I've railed on Disney for a lot of stuff in the past. Inferior sequels to animated classics. The juggernaut of mindless bubblegum pop that is High School Musical. The very existence of Hannah Montana. But nothing takes the mediocrity cake quite like The Cheetah Girls franchise. Having already spread the gospel of self-centered consumerism through a series of books and two Disney Channel movies, these ladies are back in action again with The Cheetah Girls - One World. Of the Cheetah trilogy, this one is probably the best—but in this case, that's like saying which of three consecutive lobotomies you preferred most.
With Raven-Symone having taken off to pursue bigger and slightly more tolerable projects, the group of friends known as the Cheetah Girls now finds itself with three members. With college on the horizon for the girls, Dorinda (Sabrina Bryan), Chanel (Adrienne Bailon), and Aqua (Kiely Williams) are torn between higher education and fulfilling their dreams of becoming a hit pop group. But just when it looks like the Cheetahs are about to throw in the towel, along comes up-and-coming filmmaker Vik (Michael Steger) to save the day. He's gearing up for his first feature, a romantic Bollywood musical. Vik witnesses the Cheetahs' collective talent firsthand and whisks them off to Mumbai to be movie stars. The trouble is that Vik's producer uncle (Roshan Seth) demands that his nephew choose only one of the girls for the lead role, causing a rift between the trio that threatens to crush their dreams for good.
I like to think I'm open-minded enough to get the appeal of the Cheetah Girls. They've got energy, a colorful sense of fashion, and enough flavorless pop tunes to put the Backstreet Boys to shame. But much like last year's Bratz and the line of dolls that inspired it, there's something inherently evil about The Cheetah Girls - One World. Sure, there's a lot of talk about friendship and togetherness, themes that have coerced many a parent to give this property a free ride. But beneath its treasure trove of lethargic song-and-dance numbers, One World possesses nothing even resembling a heart. Its so-called values are pretty much an excuse to tell preteen girls to forget about their educations, that being famous is the most important thing in life. Dorinda, Chanel, and Aqua seem to share a lot of spark and chemistry, but it's too bad they don't put it towards something other than fussing about their make-up. It's even impossible to appreciate their singing, since, like with Hannah Montana, the line between what's actual talent and what's been whipped up on a mixing board is more than a little blurred.
Article comments
1 - Michele
The Cheetah Girls have been excellent role models for young girls until the recent episode with Adrienne Baillon. Their values of friendship and girl power are things young girls need to hear instead of some of the other messages that are out there. Sabrina Bryan especially works hard to promote self esteem in preteen girls through her various outside projects. Nothing by Disney is supposed to be deep and world changing. The Cheetah Girls movies are fun with great music and phenomenal dancing. I love watching them even though my children are well past the age of the Cheetah Girls target audience.
2 - Kim
I actually found the movie to be very entertaining and very much worth the price of the DVD. In fact if it had been a theatrical release I would have paid to see it on the big screen. Why? Because it is Disney and Disney is fun and entertaining,and the Bollywood theme gives it some awesome dance numbers, especially seen in Dance Me If You Can and the final number One World. This movie was filmed in India. The colors and the culture make it very intriguing and educational for the young and the not so young who happen to enjoy learning about other cultures. And as for the inner meaning of this movie, it kind of sums up the Cheetah franchise which has probably seen its last movie. No matter what the future holds for these three young women, their cheetah spots will always be a part of who they are.
3 - Donna
Bravo to the comments from these ladies above. I totally agree! I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, and so did my tween age girls. I love the message behind the Cheetah Girls movies, and the dancing and songs are very fun and entertaining. I am thrilled to have Sabrina Bryan as a positive role model for my girls, and will continue to support her in all of her upcoming projects.
4 - V
I'm thoroughly embarrassed by this review. I loved this movie and definitely thought it was more than worth the price of the DVD. I agree with all of the above comments as well.
5 - Cindy
Why does it suprises you seem to be biased towards The Cheetah girls witout Raven in it. I actually like the movie One World it is better that Raven is not in it. I love how the Cheetah Girls movies they get to go different parts of the World and seee different cultures. This movie brought alot of colors and dances that I love. Esp,when Sabrina Bryan dances she has some that I would love to learn she can dance her butt off and she can act in this movie. All the Cheetah Girls did good. I got 2 copies of One World because I loved it and gave some for presents and the people that I gave them to liked it better than HSM 3 that was at theaters. Too bad One World didn't go to theartes and the ratings for the this movie were good since it competed against the Summer Oylmpics 2008.So I hope there will be a part 4 for the last hooray and would love to see more of Sabrina Bryan in it. Can't wait to get her BYOU 2 coming Jan 13,2009 from Sabrins she is such a great role model. Go Cheetah Girls may they shine at Urban Ball this Jan!! They are so Cheetahlicious!!!!!
6 - shana
i would also like to say this movie is well worth the price of dvd. i enjoyed and i dont have kids . the cheetah girls are great role models and if i had kids i would want them to watch ths movie.
