Brenda Song Movies
An actress from the age of six, Brenda Song first achieved pronounced fame in her teens, by virtue of frequent work in Disney Channel productions. Born in 1988 to a Thai-American mother and a Hmong father, Song landed one of her earliest screen assignments in 1996, with a small part in the Hulk Hogan comedy Santa With Muscles, then appeared in the following year's big-screen comedy Leave It to Beaver. Scattered assignments in television series followed, including Judging Amy, 7th Heaven, and The Bernie Mac Show, and Song son graduated to Disney Chanel work at age 12, with parts in that station's cable telemovies The Ultimate Christmas Present (2000) and Get a Clue (2002). She broke through to her widest audience, however (and maintained a much higher profile) when she starred opposite the Sprouse twins, Dylan and Cole on the Disney Channel sitcom The Suite Life of Zack and Cody (2005). On that series, Song plays London Tipton, the spoiled-rotten daughter of the owner of the hotel where the titular youngsters reside. Song then had an opportunity to show off her interest in tae-kwan-do as the title character in the martial arts extravaganza Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior (2006) and tackled a supporting role opposite Raven-Symone and Martin Lawrence in the road comedy College Road Trip (2008). ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie GuideA high-school student (Raven Symone) with noble dreams of becoming a public defender sets out to visit potential universities in the unwanted company of her father (Martin Lawrence) -- an overprotective cop -- in this road trip comedy produced by Andrew Gunn and directed by Roger Kumble. Melanie (Symone) is about to graduate high school, and she's ready to take her first step toward adulthood by hitting the road to explore her college prospects with a few close female friends. But despite the fact that this trip is strictly "girls only," Melanie's father isn't comfortable with the prospect of his little princess hitting the road without an adult chaperone -- and what better guardian to have while you're out on the open road than the chief of police himself? Of course, while Melanie's father only has the best of intentions, his presence on a trip that was designed to mark his little girl's emergence as a young adult leads to an endless series of comic complications. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Lawrence, Raven Symone, (more)
- Starring:
- Cole Sprouse, Dylan Sprouse, (more)

- 2007
- Add Holidaze: The Christmas That Almost Didn't Happen to QueueAdd Holidaze: The Christmas That Almost Didn't Happen to top of Queue
Santa finds himself in serious trouble when Rusty Reindeer leaves the North Pole in order to do some soul searching in the big city, and a malfunctioning "Nice 'N Naughty O'Matic" leaves him unable to distinguish the good kids from the bad in this animated adventure for the entire family. Rusty Reindeer is having a personal crisis, and now he's hoping to find his true role in Christmas by venturing into the city and joining a support group for holiday icons. Meanwhile, as Rusty is trading stories with Albert the Thanksgiving turkey and Mr. C the ornery cupid, Santa's "Nice 'N Naughty O'Matic" goes on the fritz. Now a young boy who should have been on the good list has been mistakenly shifted to the bad, and in order to ensure that the child has a good Christmas Rusty will enlist the aid of moody Halloween ghosts Trick and Treat. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Savage, Fred Willard, (more)
- Starring:
- Dylan Sprouse, Cole Sprouse, (more)
An aspiring homecoming queen discovers that in order to win the coveted crown she must first learn the way of the warrior in this action-packed Disney Channel production that the whole family will enjoy. Wendy Wu has a one track mind, and that track leads directly to the title of homecoming queen -- no unscheduled stops, and no unnecessary detours. When a mysterious Chinese monk named Shen arrives to mold Wendy into a fearless kung fu warrior, however, her royal aspirations suddenly jump the track as she desperately attempts to juggle her boyfriend, her homework, and of course, the fierce competition to become homecoming queen. Now, as Wendy begins to train her mind, body, and spirit in the ancient tradition of the martial arts and her inner warrior gradually begins to emerge, the girl who once obsessed over popularity finally begins to put that popularity into perspective as she gradually realizes what truly matters in life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brenda Song, Shin Koyamada, (more)
- Starring:
- Dylan Sprouse, Cole Sprouse, (more)
- Starring:
- Dylan Sprouse, Cole Sprouse, (more)
As produced for -- and aired on -- The Disney Channel, the 2004 telemovie Stuck in the Suburbs concerns Brittany Aarons (Danielle Panabaker), a suburban teenager bored and listless with her life until she and her friends happen upon the PDA of a major teen pop singing sensation named Jordan Cahill. Upon sorting through its contents, Brittany and co. learn that his true ambition has little or nothing to do with being a glossy, iconic heartthrob -- he is actually an intelligent, serious, and gifted singer/songwriter. This quickly drives home for the girls some invaluable lessons about remaining true to oneself. Savage Steve Holland, of Better Off Dead and One Crazy Summer fame, directs. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danielle Panabaker
