Cadet Kelly

Summary

Pod Meets World - "Cadet Kelly" (January 27, 2026)

Podcast: Pod Meets World
Hosts: Will Friedle & Sabrina Bryan
Episode Theme: A deep-dive, nostalgic, and critical rewatch of the 2002 Disney Channel Original Movie "Cadet Kelly"—featuring cast/crew analysis, plot walk-through, and cultural impact discussion, all in classic “Pod Meets World” style.

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Episode Overview

The hosts revisit "Cadet Kelly," a hallmark Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) starring Hilary Duff and Christy Carlson Romano. This fan favorite, set in a military academy, is explored for its behind-the-scenes stories, performances, character arcs, and the film's larger place in Disney Channel history and Y2K culture. Will and Sabrina deliver their signature blend of critique, affection, industry insights, and playful banter, bringing fans and newcomers alike a fun, comprehensive breakdown.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Childhood Threats & School Memories

(03:01–04:56)

• Will asks Sabrina if she was ever threatened with military school as a kid; she wasn't, but shares recollections of "continuation school" being the go-to threat for misbehavior or poor grades.
• Will likens continuation school to "the boogeyman," admitting school-based threats were common parental tactics.

2. Context & Production Backstory

(05:22–08:17)

• "Cadet Kelly" originally aired on March 8, 2002, to 7.8 million viewers, receiving both the Disney Channel and ABC’s “Wonderful World of Disney” rollout.
• Primary filming locations were real Canadian military academies (Robert Land Academy & Loretto Abbey Catholic Secondary School). The authenticity was heightened via boot camp drills with military advisor Lt. William T. Bates.
• Will notes the irony—the Robert Land Academy later closed due to abuse scandals, with Cadet Kelly being "a rare bright spot."
• The film has gained a large queer following, attributed to the chemistry (or lack thereof, per Will) between the female leads.

"If you’re going to listen thinking, ‘Hey, Will’s gonna love Cadet Kelly,’ turn it off now. I didn't hate Cadet Kelly, but I certainly didn't love it." — Will Friedle (08:15)

3. Nostalgia & Cast Chemistry

(09:01–11:26)

• Sabrina, who loved the movie as a senior in high school, speaks on the appeal of watching rising Disney stars like Christy Carlson Romano and Hilary Duff.
• Both hosts agree Christy "killed" her role; Will particularly praises her comedic timing.

"To see them together, I was all in. And I was again, watching it this year." — Sabrina Bryan (11:03)

4. Cast & Crew Details

(11:45–16:13)

• Directed by Larry Shaw (noted for "Lizzie McGuire" and "Desperate Housewives").
• Highlights on Hilary Duff’s post-"Lizzie McGuire" career, Christy Carlson Romano’s Disney/voice work, and legend Gary Cole’s versatility and prominence in comedies/dramas.
• The podcast admires Gary Cole’s unfailing performance: “Never…in the history of the world [has anyone said] ‘you know who wasn't good in this movie? Gary Cole.’” — Will (15:03)
• Other supporting cast acknowledged: Sean Ashmore, Andrea Lewis, Amy Garcia.
• Will laments the film’s long runtime—101 minutes: “Way too long. The army demands precision!” (16:45)

5. Plot Recap & Segment Highlights

Cadet Kelly’s World Upended

(21:18–32:17)

• Kelly is a New York art school student; her life is upended when mom marries a General ("Sir"), and she’s forced to attend military school.
• Sabrina reflects on the positive portrayal of blended families, with Kelly unusually supportive of her mom's new relationship.

"No selfishness in this kid's body—like, that part is the part of the character that I really like." — Sabrina Bryan (29:32)

Military School Initiation

(32:17–46:35)

• Kelly arrives at George Washington Military Academy. Her distinct style (rainbow blanket, colorful hair) and individualism clash with rigid rules.
• Iconic rivalry with Captain Stone (Romano), who dubs Kelly a "maggot."
• Will expected a "school transformation" plot but notes, “Nope, none of that happens either. She conforms perfectly.” (35:26)
• Both applaud the authentic military setting and real cadets in the background.

Tumult, Transformation & Drill Team Arc

(54:16–70:59)

• The movie weaves many threads: Kelly’s adaptation, family dynamics, rivalry-turning-friendship with Stone, dad’s distance, and the emergent drill team subplot.
• Will and Sabrina bemoan the shifting focus; Will jokes: “Now she’s got 52 things that she’s supposed to be doing... What is this movie about?” (54:16)
• The drill team evolves from a footnote to the climax, with dance/drill fusion routines that feel more “Step Up” than ROTC.
• Both note the believability stretch of military competitions valuing “originality and creativity,” but Sabrina buys in for the sake of Disney fun.

(Unintentionally) Hilarious/Memorable Scenes

(41:38–51:46)

• The "mudslide" into the school dance: Sabrina wishes Christy Carlson Romano had performed it—her physical comedy would’ve killed.
• Will: “To get...help the actors out a little bit...the bit would have worked a lot better had it been directed better.” (50:44)
• Hair-painting revenge, cadet court, and the sudden “dad in peril” rescue bring more genre shifts.

Relationship Dynamics, Character Growth, & Story Pacing

(53:13–56:35), (73:58–76:57)

• Kelly’s family-first instincts, stepdad’s evolving warmth, and her odd chemistry with both “dad” and Captain Stone are highlighted.
• Will and Sabrina wish for deeper exploration of side characters (notably Carla’s backstory) and fewer narrative detours.

6. Notable Quotes & Funny Banter

• “Remember that? Because it’s said over and over and over—oh, my gosh.” — Will, on the “Maggot” insult (35:09)
• “She is a slightly annoying character with a very good heart.” — Will (53:35)
• “They needed to pick a story...And the love story, the whole Brad thing, was absolutely pointless, 100%." — Will (97:14)

7. Extra Segments & Games

Alliteration Nation Game

(88:25–91:39)

• The hosts hilariously guess fake, alliterative DCOM titles (e.g., "Slamming Siblings" for "Double Teamed").
• Sabrina: "Slamming Siblings?! Sounds like the worst porn title ever made."
• Will: “I just want to do this one every week now.”

Sabrina C’s (Production Easter Eggs)

(91:43–93:13)

• Sabrina spots that the opening scene’s NYC park was also used for the original "Cheetah Girls" (“Together We Can” dance number).
• She notes continuity oddities: abrupt time jumps, accelerated pregnancy, and story logic gaps.

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Notable Timestamps

• 03:33 – Discussion opens on school discipline and threats
• 05:22 – Quick history of “Cadet Kelly” release & cultural context
• 11:45 – Deep dive on cast/crew, strong praise for Gary Cole
• 21:18 – Detailed plot walk-through begins (Middle school/NYC life)
• 35:09 – Arrival at military academy, blanket confrontation
• 41:38 – The infamous “mudslide” dance sequence dissected
• 54:16 – Overlapping threads and lack of narrative clarity discussed
• 73:58 – Climax: Military drill competition, “dad rescue” plot twist
• 88:25 – Alliteration Nation game
• 91:43 – Sabrina C’s & set location trivia

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Host Ratings & Final Thoughts

Will’s Rating: 6.5/10 "slightly annoying cadets"
Sabrina’s Rating: 7.5/10 "slightly annoying cadets"
Both note that, while rewatchable and filled with strong performances (Christy Carlson Romano and Gary Cole praised), “Cadet Kelly” struggles with too many storylines, tonal inconsistency, and an unnecessarily long runtime.

