The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
Back to trending 
An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars
Drama · Family · 2012
A young girl struggles to maintain her school grades while competing as a gymnast.
Movie details
An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars
2012 Drama · Family 1h 25m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.8 / 10
Community rating
A young girl struggles to maintain her school grades while competing as a gymnast.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
Hoovey
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The true and inspiring story of the Elliott family, who refused to surrender, instead turning to one another and their faith in the worst of circumstances, to rebuild their lives, their boy, and their dreams... together. Step by grueling step, with faith, love, and the tireless work of a mother and father to save their family, their farm, their dream, Hoovey learns to walk again. To read again. To dribble and shoot a basketball again. And yes, to dream again himself. Then stepping out in his faith, back onto the hard court, to live that dream of playing this game once more...
Goal II: Living the Dream
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Tempted away from Newcastle United to join Real Madrid, rising star Santiago Munez finds this latest change of fortune the greatest challenge yet - personally as well as professionally. He is reunited with Gavin Harris, though they must compete to be on the team, and estranged from fiancee Roz, whose nursing career keeps her back home.
Fast Girls
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A street smart runner develops an intense rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete.
My Dinner with Hervé
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An unlikely friendship evolves over one wild night in LA between a struggling journalist and actor Hervé Villechaize, the world's most famous gun-toting dwarf, resulting in life-changing consequences for both.
TalhotBlond
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Thomas Montgomery, a married father of two young daughters, gets seduced by the world of online gambling and chat rooms where a virtual romance and sexual obsession ultimately leads to the murder of an innocent man.
Starving in Suburbia
Drama · 2014
When seventeen-year-old Hannah stumbles upon a website about Thinspiration--an online community devoted to anorexia as a life choice--she becomes an obsessive follower of the site founder, ButterflyAna. By the time Hannah's family realizes what is happening and get Hannah the help she needs, the disease has fully taken hold and Hannah is refusing to eat. Will this family be able to exorcise the demon of anorexia from their lives?
Call Me Crazy: A Five Film
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A psychotherapist helps a law student cope with schizophrenia in one of five interconnected tales dealing with mental illness.
What Maisie Knew
Drama · 2013
In New York City, a young girl is caught in the middle of her parents' bitter custody battle.
Peaceful Warrior
Drama · 2006
A chance encounter with a stranger changes the life of a college gymnast.
Monster High: Fright On!
Family · 2011
See what happens when the student bodies of an all-vampire school and an all-werewolf school integrate with Monster High.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Vince Marcello
Written by
Jessica O'Toole · Amy Rardin
Jade Pettyjohn
McKenna Brooks
Kerris Dorsey
Josie Myers
Ysa Penarejo
Toulane Thomas
K
Kally Berard
Sierra Kuchinko
G
George Chiang
Mr. Wu
Will Woytowich
Cowboy Bob
Nia Vardalos
Mrs. Brooks
Court is in session
Put An American Girl: McKenna Shoots for the Stars on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.