Reviewer's Bias*
Loves:
Likes: Soccer, romcoms
Dislikes: "Disney" movies
Hates: The teen girl market

The Movie
If there's one thing on a DVD box that makes me less inclined to watch a film than the words "starring Julia Roberts," it's the seal of approval of The Dove Foundation. This kiss of death is given to family-friendly films likely to appeal mainly to the Christian Coalition and the Republican party. Thus, you'll find none of the fun cursing, nudity or violence that makes life worth living.

Truthfully, since this story is about a 15-year-old female soccer player and not a 30-year-old male prostitute, the lack of so-called objectionable material makes sense, but it doesn't make that label any less of a concern. So it was with some trepidation that I began watching this film. To be honest, the film isn't nearly the Bible-beating evangelical waste of time I expected. Instead it's just another entry into the tired teen rom-edy genre that Mandy Moore left behind some time ago.

Sara (the porntastically named Leah Pipes, Pixel Perfect) isn't your average 15-year-old. Thanks to a wealth of natural talent and the coaching of her overbearing father Gil (Scott Patterson, "Gilmore Girls"), she has a chance to become the youngest member of the U.S. National women's soccer team. What she doesn't have is a happy home life, as Gil's soccer obsession has led him and her mom Julia (Lisa Darr, "Popular") to separate.

That obsession is apparently hereditary, as Sara has little else in her life than her sport and her best friend Tutti (a pint-sized Leah Remini clone named Leilani). So when her soccer plans fall through, she discovers a whole new world of teenage delights, including the school dance group and a hunky young photographer named Josh.

Sara's life gets complicated though, when a new opportunity to make the national team crops up, forcing her to choose between her new life and pleasing her dad. Actually, it never gets that complicated, as A) Sara doesn't seem too troubled, and B) half the movie takes place in musical montages, saving the film from getting bogged down in dialogue or acting.

There's nothing here that wouldn't be out of place in your average Disney film, as the story is pretty paint-by-numbers, progressing exactly the way you'd expect, with absolutely no surprises. The only thing that stands out is the embarrassing turn by Daryl Sabara (Spy Kids), who plays the Farmer Ted role to awful comedic relief. Everything else is out of Teen Film Template 005, and is done with polish, thanks to very competent direction from Norm Hunter.

The DVD
Packaged in a standard keepcase, this one-disc release has a static, anamorphic widescreen main menu, with options to watch the film, select scenes and check out the extras. There are no audio options, no subtitles and no closed captioning.

The Quality
The anamorphic widescreen video transfer is good, but unspectacular, with an image that's somewhat soft and color that is dull overall, with occasional pixilation, some excessive grain in darker scenes, and rather unfortunate digital artifacts in places. There's no dirt or damage at least.

The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is more uniformly solid than the video, delivering clear dialogue and a nice selection of pop music, which gets some enhancement in the front surrounds, and very minor play in the rear.

The Extras
The only extra here is the film's trailer.

The Bottom Line
If you have teen or pre-teen daughter, or perhaps are a teen or pre-teen girl, you could make worse choices in terms of quality and content. Of course, you could do better, but the audience wants what the audience wants. The DVD delivers the film in fine shape, but provides next to nothing in extras. What you've got here is a soccer mom's dream, a treat for girls and a slow time for everyone else.

Follow him on Twitter

*The Reviewer's Bias section is an attempt to help readers use the review to its best effect. By knowing where the reviewer's biases lie on the film's subject matter, one can read the review with the right mindset.