"If you take the nostalgia out and you actually watch it as a movie, parts of it just aren't that great... It needed a massive rewrite." — Will Friedle (96:45)

"It's not as great as I remembered it, being. However, the nostalgia is still there and I still love them together." — Sabrina Bryan (98:52)

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• “She lugs around a huge piece of luggage and wonders where she can get a cafe mocha.” — Will (32:17)
• "This character’s not far off from Lizzie McGuire… this could have been Lizzie McGuire presents Cadet Kelly." — Will (33:24)
• “Not one adult or anyone was told that this child… was taken — that was just crazy.” — Sabrina (94:21)
• On the queer following: "Maybe that's why people in the queer community love this so much, is because the best chemistry in the movie...does come between the two girls." — Will (64:19)
• "Let them be running that military school. It would be amazing." — Sabrina, hoping for a sequel (99:09)

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Final Word

“Cadet Kelly” is a classic yet imperfect Disney Channel nostalgia trip, buoyed by its cast’s energy and 2000s verve—but hampered by narrative confusion and dated set pieces. For fans and first-timers alike, the discussion offers a balanced, affectionate, and sharply-observed look at what made (and didn’t make) this DCOM work.

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Next Episode Teaser:
The hosts will recap 2009’s mascot comedy “Hatching Pete,” with a special guest appearance (Christy Carlson Romano, “Captain Stone” herself).

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For full behind-the-scenes stories and more DCOM dive-ins, follow @MagicalRewindPod on Instagram.

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Transcript

[Sabrina Bryan]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Sabrina Bryan]

Let's watch a movie and we have.

[Will Friedle]

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[Matt Rogers]

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[Sabrina Bryan]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Sabrina Bryan]

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[Will Friedle]

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[Will Friedle]

Learn more at pennymac.com PennyMac Loan Services, LLC equal housing lender NMLS ID 35953 licensed by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act. Conditions and Restrictions May. Sabrina Were you ever a bad enough kid to where you were threatened to be put in military school?

[Sabrina Bryan]

I could actually say no.

[Will Friedle]

Well, that's good.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Does that shock you?

[Will Friedle]

No. No. I could see you being a good kid. I could see you being a good kid.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yeah. There wasn't a military school. There were some kids that would, their families would take them up to Utah. There was like a big thing that they would go to Utah. Like, it was like a place in Utah they would go. But there was very close within our district, like a continuation school. And that wasn't, that wasn't something that was decided on by you as like a parent or by your parents. It was like the school, like if you failed out of a certain amount of classes. Okay, it's like extra school truancies, tardiness, like all that. Like, like it was like a behavioral thing but also had to do with school. They would go to the continuation school that was in our area. And I rem that being something that, like, I was terrified to go if I didn't get good grades. That's where I was going.

[Will Friedle]

I was like, the boogeyman is like, if you don't get good grades, you're going to continuation school.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I'm not kidding. Because it was like. And there was, you know, there was behavior problems there as well. And so it was like, you know, I was like, I wouldn't survive. The girls there, the guys there, they're all so much like tougher and, you know, that's just not where I'm from.

[Will Friedle]

That's why I same reason I never break the law because I knew I know I wouldn't last a day in prison. Oh my gosh, I wouldn't do it. Yep. So. Well, okay. Well, I guess the reason we're talking about this, I think everybody knows by now. First of all, welcome back to Magical Rewind, the show that makes you want to grab your friends, your PJs and your popcorn and go back to a time when all the houses are smart, the wave tsunamis, and Sabrina was not in continuation school. I'm Will Friedle.

[Sabrina Bryan]

And I'm Sabrina Bryan.

[Will Friedle]

A Tin Hut. Eyes front, maggots. The barracks better be spotless at 0500 hours because we're falling in line. It's time to recap 2002's military coming of age comedy, Cadet Kelly. This is a fan favorite. This one was released March 8, 2002 and premiered to a whopping 7.8 million viewers. Mostly because it was the first movie to ever get the ABC treatment in the Wonderful World of Disney series. Which pisses me off and makes no sense to me because why can I watch this one but I can't watch My date with the President's daughter H double hockey st. So maybe because it was also a Disney Channel movie that they then Wonderful World of Disney. I don't know.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Okay, so you gotta explain that a little bit more. So it premiered on the Disney Channel or it premiered on abc?

[Will Friedle]

I think it did both, frankly. I think it was. And it got the ABC Wonderful World of Disney treatment on a Saturday or Sunday night. But then I think was also simultaneously a dcom, which ours was not. Ours was just a Wonderful World of Disney movie. Which is why I think you can watch Cadet Kelly and you can't watch anything else. Much to my mother's chagrin. But yes, but the Wonderful World of the Disney series, that's obviously a big milestone and a successful debut by all accounts. No shock for anybody. This was filmed in Kenyatta. Yes, this was Kenyatti in that's Canada for all the people up there in Canada, by the way. But this marked the second one ever that was produced to our north and it was made specifically at two places. The most prominent was Robert Land Academy, which was a private military style boot camp in West Lincoln that closed last year. So over the years it had its share of controversies. But in December 2024, everything came to a head when the school faced over 50 lawsuits for alleged physical and sexual abuse, only to rise to 120 accusations by the end of the year. So it seems maybe Cadet Kelly was a rare bright spot for this location and thankfully forced them to close. The other notable location was Loretto Abbey Catholic Secondary School. Ooh, that's a mouthful. In Ontario, founded in 1847. The All Girls school is highly regarded for its history and academics, and that one is still open. But to avoid stolen valor, the actors in this movie worked with a military advisor named Lieutenant William T. Bates. He ruled with an iron fist, apparently, and drilled them in boot camp style situations, often having them rehearse complicated rifle drill routines. Pretty serious. And I think frankly the authenticity worked watching the movie and since its release, this movie has gained a large queer following based on the relationship between the two female main characters in the movie. A fact I don't get because. Because I didn't see any chemistry between anyone in this film at all. And the fact that the supposed love interest storyline is absolutely never taken seriously. It wasn't even a love interest. It made no sense. We'll get into that. Keep that in mind when the Rainbow Blanket comes into play as well though, because that's also an important thing. By the way, if you're gonna watch or listen to Magical Rewind today, thinking, hey, Will's gonna love Cadet Kelly. Turn it off now. I can tell you I didn't hate Cadet Kelly, but I certainly didn't love it.

[Sabrina Bryan]

This dcom today we fighting.

[Will Friedle]

We can fight all day long. How about we fight about stuff that makes no sense and just throw it in the movie and then that's the movie. This dcom has had some legs over the years, mostly thanks to its recognizable Y2K friendly cast. And it drips of nostalgia, notably in the film's tagline too cool for rules. But as I said, it is not too cool to stream. Cadet Kelly is available right now on Disney. You can check it out before or after our recap. We've heard both experiences are pretty enjoyable. It's a little like sitting in front or sitting in back of the roller coaster. The ride is going to be fun either way. It just depends on what you can handle and where you want the vomit to land. So just buckle up and hold on tight. Did you. Did you. You knew about. I mean this is one that even I knew about. So you knew about the other one.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I was waiting for this one. This one was one that I loved. And I was at this point a senior in high school when this one came out. And I again, you know, I was a Disney kid. I loved it. Sure didn't care that I still watching Disney Channel original movies and doing all the things while I was in high school. But for me too, a part of it was I really loved watching. You know, Christy Carlson Romano was one of my favorites to watch. I just thought like her comedic timing and everything was so awesome. Hilary Duff was the golden girl of the channel at that time. So it was just like, you know, that was to me, looking at, like, okay, not, you know, somewhat studying them. Right. Like, this is what you've got to be. This is what you got to look like, how you, how you implement characters, whatever. And Christy just freaking nails this out of the park. I just.

