Geek Charming is one of my favorite DCOMs while simultaneously being one of the most underrated. The story follows Dylan, a girl who’s dream it is to win Blossom Queen (essentially Prom queen), which would allow her to become the most popular girl. Dylan already has the most popular friends and boyfriend, and despite being secretly very smart, she cares much more about her popularity. Josh is a film geek, and needs to make a film to submit to represent the school in a contest and win a spot at a Hollywood film camp. Josh chooses to make his movie about popularity, starring Dylan, while Dylan sees this opportunity as the perfect campaign for Blossom Queen. In working together, the two form an unlikely pair that eventually end up together (spoiler, sorry).

This movie was actually created based on a book, which is something I did not know. Disney probably adopted it because the success of the High School Musical franchise had a similar plotline with people from opposing social groups falling for each other. However, I feel like it was done differently as it is not a musical and HSM focuses on a common passion while in Geek Charming, they only originally worked together for personal gain. Sarah Hyland starring as Dylan was perfect publicity because she was also in Modern Family at the time, as well as Sasha Pieterse with Pretty Little Liars (real ones know her from Sharkboy and Lavagirl, though). Vanessa Morgan, from Riverdale and My Babysitter’s a Vampire, as well as Matt Prokop, from HSM3, were also in this movie. While the acting on Disney Channel can be -questionable- sometimes, this movie had some actually great actors that brought this movie to life.

This movie had a lot of creative aspects to it. One of the coolest parts of it is the side interviews that take place throughout the movie, similar to confessionals on reality TV. I believe this was due to the success of reality TV shows in the early 2010s when this movie came out, but it really adds another layer to the characters. They feel more real to the camera and you get a sort of side commentary of the movie that other DCOMs don’t have.

There are some really great lessons in this movie. It is one of the only DCOMs to deal with parent loss, at least as a main subplot. I think they perfectly incorporated the trauma of Dylan’s mom passing and did a great job of slowly revealing that her desire to win Blossom Queen was not actually rooted in a selfish need for popularity, but to feel close to her mom. Dylan also has to deal with the idea of a stepmom, and we see her gradually opening up to the idea of her stepmom while continuing to grieve over the loss of her mother, which is very deep for a DCOM. It can provide comfort to kids who have faced similar things with parent loss or hesitation to accept a step parent. Josh’s father is less of a plot point, but it is mentioned that his father is absent, likely due to divorce. This is something that is also pretty adult for Disney, but allows kids who are in that situation to feel seen.

Though the message of this film is still pretty cliche, mainly about being true to yourself and how true friendship matters more than popularity, it’s almost refreshing. Most movies of this nature with the people from opposing social groups falling in love center the message around that connection. They are mainly love stories. This movie, while incorporating the love story, also really highlights the importance of good friendships. Dylan is ditched from her “friends” the second that she becomes less popular, but is able to confide in one of her old best friends. She discovers that happiness and being with the right group of people is better than being with “cool” kids. This is especially an important message for preteens who may start to feel the pressure to fit in or peer pressure. Plus, I really like how, by the end, Dylan is not afraid to show off her intelligence. It really proves that girls can be both popular, pretty, nice, and smart all in one. It’s also an ironic contrast to her character, Haley, in Modern Family.

Overall, I think this is such a comfort movie for me, despite the later rumors of Matt Prokop’s abuse toward Sarah Hyland. Aside from that, this movie has SO MANY one liners that I’m constantly quoting with my sister. Like, I could name at least ten off the top of my head. It is underrated, and definitely worth a watch for DCOM lovers!