Stay seated for Standing Ovation

Standing Ovation

Director: Stewart Raffill

Starring: Kayla Jackson

*

This tween comedy follows The Five Ovations, a group of young singers determined to win a nationwide video contest from under the noses of the snooty, privileged rivals The Wiggies.

Eschewing all messages about following your dreams, the film presents characters who appear to be out to win at all costs.

The film stands on sequinned, high-energy song and dance numbers but, sadly, even these fall flat as electronic beats crash into electronically altered singing voices.

The acting is as garish as the outfits, with only the lead Kayla Jackson standing out among the many high-decibel wannabes, most of whom grin at the camera while performing unsettlingly mature dance routines.

A slight, poorly thought-out take on Disney's plethora of music franchises, Standing Ovation feels like a child-acting audition tape.