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Review: 'The Cheetah Girls' submitted by: Lisa D. source: Orlando Sentinel Date: August 10, 2003 Silliness spotted in 'Cheetah' By Hal Boedeker, Sentinel Television Critic Girls just want to be stars in The Cheetah Girls, a bewildering and artificial movie. The overriding lesson isn't that the show must go on, but that some young ladies should pack it in. The film, premiering Friday on Disney Channel, presents a sassy quartet of diva wannabes. Their vivacious style quickly succumbs to tears, posturing and bickering -- it's A Star Is Born for the teen set. Young viewers could well find the performers and story appealing. But musical fans will be struck by the defects in this product. Disney Channel is billing the movie as "a modern musical." Translation: The production numbers have been edited and staged with video slickness so that the performers' true talents can't be gauged. Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly didn't need this treatment. But there isn't a Judy Garland or a Barbra Streisand in this bunch, either. The Cheetah Girls' singing sounds unreal; it's just more candy-flavored pop that rolled off an assembly line. Their conflict with a producer who wants to change their sound is laughable; these opponents are already on the same wave length. The Cheetah Girls, based on Deborah Gregory's book series, is basically an old-fashioned showbiz story. The flashy fashions and New York backdrops provide some modern zing, but this is a familiar tale of out-of-control ambition. Galleria Garibaldi (Raven) strives to push her group to stardom and prattles on about penthouses and butlers. Her mother, former model Dorothea (Lynn Whitfield), nags her about chores and cautions her about shady businessmen. Soon enough, the Cheetah Girls meet a record producer so awful he should be called Toxic Waste Dump. Galleria turns so overbearing with her diva manner that she alienates other students, then her fellow Cheetah Girls. When they aren't fuming at Galleria, the girls have other problems. Chanel (Adrienne Bailon) must contend with a flighty mom. Dorinda (Sabrina Bryan) has a big secret that's genuinely serious but one that the movie doesn't linger over. Aqua (Kiely Williams), the most undeveloped character, has trouble hailing a taxi. (Williams and Bailon are members of the pop group 3LW.) The young performers work hard -- sometimes too hard. Raven, who gained attention as a tot on The Cosby Show, does too believable a job of morphing into a monster. She's unbearable, and she's forced to say silly things. Of a smitten boy who kids her about her music, Galleria says, "If he can't respect my art, he can't have my heart." Emmy winner Whitfield looks glamorous, but she spends most of the movie acting exasperated at Galleria. It's so understandable; how can you respect someone who sounds like a mall? Galleria's dog, Toto (played by Cappuccino, the pet of author Gregory), is pretty spectacular, too, but is used mainly to set up the absurd finale. The Cheetah Girls means well in celebrating diversity and girl power. Gregory laid out a credo in her book series: "Cheetah Girls are created equal, but we are not alike; we come in different sizes, shapes and colors, but we don't judge others by the color of their spots." All movies, however, are not created equal. There isn't enough music to qualify this as a musical. The diva nonsense detracts from the girl-power theme. The next time these girls decide to put on a show, somebody should stop them. Hal Boedeker can be reached at hboedeker@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5756. Site design by: Dolphin Webpage Designs © 1996-2003