Loving to hate Alison

HATING ALISON ASHLEY **1/2 (PG)

Wallis Academy, Glenelg, Noarlunga & Mt Barker, Greater Union Marion & Arndale, Hoyts Norwood, Tea Tree Plaza & Salisbury, Reading West Lakes, Odeon Star Semaphore, Gawler Village Twin

IT'S not always easy being a teenage girl and it is definitely not easy bringing a much-loved teen book to life on the big screen.

Robin Klein's quirky Aussie novel is a bright, entertaining, comic read and has been a well-loved part of the high school curriculum for 20 years.

Adapting such a popular book is no mean feat and screenwriter Christine Madafferi has put in a good effort, but the characters fail to jump off the screen as they do off the pages of Klein's tome.

Save for the dramatic heroine of the piece, Erica Yurken (Saskia Burmeister), the characters are never really fleshed out and at times the comedy falls flat.

That said, the film has been cast well and the veteran actors such as Craig McLachlan, Jean Kittson and Tracey Mann up the ante in the acting stakes.

Erica Yurken, known to her peers as "Yuk" or "Erk", is a 14-year-old drama queen with a love of Romeo and Juliet who thinks she is a cut above the other students in the delinquent class of 9C at Baringa East and believes she is destined for greater things.

Toppled from her position of top student by new arrival, the beautiful, rich Alison Ashley (Delta Goodrem), Yuk comes to believe Alison is the enemy and the scene is set for a battle between the two high-achievers.

Girls aged 10 to 14 will love the film, which depicts their social schoolyard battlefield to perfection.

But while the popular Miss Goodrem has the title role, this is Burmeister's film and she steals every scene from her well-known cast mate.

She gives Yuk a good dose of dramatic teen angst and has great comic timing.

Goodrem is ideal as the nice, pretty, angelic Alison, but at times the character could have done with an edge for Burmeister to bounce off.

Kittson nails her role as the sassy, dominatrix-style teacher, and adults and teens alike will enjoy Craig McLachlan's portrayal of bumbling PE teacher, Mr Kennard, as he gets into some top slapstick comedy and pratfalls.

It doesn't get a perfect 10, but thankfully the film rises above most saccharine-sweet "tween" movies.

MELISSA PHILLIPS

● Films are rated out of five stars.