Everybody's a critic - 'What a Girl Wants'

Three and a half stars (out of four)

"What a Girl Wants" is a delightful comedy. The story is predictable, but for the age group the movie is trying to target it does a good job of making you care for the characters. The story of a young American girl setting out to meet her father from another country and culture creates some very funny situations. The music is young and hip, just the type my niece who is soon to be 12 loves.

I only recognized the father from a previous film, "Bridget Jones' Diary," and the mother played by Kelly Preston. Younger audience members probably know who Amanda Bynes , who plays Daphne, is.

I thought the overall moral of the story -- being yourself as opposed to what other people expect you to be -- was a good lesson for young girls to hear. This is a good movie for a mother/daughter night out.

- Tammy Elias, business owner

Three stars (out of four)

Good wins over evil in this innocent fairy tale production called "What a Girl Wants." The story, based on the play "The Reluctant Debutante," tells of a 17-year-old New York City teen who travels to London to find her long lost father, Sir Henry Dashwood, a handsome British politician. London, it seems, is not quite ready for the likes of this little gal, and lives and hearts are uprooted. But as I have taught my second-graders, most fairy tales end happily ever after. Such is the case in "What a Girl Wants," as a family is reunited and changed for the better.

I think the film is intended for young ladies aged 9 to 13 and probably wouldn't be tolerated by the male population. It has a predictable story line, moments of tenderness and the charm that characterizes that age group. In this day and time, I found this movie to be quite refreshing.

- Joanie Skinner, elementary school teacher

One star (out of four)

"What a Girl Wants" may be enjoyable for 7 to 15-year-old girls, but I think the audience for this movie stops there. The basic story is that of a New York girl (Daphne Reynolds) who has not met her father (Henry Dashwood), but knows he is a British royal. Daphne decides to run away to England to meet him. She arrives to a circle of uptight aristocrats who refuse to accept her unruly behavior. This leads to situations where the royalty of England is shown the error of their snobbish ways by a free-spirited American girl.

My main complaint about this movie is the over-acting. Many scenes contain over-animated facial expressions and unrealistic reactions to situations. My point is never more clear than when Daphne accidentally walks onto a stage platform and decides to take off her jacket and start dancing in front of the Prince of Wales.

"What a Girl Wants" is an unimaginative movie that uses exaggerated comedy to make up for it.

- Michael Peterson, police officer