7 - melissa
I completely disagree with this review.. I absolutely LOVED this movie and the message it sent. I am neither teen nor tween and I have watched it several times and enjoy it just as much each time. I will continue to support Sabrina Bryan and the other girls in any and all of their ventures
8 - A.J. Hakari
To the commenter "Cindy": I'd really like to know which part of my review indicates that I liked the film more because Raven's not in it.
As for everyone else, I understand your comments and criticisms about the review. I fully understand that I am not this movie's target audience, and no amount of venom slung from my direction is going to stop this stuff from becoming incredibly popular.
But there are some underlying things I picked up on that I wanted to bring to light, since I've seen so many parents give the movie a free pass because it cobbles together a really cheap lesson about being friends. For instance, how superficial do the girls look when they write off the Bollywood movie star in "One World" just because he has a goofy laugh? One minute, they're fawning over him, but as soon as he snorts, they shun him like the plague.
As someone who studies and watches foreign film on a regular basis, I looked forward to the Bollywood angle being explored more in the story. But what the movie presented felt way too sanitized (not surprising, considering Disney is involved), since the most culture there was in the story involved the girls, surprise surprise, buying jewelry. Even the non-American actors took on suspiciously over-produced, American-sounding singing voices during the musical numbers. Let's not forget the character of Kevin, who supposedly is from India, yet speaks with the American accent he uses at work for the entirety of the movie. I'm not even going to start on how cheap the ending was, how the movie built up its central conflict and, without spoiling anything, takes an unfair route in giving everyone a happy ending.
I understand your comments, but I can't be the only one who feels this way about the Cheetah Girls, or even Bratz for that matter. I'm as up for seeing girls (and even boys) getting positive role models in their lives. But from what I've seen, the Cheetah Girls don't even come close.
9 - Liv
I think you make some good points in your review. However, I think when it comes to Disney, fluff abounds and we should look elsewhere for our children to learn more about different cultures...books, documentaries, travel, etc. If anything, One World may spark some interest in today's youth to Google "India," but don't hold your breath. Then again, I see the Disney franchise as just pure entertainment, so unfortunately, I have never really held them to a standard other than that - to merely entertain. I do think the movie had good intentions, but I don't even think Disney takes The Cheetah Girls that seriously anymore. Unfortunately, it's just about scraping that last little buck out of us. Regardless of Disney, I also think Sabrina Bryan is incredibly talented and hope she is able to branch out and invest in some more mature projects.
10 - Jaqueline
First of,if you want to learn Indian culture then you should watch a documentary.The word MEDIOCRITY shows such rudeness from your part,the freedom of speech is something I value a lot but insulting people who make something productive out of their lives to "make a point" annoys me greatly. This is a kids oriented movie.TCG are nothing like Hannah Montana or HSM,the movie DOES send a great message and if you really watched the movie you'll see that their friendship is above all things.The girls are not like some other group,they have talent and they are extremely polite and sweet to their fans.I enjoyed every minute of it,the girls are talented and funny.Sabrina Bryan just steals the movie with her spark and talent.I not only admire her as an artist but also as a great role model for kids all around the world.I'm a proud Sabrina Bryan and TCG fan and I think your review is age oriented.Just because you're not fond of Disney movies,doesn't mean they are all bad.TCG are the most successful group Disney has ever had not to mention the ones that opened the doors for many other artists with or without Raven.The Cheetah Girls One World is a great movie and everyone should watch it.
11 - Mary
I think you are missing the whole point of the movie. It was made for entertainment purposes, not some deep documentary about teenagers, or India. I loved this movie, because of the lightness of it, and the fun. There is too many horrible things going on in the news, and other part of the countries, it is nice to be able to sit down and enjoy One World for the pure fun of it. The main message these girls try to put across is at the end of the day, after all the disagreements, and after all the disapointments, their friendship is the most important thing to them. Now dont you think that is an important lesson of life?
12 - dana
I love ALL 3 of the Cheetah Girl movies. I think Disney makes some of the best movies out there and they get some of the best up and coming new stars out there. In my opinion I hope they make another Cheetah Girls movie.
13 - Molly
I love u cheetas u are a great romodel to all children have a wonderful future
14 - AQEELAH
CHEETAL GIRLS WAS THE BEST !!!
BETTER THAN HSM,BRATZ AND CAMP ROCK!
THE SONGS ARE AWESOME!
I LOVE CHEETAH GIRLS!!!!
YOU ROCK!!!!!
15 - seham
hi cheetah girls i wish i could see
i love you cheetah girls
have a great life
16 - rhea
i love u cater gals u r the best from ur biggest fan rhea
17 - lisa
i love you you are iven beter than camp rook you are the berst tv show i wish you can come to northapton
18 - amanda
hello I love cheetah girls and i hope get see you I are you big fans hug:amanda
19 - tameka
my mame is tameka i want the cheeth girls movies