[Will Friedle]

Kristi killed this role.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I watched her do this character. She killed it all day. And I almost felt like it was hilarious when I was watching her on Armed Forces.

[Will Friedle]

As you're watching Cadet Kelly, she could.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Tell Kelly, I just had so many flashbacks, but she killed it.

[Will Friedle]

This movie was her bottom, 100% agree with you. I had obviously heard of this movie because I have. Kristi's a friend. I'd worked with her. We've talked about it. So everybody needs to hide their favorite blanket from home because it's time for the synopsis. A fashion obsessed teen is forced to attend a strict military academy where her free spirited attitude clashes with rigid discipline. But as she struggles to fit in, she finds confidence, friendship, and a new sense of purpose. So you liked it? This is early thoughts. You did.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yes, I. It was an easy watch for me. It was. I think, honestly, I'm one of those fans out there that listens to our podcast and I don't care about the flaws of this movie. It's necessary. I know.

[Will Friedle]

I.

[Sabrina Bryan]

And it's not that I don't see them. It's not that I don't catch it.

[Will Friedle]

You just don't care.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I just don't care. I literally just. This movie was. And of course, even like watching the movement, I cringed at watching some of the movement. I know you're gonna ask me that later. We'll get into it later. But even that still, I did back then and I still just didn't care. Like, I love. I love them as a duo. They were on the two biggest shows of the channel at that time. To see them together, I was like, in all in. And I was again watching it this year.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, Christy was great. She was. Christy was great. And Gary Cole, you can never go wrong with Gary Cole. He's one of my favorite actors ever. He's awesome in this role. So, yeah, I mean, there was a lot of very. The woman who played the mom. We'll get into that. A lot of the cast, very good. Some of the story, no sense at all.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yes. But anyway, that I didn't remember.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. Cadet Kelly was directed by Larry Shaw. He is a veteran TV director with credits on 21 Jump Street. Great show. Parker Lewis can't lose another great show and an important TV show for this movie, Disney Channel's Lizzie McGuire. He was also an executive producer and director of the smash hit Desperate Housewives. And the movie stars a Disney Channel homegrown superstar, Hilary Duff. She plays cadet Kelly and her big break was the show Lizzie McGuire, a juggernaut for the studio that would eventually become its own dcom, a movie we already recapped where I was like, oh, so the whole show is about her being a pop star? And you're like, nope, never sang a note before the movie. Okay, great. Like all good Disney kids, she was also a pop star, releasing four albums between 2002 and 2007 while starring in movies like Agent Cody Banks, Cheaper by the Dozen and A Cinderella Story. She most recently was on the TV show Younger and the failed spin off How I met your father. But she is back in the spotlight right now for her new pop album Luck or something. An unexpected return to singing alongside her husband, producer Matthew Coma. Also, Hillary is apparently part of a toxic mom group, but then again, who cares? Hilariously online it says that Duff has was made an honorary cadet by the academy after filming. Okay, cool. And then we've got my pal and former Magical Rewind guest Christy Carlson Romano as Jennifer. At the time, Christy was a Disney Channel star on the show Even Stevens, another sitcom that morphed into a dcom. She also voiced Kim Possible Kim on Disney alongside myself and some other people, I guess. Christy is returning to a Disney adjacent project in production right now. It is the first ever Hallmark Disney collaboration holiday ever after a Disney wish come true. And it's nice to know that I was snubbed by both Disney and Hallmark at the same time. It is currently filming at the park in Florida and starring Lacey Chabert. This will be fun and we have already committed to recapping it.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Oh for sure, definitely.

[Will Friedle]

Linda Cash plays Samantha. That's Kelly's mom. We know her from the DCOM Full Court Miracle, a movie we recapped. Cash is also part of Christopher Guest's acting company, appearing in Best in Show and waiting for Guffman. She's awesome. Canadian local Andrea Lewis plays Carl's. This is her first Disney decom. She is most recognizable for her time on the TV series the Next Generation, which I think is the only show they actually make in Canada. Every Canadian has been on some version of Degrassi. And then Amy Garcia is Sergeant Gloria. She's been on a lot of TV shows, including George Lopez and Dexter, but is known as the star of Lucifer. And though I don't think we can officially put him in the Dabney Reynolds chair, but I think we can. We have Gary Cole credited as Sir. Cole is a premier character actor best known as a smug boss Bill Lumberg in the cult hit Office Space. Yeah, that's not going to work for me. And Mike Brady in the hilariously Brady movies of the 90s, which were so much better than they had any right to be. But you've also seen him in Talladega Nights. Okay, just listen to this.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yes. This is just like crazy awesome.

[Will Friedle]

And this isn't the whole. This is just some. I'm sure Talladega Nights, dodgeball, Veep, Entourage, Pineapple Express, and win a date with Tad Hamilton. If that's not enough, he's also a prominent voice actor and another star of Kim possible. He voiced Dr. James Timothy possible, but could also be heard on Family Guy, Bob's Burgers, Scooby Doo and the movie Hop, just to name a few. Everybody loves Gary Cole and for good reason. He is a legend. And he's awesome in this as well. Never been. He's one of those actors where you've never been like, you know who wasn't good in this movie? Gary Cole. That's never been said in the history of the world.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yeah, for real. He. Every character he takes on is so he kills it.

[Will Friedle]

He kills it every day.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Believable like that. He's been that person though his whole life.

[Will Friedle]

And he can be funny with it. He can be really mean with it. He can. He's just awesome. And another familiar face, Sean Ashmore is the hunky love interest Brad, who was there for no reason whatsoever other than to people say, hey there, he got guy's hunky. Apparently because he had no storyline with anybody. Another good supposed fact we found online. It says that Ashmore spent three months at a military school and taking voice lessons to study for the role. Who knows if that's true, but let's pretend it is. Ashmore is best known as Bobby Drake, aka Iceman in the X Man movies of the 2000s, but first broke out of the cult kids TV show Animorphs, I think is what it's called. Do you know Animorphs, Sabrina?

[Sabrina Bryan]

I have no idea. That does not seem like it would be in my wheelhouse.

[Will Friedle]

It's not either, but here was. So this was the synopsis of Animorphs. I love it. Five teenagers and an alien with the ability to turn into any beast they touch versus an army of parasitic aliens who are slowly infiltrating earth.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yeah, I would definitely not watch that.

[Will Friedle]

Scene with dancing and singing. So now it's perfect for you. I guess. It was a book series. Lisa's singing.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Okay.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. Sean has been in a ton of movies and TV shows and can currently be seen on the ABC hit show the Rookie. Now with all that out of the way, let's get down to brass tacks. How long is Cadet Kelly? Because you know, that's all that matters. If you've listened to the show before, we're hoping for less than 90 minutes or 90 minutes at the most. No more, no less. Cadet Kelly is 101 minutes long. Come on.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yes.

[Will Friedle]

Way too long. The army demands precision. It's 11 over and you never like to see three digits and add that extra one at the end. Yuck. Terrible decision by everyone involved. There's no way of sugarcoating it. I wish I had a way. I don't.

