First Lady movie review

MOVIE TITLE: FIRST LADY

RATING: PG

LENGTH: 1 hour 41 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: F

IN A NUTSHELL:

From the first moment the movie opens, it feels like something that should have premiered on the Hallmark channel or some other chick flick cable channel, instead of the Big Screen. It looks and feels like the low-budget movie it is. Sadly, it’s truly terrible in so many ways. Remember when I said that Fantasy Island was the worst movie of the year so far? I was wrong. This one is. You should know that I feel awful saying that.

It’s timed perfectly for a presidential election year, but plays it extremely safe on the political front. Its redeeming quality is that it is clean and family-friendly.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

You might want to read The Prince and the Pauper: Original Illustrations with your kids.
Alcohol and some people get drunk.
Some stereotypes
No profanity
It’s a VERY light introduction to politics for kids.

THEMES:

“Let’s not put more value on things than on people.” – First Lady/Kathryn Morales (Nancy Stafford)
“What’s the point of preserving history if no one knows what it is.” – First Lady
“Everyone needs a do-over, a chance to just be themselves.” – First Lady
“Learning leads to liberty.” – First Lady

THINGS I LIKED:

I like that the First Lady knows history and tries to preserve it and teach it.
I only recognized two actors in the entire cast. One was Corbin Bernsen, who received multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his role in LA Law: Season 1 (Official US Version) . The other was Stacey Dash, most famous for her role in Clueless . I hadn’t seen either of them in anything recently, so it was good to see them. It’s also nice to see new actors in a cast given a chance in Hollywood.
The cartoon fairy tale opening was cute, so I had high hopes for the movie.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

- Terrible, terrible acting. I’ve liked Corbin Bernsen in other things over the years, but his accent was atrocious in this movie and faded in and out. The actor who plays him as a younger man has an American accent. What the heck? There is no attention to detail in this movie. What was the need of his accent anyway? Everyone in his kingdom had a different one or spoke with an American accent.
- The jaunty music tells you not to take the movie seriously.
- None of the characters are very likable. Most of them are over-the-top ridiculous, but not in a funny way.
- Super stiff dialogue
- Super predictable. The movie poster gives the story away.
- I kept waiting to laugh. I wanted to laugh, but the humor just wasn’t there.

That fake dog. Seriously?
The costumes were SUPER cheap looking.
So much talk about coffee. What’s up with that?
The paid protesters outside the White House were a sad statement, although a true one.
Terrible editing, especially at the 1 hour 31 minute mark.
Sandra Belforte’s character, Cameron, changes her political stance and personality overnight.
No chemistry among the romantic leads. That’s a pretty big problem for a romantic comedy, don’t you think?
The sets look like they were filmed in someone’s personal house, and I’m not talking about the White House.
Beyond the main romance (such as it is), another romance is implied between one of the First Lady’s assistants and a White House guest in a wheelchair, but absolutely nothing happens and that story line completely drops.

FUNNY LINES:

I couldn’t find one worth mentioning.

INTERESTING LINES: