Writer: Naseem Randhawa

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Watch this if you liked: “The Lizzie McGuire Movie”, “My Life in Ruins ”, “When In Rome”

For a story that was deemed to be a typical chick flick, one would be pleasantly surprised at how, well pleasant, the movie actually turns out to be. "Monte Carlo" follows three girls who travel to Paris for a vacation, and through a weird twist of fate, get more than what they have bargained for when one of them gets mistaken for a British heiress, thus bringing them off to the lavish nation of Monte Carlo, where the trio have a time of their lives with the hilarious case of mistaken identity.

A 'disclaimer' should be provided for audiences though, as the movie will invoke a deep longing to visit the city of lights, Paris, as the city is prominently featured in all its glory throughout the movie, from the majestic Eiffel Tower to the grandeur of the Louvre Museum, the story serves as a virtual tour of the city and its people through lighthearted comical tale.

Apart from the landscapes and cityscapes, "Monte Carlo" appears to have a decent cast to watch especially with Selena Gomez as the lead, who plays a dual role in the movie (as a Texan waitress and also the British heiress). So she's currently dating Justin Bieber in real life, but still, she manages to impress with acting skills that are far from tacky as seen from her role in Disney's "Wizards of Waverly Place".

Starring opposite Gomez as her stepsister in another significant role, is Leighton Meester, who acted as a psycho stalker in her last movie "The Roommate", really proving that she has the versatility to switch between one extreme to the other in a flash. Joining the duo, is actress Katie Cassidy ("Nightmare on Elm Street") who plays Gomez's waitress friend who is as Southern as Texans can get. Fans of TV's "Glee" will be glad to find that Cory Monteith who plays Finn in the show, will find him just as adorable and funny in "Monte Carlo" as he looks for his girlfriend Cassidy in Paris.

Although the movie may resemble close to some previous films audiences have watched before, such as; "The Lizzie McGuire Movie", "My Life in Ruins" and "When In Rome", audiences would find "Monte Carlo" a pleasant and exciting watch nonetheless as it tries hard to stray away from the cliche and typical plot one would expect from these kind of movies.

Cinema Online, 23 June 2011