[Sabrina Bryan]

It's crap. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Too long. No, it's just. It's not crap. It's just too long. And when it comes to. By the way, again, reiterating. Didn't hate this movie, but didn't love this movie. Everyone else is like Cadet Kelly is the thing. Love some of the performances. And when it comes to writers, we've got Gail Parent, a seasoned TV writer who cut her teeth on some classics like Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, the Carol Burnett show and Golden Girls, three juggernauts. But she's also a two time Emmy winner for the Tracey Ullman led TV show Tracy Takes on. But not a lot of movies. On parents IMDb page we've got the Main Event starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan o', Neill, Disney's Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen starring Lizzie Lohan and this movie. And as is a common occurrence with dcoms to see, we shared a credit with a relative newcomer. And Cadet Kelly, of course, is no different. We've got Michael Walsh. His only credits are an episode of American Masters and Cadet Kelly and the narration parts for the 1999 video version of the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. The journalist slash author was mostly politically focused, writing for the San Francisco examiner, the New York Times, Vanity Fair and many others. We finally switched to T Mobile because with them we can be connected here and there. Dad, the cousins in Mexico have a surprise for you. And enjoy the gift of staying connected. Switch and start saving today. Get four Samsung Galaxy S25 phones with Galaxy AI on us and four lines for just 25 bucks per line plus nonstop talk, text and data between the US and Mexico. Tap the banner to learn more or visit a store. See details@t mobile.com.

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[Matt Rogers]

Support for the show comes from Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI. It all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com podcast and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member finra SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors LLC SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete disclosure available at public.com Disclosures in.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

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[Will Friedle]

And now it's time for a cinematic obstacle course. We're recapping Cadet Kelly. We start off in the busy streets of New York City, landing in the New York Middle School of Arts. And I was like, oh, wow, they're all 20 in middle school. Students are all over the quad. So did you think they look middle school age? Do you think that she looks middle school age? No. These are clearly high schoolers.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yeah, but young, young high schoolers, sure. Freshman, sophomore, yeah, sure.

[Will Friedle]

But this is not a seventh grader.

[Sabrina Bryan]

No, it's not.

[Will Friedle]

Okay. Students are all over the quad. Some painting, some playing the bongos, other ribbon dancing, which is our main character's doing right now. And Kelly is happily participating. Have you ever ribbon danced?

[Sabrina Bryan]

Like officially or like by myself?

[Will Friedle]

No. Well, I mean, first of all, give me a second to picture you ribbon dancing alone in your home. Yes.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I love. Well, no. Okay, so officially. No. No. No one. I was never taught.

[Will Friedle]

But you're a self taught ribbon dancer.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I am a self taught Olympic ribbon gymnast.

[Will Friedle]

Nice. I love it.

[Sabrina Bryan]

And I will tell you, that's one of the first thing. I don't remember it because I wasn't really super young when I started dancing. I was like seven versus Monroe. Started at two. Her first class, they put that little stick with the ribbon on the end of it. Put. Put on frozen. Homegirl was in her element.

[Will Friedle]

Which frozen did they put on? Let it go.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yes, yes. And just. I mean you could. When the song ended, she was like devastated.

[Will Friedle]

I'm devastated every time that song ends. Oh my God.

[Sabrina Bryan]

But yeah, no, ribbon. Ribbon dancing. Like what they were doing in that quad was. That's what I think a lot of girls have done, like in their home and whatever. Actual ribbon dancing looks very hard. Learning the skill of it versus just flipping it around and doing a cartwheel and pulling your leg up and trying to.

[Will Friedle]

Very strange. But you were good at it, I'm sure.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Oh, my gosh. Olympic. I was.

[Will Friedle]

Of course.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Gold medal every time.

[Will Friedle]

Of course. That's the way it works. Gold medal every time. Kelly, it turns out, is our narrator and she tells us that some stories just need to be told. She just didn't know that meant her memoir. As they finish their ribbon routine, Kelly's best Friend Amanda announces the routine's name Dance of Family. Their teacher loves it because, of course, they're not actually teaching anything in the school, it seems like. And asks Kelly how her personal family project is going. She's making a video documentary called La Familia and very excited with its direction. And that's when she spots her vest wearing dad. He's walking by with a camera in hand, snapping a shot, and then mid filming, he just falls off of a wall. I was like, oh, he's gonna be a clumsy guy. Okay, cool. Love it. Love Clumsy. Clumsy's funny. Well, again, I was just like, all right. No, it's Disney. I get it. Clumsy's funny.

[Sabrina Bryan]

It instantly. This first scene instantly draws you into. This is a Disney Channel original movie.

[Will Friedle]

This is a world.

[Sabrina Bryan]

It's for young. For young kids. And that's where we're going and starting from.

[Will Friedle]

Absolutely.

[Sabrina Bryan]

It's funky her hair from the start. Okay. She's not an average kid. She's a kid that wears blue hair. Like, it's like that.

[Will Friedle]

She had blue hair. I didn't even notice that. Yeah, yeah. I don't know.

[Sabrina Bryan]

The whole time she's in New York, she has, like, colored, like, pieces in her hair.

[Will Friedle]

I did not know that. Now, after school, Kelly has turned the tables and is filming her dad, an international photojournalist about to leave on a long work trip. He's also going to, like, three of the most dangerous places in the world. He's like, I'm going to the Sudan and Chad, and he's naming, like, all these places that weren't safe at the time. They keep in touch during his adventures through a dedicated cell phone. She explains that her parents are divorced, and sometimes that's lonely for her dad. But she's helping him still have a terrific time. The father daughter duo stop for a dirty water hot dog, which is still the best part of New York. And she successfully hails a trio of taxis after her dad was unsuccessful. And I didn't understand this. Are we supposed to think that she's a hot middle schooler, which is why the three taxis screamed to a halt.

[Sabrina Bryan]

No, it's like he's not able to call a taxi, but she can. She's like the, like, obvious, like, great New Yorker that can hail a taxi, which, by the way, is like, a real thing. I go to New York with Keely and she just, like, instantly gets a taxi. It takes me 20 minutes. I'm like, okay, good. Because that creepy girl. Sorry, sorry, sorry. I didn't know you were still busy. Oh, so sorry. Oh, oh, oh, go. Ah, let's just walk. And Keely's like, no, let's get a taxi.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, no, that, that creeped me out. Okay, good. I'm glad it's not that.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yeah, no, it was like she's, she's the one that's like responsible. She can get stuff done.

[Will Friedle]

Great. Love that. Like, buy that all day. Thank God. Now in a penthouse home office, Kelly films her mom talking to somebody about a 1200 page contract. It looks like her parents still get along, which is nice. And apparently filming is the most dangerous activity in the world because Kelly accidentally then bumps into a fishbowl, crashing it to the floor. And this is where like, okay, so they're setting the dad up as a bumbling goof and she has some of his bumbling qualities which obviously are going to trans, you know, transfer with her into the military academy. Spoiler alert. They don't at all. All of a sudden, perfectly coordinated after let. So they built this whole thing up like, oh, she's bumbling. She's in. Yep. Nope, never comes back again. After letting the audience know all the fish have survived, Kelly's mom suggests she slows down a little. But Kelly's dad explains, you must feel art. You can tell these two opposite ways of thinking are probably what broke up the marriage. But then the doorbell rings. It's her mom's boyfriend. We hear some sexy music and she pulls him into the apartment and starts making out with him with her child and ex husband behind her, which I thought was very odd. Kelly films the action, which makes it even odder, revealing that this is the first man she's been with since the divorce. And again, video cameras are somehow dangerous as guns because Kelly then pokes him in the nose with the lens and he starts bleeding all over the place. Place.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Again, remember how bumbling she is because it's never gonna come back again. Later at dinner with the date all bandaged up, Kelly continues to say whatever she's thinking, announcing that she thinks her mom is in love. It creates an awkward moment, but tonight is actually a celebration. Her mom and this man have an announcement. They're getting married this summer. Kelly looks rattled, but recovers and eventually gives her blessing. She knows he's a great guy and he obviously loves her mom, but she doesn't know what to call him. He suggests either his name, Joe, or maybe sir. She decides to go with sir and suggests he loosens up a little if he's going to be a part of their family. This is where she was just starting to annoy me.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

The character's just kind of annoying.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I think she was supposed to be.