Pint-size rap music star Lil Bow Wow shows that he can play ball as well as he raps in this youth-oriented comedy about a young boy whose dream comes true in an unexpected way. Calvin Cambridge (Lil Bow Wow) is a 14-year-old boy, who, since the death of his parents, has been living in an orphanage run by the unpleasantly eccentric Stan Bittleman (Crispin Glover). While the tough but caring Sister Theresa (Anne Meara) tries to encourage the kids, Calvin knows that he and most of the other kids his age are poor prospects for adoption. Calvin loves basketball and idolizes Michael Jordan, but he's too short to be much of a challenge to the older kids when shooting hoop at the playground. One day, Calvin discovers a pair of old basketball sneakers with the initials "MJ" written on the inside. Calvin is convinced they once belonged to Michael Jordan, but he can hardly believe what happens when he puts them on -- suddenly he's able to make superhuman jump shots and dunks just like a miniature version of Air Jordan himself. Calvin's newly developed talent on the court comes to the attention of Frank Bernard (Eugene Levy), the manager of the Los Angeles Knights, an NBA team having a humiliating season. Bernard brings Calvin to the team as a novelty item, but with the help of Coach Wagner (Robert Forster) and the new kid's can-do attitude, the Knights start to climb out of the cellar and look like possible season champs. However, Tracey Reynolds (Morris Chestnut), who used to be the team's star player, isn't happy to have his thunder stolen by a 14-year-old boy -- especially when he's made Calvin's roommate and de-facto guardian on the road. Like Mike also features cameo appearances by a number of pro basketball stars, including Allen Iverson, Chris Webber, and Jason Kidd. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lil' Bow Wow, Morris Chestnut, (more)
Lindsay Lohan stars in this Disney Channel cable-TV movie as Lexy Gold, a rich, spoiled teenage girl. While writing the gossip column of her high school newspaper, Lexy suddenly decided to become an investigative reporter, with a favorite teacher as her "target." When the teacher turned up missing, Lexy and her pals promptly transformed themselves into private eyes, not only following clues but also publishing their findings in the local city paper. All this activity took a toll on Lexy's social life with her less privileged boyfriend Jack (Bug Hall) -- and also aroused the attention of a rather slimy corporate investigator named Falco (Charles Shaughnessy). Evidently the pilot for a weekly series, Get a Clue originally aired on June 28, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lindsay Lohan
Abby's (Maura Tierney) bipolar mother, Maggie (Sally Field), testifies in court as to her competency, with surprising results. Back at the ER, Weaver (Laura Innes) is shocked to learn that her latest patient, a homeless derelict (Bette Ford), is actually "Princess Taffeta," Weaver's favorite kiddie-show host. Benton (Eriq La Salle) treats a repeat heart patient, his former teacher Carl Ferris (Roger Robinson). Palladino's (Erik Palladino) turbulent past catches up with him. And Carter (Noah Wyle) treats a young girl whose boyfriend has been trying to abort her baby through "natural" means. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Two girls learn that a Christmas too white can be a dangerous thing in this comic fantasy produced for The Disney Channel. Allie (Hallie Hirsh) and Sam (Hallie Todd) are walking home from school and bemoaning their homework assignment for the evening when they discover a strange machine someone seems to have thrown away. To Allie and Sam's surprise, they find the device can control the weather, and they set it to create a snowstorm that will call off school the next day, postponing their project. The machine works, but too well; they've started a snowstorm that they don't know how to stop, which doesn't make anyone happy except weatherman Edwin Bagley (Peter Scolari), who is thrilled to finally have a big story to report. Just in time, Allie and Sam call on Santa Claus to stop the storm so everyone in town can dig themselves out and have a merry Christmas. Pro basketball star John Salley appears in a cameo as one of Santa's tallest elves. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hallee Hirsh, Peter Scolari, (more)
The Cleaver Family makes the jump from the small black and white screen to color and Panavision in this updated version of the classic TV sit-com. Eight-year-old Theodore "Beaver" Cleaver (Cameron Finley) is a good natured kid with a habit of getting in trouble; he's not bad, mind you, just a bit absent-minded. Beaver lives with his 12-year-old brother Wally (Erik Von Detten), his father Ward (Christopher McDonald), and his mother June (Janine Turner) in a small town in Ohio. Beaver wants a new bicycle more than anything, but his father wishes that he had more of an interest in team sports; someone suggests to Beaver that if he joined the school's football team, Ward might be impressed enough to buy him the bike. Beaver signs up, but his skills on the gridiron fall somewhere between slim and none, and the experience proves more than a bit embarrassing for both Beaver and Ward. Before long, Beaver has quit the team, but he tries to hide this fact from his father. Beaver does get his bike -- but he doesn't get to do much with it before it's stolen by a bigger kid in the neighborhood. Meanwhile, Wally's best friend, the mildly sleazy Eddie Haskell (Adam Zolotin), has fallen for a cute girl at school, Karen (Erika Christensen), and wants Wally to help him impress her; however, Karen seems to like Wally more than Eddie. This puts Wally in dutch with his best friend, and Wally feels even worse when he and Karen begin to quarrel. Ken Osmond, who played Eddie Haskell on the original TV series, plays Eddie's father here, and Barbara Billingsley, the original June Cleaver, appears as Aunt Martha. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher McDonald, Janine Turner, (more)
Penurious but muscle-bound Blake Thorne (famed wrestler turned actor Hulk Hogan) has made a vast fortune marketing health food and health supplements. He once was a nice fellow, but as his wealth increases, he becomes increasingly self-centered and decadent. One day, he gets in a great paint-gun fight that goes too far. Blake escapes the cops by running into a shopping mall, quickly donning a Santa Suit and pretending to be St. Nick. A head injury causes Blake to suffer amnesia, and an opportunistic "elf" decides to convince Blake that he is indeed Santa. This leads "Santa" to help save an orphanage, filled with adorable moppets, from the machinations of a greedy, insane doctor. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hulk Hogan, Ed Begley, Jr., (more)

















