water. As would be expected for a movie targeting young girls, there's not a lot of music. There is a lot of what young girls think is music. But the movie does offer four exceptions to the rule. There is generic background music which is listenable for someone with my taste. And a song with the lyrics "Breathe in, breathe out" is sort of good. But two of the movie's funniest scenes have good music. One is a hilarious sequence where McKenna tries out different tutors. In another, Toulane behaves like a spy because of her jealousy when McKenna has secrets and other friends. In the library she uses her gymnastics skills to sneak around. The music resembles the "Mission: Impossible" theme. The movie makes effective use of visual effects and editing, illustrating McKenna's problems with concentration, and dramatically showing her difficulty, through rapid-fire editing, taking a test when she can't remember anything. This is a very good effort and one that is really worth seeing. There is no offensive content here. Just a few scary scenes, but this is appropriate for all ages.

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McKenna Shoots for the Stars