[Will Friedle]

Throughout the whole movie.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I mean.

[Will Friedle]

Like, she gets better the last five to seven minutes.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yes, it gets better, but I think that was like, she's like a she that she just talks and says whatever she thinks. It's like, annoying. She's like a real freshman in high school, the eighth grader who, like, kind of just says whatever they. That comes to their head, I will say in anything. When I was watching it, I was going, wow, she's actually kind of a cool kid. Because it's like you usually see in these movies, moms getting married. Oh, I hate him.

[Will Friedle]

She's very supportive, so.

[Sabrina Bryan]

She's so supportive in that sense.

[Will Friedle]

Very supportive.

[Sabrina Bryan]

And it's when I started to remember and watched it again, the storyline of talking about a mixed family is what I started to really love about this movie. And all the way through the end of the showing that two families can combine, it can be loving, it can be still a great sense of support. They can. You know what I mean? Like, you know the great things about having a mixed family. So that's where I started going, she's cool. Like, I, I, you know, we don't. We rarely see kids, characters reacting to a new engagement.

[Will Friedle]

Very much a role with it kind of person. Which, which is, which is cool. Which. That part, I agree with you 100% because, you know, spoiler, we talk about it later. But when her mom then says, I'm pregnant, she's, like, really supportive of it. Yes. And trying to be supportive with sir and. No, I get all that.

[Sabrina Bryan]

No, no selfishness in this kid's body. No selfishness. Like, that part is the part of the character that I really like. But I do think that, like, she is playing this very young, too.

[Will Friedle]

Very young.

[Sabrina Bryan]

And the script is allowing it to be played very young, so.

[Will Friedle]

Which I would have had her play her age a little more.

[Sabrina Bryan]

That's the thing.

[Will Friedle]

Yes.

[Sabrina Bryan]

And that part of the young part is that annoying younger kid that doesn't know when to, when to talk and when to like.

[Will Friedle]

She nailed it.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Now at bedtime, Kelly's mom explains to her daughter that the marriage will be beneficial for both of them. And she reiterates she loves her. But once left alone, it's obvious that Kelly is affected, as any kid would be. It's another day in the busy streets of New York, now just a day away from the wedding, which I was like, wow, that's quick. Kelly's mom and sir have picked up the dress after a big day of shopping. And sir is now in his military uniform. This is where we learn he's a retired general. Sir puts his soon to be wife in a taxi and tells her not to forget the plan for tomorrow. She admits she hasn't told Kelly yet, but she will today. And as promised, while the mother and daughter are trying on makeup, she reveals that sir has a new job, one he's always wanted. But, and here's the bad part, they'll have to move upstate. She's going to quit her job and become a homemaker. Kelly can't believe what she's hearing. And honestly, her mom doesn't seem totally confident either. How can they move? And she's moving schools. This is obviously a lot to take in. Sir will be the principal of a new school, but he's even more than a principal. He's a commandant because it's a military school. And man, that's a big change. You know, like with uniforms where they march together. Kelly's having a panic attack right in the middle of Manhattan. Rightfully so. She swears she isn't going and suggests they go alone. Or she moves in with Amanda. But her mom explains families don't leave anyone behind. Now back at home, Kelly tells her friend Amanda the bad news. She's adamant. She's gonna hate it because as an art student, she can't even imagine sitting at desks. So apparently the school she's in doesn't have a single desk, which is weird.

[Sabrina Bryan]

At is just garage.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, I agreed. This is the, the.

[Sabrina Bryan]

This might be an upgrade.

[Will Friedle]

This is. Oh, this is a great idea. Military school is perfect. They're both so disgusted that this is the exchange they give right here.

[Sabrina Bryan]

No.

[Will Friedle]

Yes. Out of context, that sounds really creepy. And as Kelly packs her luggage, she makes it clear she is not going. And then we get an optical flip. Our favorite. We're at George Washington Military academy, established in 1882. And she definitely went. She had to go. Soldiers are everywhere. Rifles are being twirled and one high ranking officials even yelling at some students. And you could tell right as they're panning through everybody that this was an actual military school. You can tell these are some students that, yes, knew the rifles, knew what they were doing. This is it. Clearly shot on a place that was great. Yeah, very.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I loved it.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, the great background. You could tell what was going on. Really. It wasn't like, oh, we're just gonna pick a random high school and put some extras somewhere it's like, no, they did that several times in this movie where it was like, wow, these, this is good. So, yeah, the soldiers are everywhere, rifles are being twirled and one high ranking officials even yelling at some students. Kelly arrives dressed like if Madonna and Rainbow Bright had had a baby. She lugs around a huge piece of luggage and wonders where she can get a cafe mocha. And at first I thought this was a mistake because we hadn't had her voiceover in a while. So all of a sudden she's standing there and she's like, where can I get a cafe mocha? And I'm like, her lips didn't move.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yeah, no, I did the same thing. I thought the same thing. I also. This is when it clicked. This character's not far off from Lizzie McGuire. And when they're doing the voiceover even more, it's because she had that cartoon, remember? And that the. In this, in the movie. Yeah, in the movie too. But in the show that was her like thought process was the cartoon. And when her voiceover. And I'm like, this voiceover is really making it. It's starting to bug me because it made me, it reminded me too much of Lizzie McGuire.

[Will Friedle]

I've heard that now with several of our producers as well, that it was, this was essentially just her character from Lizzie McGuire in a military uniform like this could have been Lizzie McGuire presents Cadet Kelly. But I've never seen anything but where she was playing the Italian girl too, with the American accent that we can't.

[Sabrina Bryan]

We cannot go back there.

[Will Friedle]

We can't move it. It's in the past. We must move forward. We must move forward. Yes. She sticks out like a sore thumb and catches the attention of another girl who looks very proper and feels important. Kelly eventually spots her stepdad, who's clearly a very big deal at the school. She then arrives at the barracks and is immediately greeted with strange looks and whispers from fellow students. She takes a seat in her bed and meets Carla, who promises she'll end up liking the school even if they have Captain Stone as a squad leader again. Apparently Captain Stone has killed seven campers already and three more are expected to die this year. Oh, I'm kidding.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Box in her room.

[Will Friedle]

Exactly. They just disappear. Apparently, Captain Stone is the meanest 16 year old in America. And like some dude named Brad, the best looking guy around. Kelly unpacks her personal rainbow blanket and Carla warns her that everything, absolutely everything, has to be by the book. But Kelly insists she's keeping her individuality body. Let's see how that works out. And then we hear a loud tin hut. The girls rank and file as a pair of combat boots walk the line. Kelly is still in bed, focused on her colorful blanket, unaware she should be at attention. And again, totally fair. She doesn't know what the hell's going on. It's Captain Stone and she looks pissed. The cadet major runs to Kelly's bed and snatches the blanket. Kelly's close behind. What does this girl think she's doing? They exchange words and the captain stomps on the blanket with her boot. Kelly is now on her list and she's a maggot. Remember that? Because it said over and over and.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Over, oh, my gosh.

[Will Friedle]

And again, this was where I was like, oh, she's gonna change the school. That's why she's there. She's gonna turn it around. All the girls are gonna start to become individuals and start to, you know, shoot against the system. And they're all gonna have blankets. Nope, none of that happens either.

[Sabrina Bryan]

They're all gonna have blankets.

