Starstruck is an AMAZING movie. It focuses on Jessica, who’s sister Sarah is absolutely obsessed with teen star, Christopher Wilde, while Jessica herself hates him. When Christopher accidentally hits Jessica in the head with a door, the two become intertwined in each other’s lives. They go on some unplanned adventures around California, where Jessica is visiting her grandma, and reflect on how their lives differ with Jessica being a “normal girl” and Christopher being a celebrity. This lifestyle difference serves to be a challenge for the two as Christopher seems to prioritize his image as a celebrity over his personal feelings and the feelings of those around him.

This movie highlights a lot of the negative aspects of child stardom, which is appropriate for the time period of the early 2010s when many child stars were struggling mentally, including Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears. Christopher is just a teenager and yet is constantly berated by paparazzi. The movie also emphasizes how the media twists stories to fit a certain headline and prioritizes sales over honesty or authenticity. This is an issue that is rarely addressed so transparently in movies, and it was very important to get an honest reflection of how Hollywood media is so fake. Jessica goes on a very meaningful tangent about how the media will take any good, genuine person and turn them into a monster for a headline. Her tear-filled statement is immediately followed by the reporter going “did you get that?!”, showing how they will never change, both in the movie and in real life. It also helps viewers to realize that the glamorous life of child stardom is not all it pans out to be. Personally, I had always wanted to be on Disney Channel as a little kid, but this movie made me realize that I actually do not want paparazzi all over my lawn.

Because of these circumstances, a large lesson of the movie is to prioritize personal relationships over one’s image or the opinions of others. Christopher consistently was unhappy because he placed himself in activities and relationships that he did not like, but that looked good for his celebrity image. He did not even like his girlfriend or the movie he was supposed to do but felt he did not have a choice. I really like that Christopher’s best friend holds him accountable and points out that Christopher’s life is his and that he needs to make his own decisions instead of lying to the media about knowing Jessica and doing things he hates. Jessica also hold him accountable throughout the movie, highlighting how the celebrity treatment- skipping lines, having your friends on your payroll, etc- are not normal. Jessica is a very grounded character in general, which helps viewers better grasp their own personal normals. Christopher, by the end of the movie, learns to be his authentic self, quitting his movie, firing his parents as his managers so they can just be his parents, and uniting with Jessica no matter who sees.

This movie was also the OG enemies-to-lovers storyline, a trope that has become extremely popular. Jessica starts out by hating Christopher, then tolerating him, then liking him, then hating him, then liking him. This movie is really an emotional rollercoaster and feels as though whenever they start to like each other, Christopher says something dumb that starts them back from square 1 again. I mean, telling her that he needs to go back to his real life and that he needs to take her camera so the images do not leak after their fun day together? Bad move, Christopher. However, the up and down keeps the movie very engaging. And though I do wish there was a kiss at some point, I do also understand that the actor for Christoper was 21 and Jessica was 16.

Something that often goes unnoticed by viewers is the sister relationship between Sarah and Jessica. They do not seem particularly close in this movie, as they often look down upon each others hobbies. Yet, upon closer inspection, they really are there for each other. Jessica sacrifices her night just so Sarah can go to a club and see Christopher, Jessica makes sure Sarah has a ride home when she leaves with Christopher at the beach, and Sarah disses her best friend after she makes a rude comment about Jessica. As someone who used to fight with her sister a lot growing up, it was really nice to see a sister dynamic that was like ours, and that even if we don’t always like each other, we always love each other. My sister is my best friend now, though.

Just on a surface level, this movie continues to be really good. It’s incredibly funny, and I say this with all the DCOMs, but it is insanely quotable- including the weird voices they use. The songs, of course, are so good and really encapsulate what’s going on in the movie. In My Shades perfectly shows what it’s like to live in that fantasy celebrity bubble, Hero is emotion-filled and raw, and Something About the Sunshine is exactly how I would feel on my tour around California. This movie is just a Disney classic, and many cite Starstruck as one of the most underrated DCOMs of all time. It deserves all the love, or at least a watch.