[Will Friedle]

Well, yeah, I figured they're all gonna have like, you know, and I got this. I've been hiding that. I want it. Waiting for the scene where, like, I've been hiding this. My dad gave me this and I've been hiding, oh, you know, my sister gave me this and I've been hiding. Nope, never happened. She's gonna change the school. And then. Conforms perfectly. We finally switched to T mobile because with them, we could be connected here and there.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Let's watch a movie and we have.

[Will Friedle]

Netflix included to enjoy our favorite shows and movies. Now the hard part is getting them to agree on a movie switch today. Instead, get the new Samsung Galaxy S25 with Galaxy AI on us all on America's best network. Tap the banner to learn more or visit a store. Best mobile network in the US based on analysis by Ooklo speed test intelligence data 2H2025 received Netflix standard with ads on us with qualifying plans.

[Bowen Yang]

This is Bowen Yang from Lost Culture Research with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang. We all know the feeling when life gets really busy. Taking care of yourself can feel impossible. That's why Premier protein shakes are my go to. They have 30 grams of protein, 160calor calories, no added sugar, and they taste amazing. So they're a healthy choice you'll actually want to make. It's not just for fitness, it's for getting afterlife. Premier protein powers me to say yes to more. Find your favorite [e-mail]. that's P R E M I E R protein.com support for the show comes.

[Matt Rogers]

From Public, the investing platform for those who take it seriously. On Public you can build a multi asset portfolio of stocks, bonds, options, crypto and now generated assets which allow you to turn any idea into an investable index with AI it all starts with your prompt. From renewable energy companies with high free cash flow to semiconductor suppliers growing revenue over 20% year over year, you can literally type any prompt and put the AI to work. It screens thousands of stocks, builds a one of a kind index and lets you back test it against the S&P 500. Then you can invest in a few clicks. Generated assets are like EFTs with infinite possibilities, completely customizable and based on your thesis, not someone else's. Go to public.com, and earn an uncapped 1% bonus when you transfer your portfolio. That's public.com podcast paid for by Public Investing Brokerage Services by Open to the Public Investing Inc. Member FINRA SIPC Advisory Services by Public Advisors llc. SEC Registered Advisor Generated Assets is an interactive analysis tool. Output is for informational purposes only and is not investment recommendation or advice. Complete Disclosures available at public.comDisclosures in the.

[Sponsor/Ad Voice]

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[Will Friedle]

The next morning we hear the bugle wake up call and it scares Kelly right out of bed. Thank you. We with now. Thank you with now every student properly dressed and at attention, Kelly joins late shirt, untucked, bracelets and a handkerchief still on. Captain Stone announces the day's schedule and Kelly is baffled by military time, forcing her into another face to face with Captain Stone. By the way, if you're ever weirded out by military time, no matter what number you hear, just subtract 12 is. It's true. True. 1400 hours. So what time would 1400 hours be?

[Sabrina Bryan]

Two.

[Will Friedle]

There you go. Just subtract 12. Easiest thing in the world. I grew up with my dad and being in the Navy, my dad loved all the military stuff so we would always hear like I'll pick you up at 2130. You got it. Oh my gosh. Yeah, he'd do it with a smile on his face. But that's. He just loved military time.

[Sabrina Bryan]

That would have been my best excuse to never be on time. I didn't understand you got to speak.

[Will Friedle]

What do you mean?

[Sabrina Bryan]

English.

[Will Friedle]

You said you were picking me up at 2130. Yeah, exactly.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Military time is not the correct time to explain to me. I need an AM And a PM Please, sir.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. Well, she's once again called a maggot, which happens all the time. And when the new cadet tries to salute her superior, Kelly's bracelets and hats go flying. And just as Captain Stone is about to flip out, Carla asks for permission to speak. The kind soul volunteers to help Cadet Kelly and will now be in charge of teaching the maggot all the rules. I thought that was very sweet of her. And you'd like this character right off the bat.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Right off the bat.

[Will Friedle]

And Carla's first lesson for Kelly. Zip it and listen. Two things the city girl has never, ever mastered. Now touring the campus, Carla teaches Kelly all about rank and greetings, leading the newbie to just salute everyone she passes. Which is not how you do it. They skirt by Captain Stone, who appears much more vulnerable. She's nervous to go talk to her crush, hottie Brad, who is training nearby. Even Kelly thinks he's the cutest boy she's ever seen. He looks like a rock star. And she would know because she's been close to NSync. But Captain Stone will for sure be with him at Friday night's Welcome Back dance. Kelly loves the idea of a dance, too, especially because they can wear real clothes. Like, there. Meanwhile, this is where I was like, what's happening? Meanwhile, Captain Stone is building up the courage to bump into Brad and mention the dance. It started with the girl saying, oh, and I'm sure she's going to be with Brad again this year. So she's nervous to go up to her boyfriend.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Well, I don't think they were in a relationship. I think they just went to the dance together, but, like, nothing's progressed, which should tell.

[Will Friedle]

But that's not what they said in the beginning. She said right away, oh, I'm sure she's gonna be with Brad again this year. Not going to the dance with Brad again this year. She said, we've got her again, and I'm sure she's gonna be with Brad, and he's just the hottest guy in school. So they set it up like they're dating. And then I'm like, wait, okay. So she's too nervous to go and talk to her boyfriend.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Oh, I thought they were just gonna go together.

[Will Friedle]

Anyway, it didn't make any sense because she wants to bump into him to mention the dance. But Cadet Kelly is cruising for a bruise. And so she makes a beeline for Brad to beat Captain Stone to the punch. For what reason? It's just a massive aggressive race to.

[Sabrina Bryan]

The hot cat him to the dance. I thought she was like, all right, I'm gonna beat you to it. I'm gonna go and. And put my name on the table. Hey, Brad, how about. How about Kelly?

[Will Friedle]

Hey, Brad, how about dating Lizzie McGuire? Come on, you. I'm Lizzy. You can hear me talk all the time.

[Sabrina Bryan]

It's like, don't do anything. What? What a missed opportunity, girls.

[Will Friedle]

Kelly salutes him just seconds before his superior. Brad salutes back, but is very confused, as was I. Cadet Kelly smugly grins at Captain Stone, who as a result, is enraged. So she's now just actively trying to piss off the woman in charge. Maybe it was just a get back for. For the blanket stunt. Yeah, but it's not even like a good one. It's not like you did anything sly where you can get away with it. You just. Just openly poked her in the eye.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Right?

[Will Friedle]

It's like, why? Why would you do this?

[Sabrina Bryan]

So, however, these are the moments that I remember loving. It was the two Disney Channel stars battling it out. Like, their little walks, and they're looking at each other like they, like they did these so well. This was the funny stuff that I did, absolutely love. I loved watching it again.

[Will Friedle]

But that's a writing thing to me. Because then all you do is you say, I bet you she's gonna try to ask Brad out again. My God, she hasn't gotten up the courage to ask him out in three years. Something like that. So when it is the two of them going, then it's. It makes more sense because this one, it was. It's just like she's dated this guy, or they've gone to the dance a bunch of times, but she's too scared to talk to him. So now Lizzie McGuire jumps in to talk to him. Like, I. It didn't. Yeah, it didn't. It was just a writing thing for me. Not an acting thing. Not. It was not even a story thing. It was just a straight up writing thing. It didn't make any sense. But anyway, now in math class, at least she's learning real things at a desk. Kelly arrives late and is again the center of unwanted attention. Then later in history history class, Kelly continues to baffle when she finds it necessary to stand up and announce she's a conscientious objector to war, which obviously would not go over well at a military school. And then back at the barracks, the girls are talking about their dresses for the dance. Something finally Kelly can connect with. Carla seems interested in the event but pulls away from engaging. And she. It was a little much the way they had her play this sometimes where it was like there was nothing subtle about the time she turns and walks away. Like, you know, she does it later when she realizes she's not friends. Friends. It's like it's very heavy handed but.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yes. But also like we never really get any true backstory of what she's actually talking about. She hints to just not having a.

[Will Friedle]

Dress, a family, a home life.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yeah. Like, like I'm like, is she. Later on we, we taught, we, we hear what this is the scene I think where we hear like she's, she just, that's not what she was able to do. And, and it's like, but like what, why is it right, Right. Give us something, you know, does your, is your family too far away to be able to go see them or is it that you're like an orphan?

[Will Friedle]

Like what I would like to know.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I need a little bit more. I wanna, I like this character.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. Oh, she's one of my favorites.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yeah, she's one of my favorite characters. I need a little bit more. That was something I felt was missing for sure.

[Will Friedle]

Agreed 100%. When Kelly sees her friend. New friend's unexpected reaction. She decides to ask her. On a walk on the trek, Cadet Kelly learns about the school's decorated and storied drill team, a cornerstone of the institution. They also bump into sir on the way home and Kelly says they're on their way to their house to pick out dresses for the dance. He adorably suggests they pick up something nice. Were you now the first time you saw it? This is my first time. Were you, Was there any part of you that thought he was going to turn out to be a really good guy and a good dad? I thought they were going to go straight up Disney Channel where he was going to be like the rigid sir. They were never going to get along. Maybe at the end something was going to happen. They were going, but not like this. To what they did with the character.

[Sabrina Bryan]

No, I, I, Yes. That's how I figured he was just going to be kind of a jerk.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Like somebody, you know, and like kind of broke her down. It was going to be the person that broke her down.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. The caricature of the commandant of a school. That's what I thought it was going to be, too. Very, very pleasantly surprised with what they did.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I don't remember, like, really loving him that much, but watching this back, I was like, oh, like, he's really trying. He's trying to figure it out. He's not trying to be, like, just too much. He's just. He's in an awkward position. Maybe they should have thought about it, given it a little bit more time before they did this. But, like, I mean, we're gonna go past that. Cause it's the movie. But he seems like a really great.

[Will Friedle]

Guy, like, so, too.

[Sabrina Bryan]

He's trying. He's trying.

[Will Friedle]

This is the first inclination that he's like a normal guy. And I was like, okay, he is trying. This is cool. And I really liked how they did that with the character because they easily could have just made him a jerk the whole way through. Done the straight up Disney Channel kind of caricature of the stern general. And they didn't. They gave him some depth. And then you cast Gary Cole, which is.

[Sabrina Bryan]

This seems more like a Stu character. Right. Loves to have, like, a good dad.

[Will Friedle]

Yep. Good dad.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Good dad. In the video.

[Will Friedle]

I agree.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Or in the video. In the movie.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. And this is, of course, yes. Where she reveals that the commandant is her stepdad, so Carla is the first to know. Carla suggests telling Captain Stone for brownie points, but Kelly insists she fights her own battles. Now at home and looking through outfits, Kelly's mom rushes in to meet Carla. It seems like the former businesswoman is trying her hardest to become a housewife. But the journey's been a little rough. As Kelly picks a dress, she wonders if there might be a feminine side to military life after all. And we get another quick optical flip where she falls face first into the mud during morning drills. While she struggles, however, Hottie Brad is dominating the obstacle course. And when Kelly wants to give up, Captain Stone is right there to call her a maggot and unsuccessfully command her to rappel down a rope later. The troops have now lined up for the end of the day. The dance is just hours away, but Cadet Kelly is still stuck on the obstacle course, unable to climb down from a wall. She even tries to order a Caesar salad from Captain Stone, But Kelly does finally slide down, crashing to the floor. But she's not finished yet. Captain Stone says she'll need to keep doing the course until she gets it right and probably miss the dance. Captain Stone also knows that sir is her stepdad and just doesn't care. Kelly acknowledges she's been outplayed and jumps right back into the course just as it begins to rain. That's when Sergeant Gloria Ramos, another awesome character, has taken over for Stone. And this girl apparently hates dances or anything fun, but somehow Kelly eventually connects with Ramos, but it still takes a long time for her to properly finish the course. This is a nightmare. But also, I still find her annoying. I do. Sorry, it's just my least favorite character. Unfortunately, the entire thing was the lead character. I liked everyone they surrounded her with, but she just kind of annoyed me. Sorry. Yeah. And this is another character where if somebody had told me that they actually cast somebody from a military school who knew what they were doing, I would have thought it was Gloria Ramos.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yes.

[Will Friedle]

She's really good at this role. And I was like, oh, I think she has some kind of history with this, right?

[Sabrina Bryan]

Oh, my gosh, that's so true. I was right there.

[Will Friedle]

She was absolutely great. Eventually, she's dismissed for the dance, but then accidentally rolls down a Muddy Hill for 14 minutes. It's the longest hill in the world. They have the dance at the bottom of Everest, and she just rolls and rolls and rolls and rolls and rolls and rolls and rolls in the mud, eventually crashing right through the venue's entrance. The wild chain of events ends with a very muddy Kelly bear hugging Captain Stone and ruining her white gown, who she has to get through. 42 people just find. As she rolls in, the entire school laughs as they mud wrestle, ending in a big applause and a smile from Brad, who quips, there's someone who knows how to get down and dirty. And now it's starting to feel a little bit like Carrie. Remember that movie? So I don't know if this is supposed to be funny or it's supposed to be bullying, who we're supposed to feel bad for. But this whole setup was weird. It was.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I mean, I just feel like it was, again, just like a Disney out of this world. Like, going into the comedy, I don't really feel like, to me, I feel like the person who would have done this. I guess I'm gonna go ahead and take the beating from the fans, but had this been Christy's role to do, would have come across. I would have been peeing in my pants laughing. This role. Yeah, like, to me, like, Hillary dust, like, comedy, like, wasn't. Isn't that over the top? Like, super. What? Is it physical? Physical, yes. Like, but Christy would have freaking.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I'm laughing just thinking about her face and the way she just like goes through like 150 into stuff like that. I think it would have been a funnier moment. This not being. That was kind of like. It was funny. It was funny. It was Disney. But it would have. It could have just been so much bigger.

[Will Friedle]

I also don't blame the actors for. For any of this because it. They needed a better setup to her than rolling through the open door and then literally running another 50 or 60ft without being able to stop. Have her slide on marble. Have Christy closer to the front door. I mean, something.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Right.

[Will Friedle]

To get. Help the actors out a little bit. Just from a staging standpoint. Because the bit would have worked a lot better.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Oh, yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Had it been directed better. And that wasn't on either Lizzie or.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Either one of them.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

So, yeah, that. I don't blame them for that. It just they. That could have been directed better to. Yeah. Again, have her sliding better.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Like. Like setup within the set. What would have been.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. She literally had to get through like half the crowd to even get to. And then you're like, is she doing that on purpose? Because then she is just kind of a. Yeah. I don't get what's going on.

[Sabrina Bryan]

There's no way you didn't catch yourself or at least just fall flat on the ground by the time you got to her.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Sabrina Bryan]

So, yeah, so she looked a little bit more like. You're just like. You're now targeting this girl in a white dress too.

[Will Friedle]

Of all things.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Like the whitest of white dresses.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Perfectly clean. Like you're targeting her.

[Will Friedle]

Versus have her fall in front of her. And as she slips and falls, mud splashes up onto the white dress as opposed to like grabbing or. It just. Yeah, it was weird.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I don't know if it was to show there was a lot of people. That's why it would have been so embarrassing. But that's an easy. You flip the camera to the rest of the hall that's filled with people. So. Yeah, it just kind of was a miss. Because it could have been like a. Just insanely super funny.

[Will Friedle]

Yep. Yeah, absolutely.

[Sabrina Bryan]

But instead it just was. Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Y. The following day, cadet Kelly pays for her muddy mistake. Though when she's called into Sir's office, he's disappointed in her first week. Yes. She's only been there a week and she continues to be clueless, lacking any self awareness in the process. Sir explains that uniformity and service is what the school strives for. And with that, he sends her home. She dejectedly walks Back to the house. And this is when I just notice how small Hilary Duff actually is. She looks like a five year old wearing a Halloween costume. She's like a little kid in this scene. She calls her dad on that, which is the first time I was like, oh, maybe she is cast at the right age. Because at first she seemed too old, now she seems too young. She call, you're never gonna make me happy. She calls her dad on the cell phone and leaves a voice message admitting she's having a very hard time, but not to worry about her. She decides she'll tell her mom they need to go back to New York and the city because they're in upstate. Once home, Kelly sits with her mom. But before she can get a word out, an even bigger bomb is dropped. Her mom is pregnant. Kelly is somewhere between excited and shocked. But they profess their love for one another, and it's a nice moment in the end. Kelly's a very sweet girl because as annoying as I find her. Exactly what you were saying, Sabrina. She rolls with it. She is supportive and very family oriented.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yes. I mean, even just finding this new friend and instantly finding, like, feeling some kind of vibe that maybe she doesn't have a dress. Let's go to my house. I've got a bunch of them. You can pick whichever one. Even when the dress was like the girls, Carla's like, no, you pick first. She's like, oh, no, that's not any fun for me. You pick.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Sabrina Bryan]

What, like the sweetest, sweetest, sweetest.

[Will Friedle]

She is a. I would say she is a slightly annoying character with a very good heart. I think that's fair. I think that's fair. Now, to soften the blow. I think that's fair. To soften the blow, Kelly is given a paint set to create paintings for the baby's room. It's all smiles and laughs, but Kelly still has some bad news for her mom. But instead of demanding they move, she pivots last minute and just talks about how good of a friend Carla has become. Then sir arrives at home and congratulates Kelly on becoming a big sister. He offers her a handshake like he just sold her a car. Kelly quickly realizes sir isn't exactly dad material yet. So now making sir more fatherly is added of her list of things to accomplish. And this is where everything just starts to get jumbled in this movie for me. Again, completely from a writing standpoint.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yes.

[Will Friedle]

She's now got 52 things that she's supposed to be doing. Some of them are followed through some of them aren't. But it's like, what is this movie about? Is this movie about a girl from New York City moving and joining a military academy and having to learn to conform because that's what she does.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yes.

[Will Friedle]

It's not about I'm going to change this school and everybody's going to start to be more like me. Because that's not what happens. She becomes more like everybody else. I've got to turn. So that's one thing. One of her missions is I'm going to change this school to be more like me. One of her missions is her dad. Her stepdad has got to become more fatherly. Then we get into the whole thing about now she's a big part of the drill team.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Well, we're skipping ahead.

[Will Friedle]

I know, I'm. No, no, no. I'm just saying though, it's like there's so many freaking things.

[Sabrina Bryan]

What's the focus? Yeah. And we've already gotten like, she's mentioned a bunch of times like I have to do everything. Like she's got this like with her dad. I have to take care of it. I have to get the taxi, I have to keep him in line, keep him organized or whatever it is. Like she has to like maintenance her dad in his life. She's already got that. She has to keep her mom happy with the new life that she's doing. She's got all these things which I guess is kind of what kids sort of feel like when they're coming of age. Like they're taking on these responsibilities some.

[Will Friedle]

But I don't, you know, I don't know if most 12 year olds are like, I have to keep my family together and I have to do this and I have to have my new stepdad.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I think a lot of families, I mean, I mean again, you and I couldn't relate because we didn't grow up with any kind of, you know, tear within the family household.

[Will Friedle]

But you think it's on the 12 year old kids. They feel like they have to keep the family together.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I think that a lot of kids out there when, when they're like this is like a, like it's not like the beginning of the divorce. The divorce has happened. It's been a while. The parents are co parenting very well. But this is a change and when change happens, kids take a lot of that change on to themselves.

[Will Friedle]

You could be 100, right? You're, you're right. We, you and I don't know what that's like. So it could, yeah. Could 100 be that I have no I don't know, it seemed like. But it just seemed like from a.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Storytelling point, like where are we going? What is the goal? What's the mission? Yeah, I need a mission.

[Will Friedle]

What's the movie about?

[Sabrina Bryan]

I need a captain. Yeah, mission.

[Will Friedle]

What is the movie about? But anyway, so yes, we finally switched to T Mobile because with them we could be connected here and there.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Let's watch a movie and we have.

[Will Friedle]

Netflix included to enjoy our favorite shows and movies. Now the hard part is getting them to agree on a movie. Switch today and get the new Samsung Galaxy S25 plus with Galaxy AI on us all on America's best network. Tap the banner to learn more or visit a store. Best mobile network in the US Based on nature analysis by Ooklo Speed Test intelligence data to H 2025 received Netflix standard with ads on us with qualifying plans.

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[Will Friedle]

The next morning, she's awoken by the trumpet once again, and though she's at attention for Captain Stone, this time her rainbow blanket is still peeking out of the bed. As punishment, Captain Stone rips it into pieces and you'll be shocked to hear, with tears in Kelly's eyes, she calls her a maggot. That night, Kelly can't sleep. She's not gonna just let somebody bully her, so she decides to pull out her paints and sneak into Captain Stone's bedroom. And now the next morning, Captain Stone enters the barracks while the entire back of her head somehow got painted in the middle of the night without waking her up. It's rock hard and everyone's laughing. The captain screams and it's more again like Carrie if you ask me. We are now back on the obstacle course. Cadet Kelly is showing some progress. She rappels down this time, but unfortunately that Captain Stone is waiting for her with court martial papers. She knows Kelly painted her hair and now she's going to pay for it. Back at home, sir breaks the news to his wife. Kelly will appear in cadet court. The students will decide if she's guilty and then sir will decide the punishment. This puts him in a very difficult position. He wanted this job his entire life and he's not just going to lose it by taking it easy on his stepdaughter. Kelly overhears the conversation and cries. Her mom suggests apologizing in court. Kelly reminds her she's never asked to move here and then runs off crying again. We're now we're in Cadet Court Stone is listing off infractions to the jury, which is run by Hot Brad. She exposes the painted hair, and Kelly's lawyer Carla pulls out that the paint will wash out. And once arguments are done, the jury deliberates before Kelly can even apologize. And within seconds, she's found guilty. And so now she's off to sir's office for a punishment. He then sentences her to the drill team. She'll become equipment manager. And this is cadet Kelly's worst case scenario. She oversees not only the uniforms and the boots. Boots also the rifle starting Monday. I was impressed by the decision. However, it now becomes another movie again.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yes.

[Will Friedle]

It's like we're like a half hour into this movie, 35 minutes into this movie, and now we're gonna get to the step up part.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I think we're longer than that.

[Will Friedle]

That's what I'm saying.

[Sabrina Bryan]

We're like hitting 40, 45 minutes. Like we're like really halfway.

[Will Friedle]

And now all of a sudden it's a whole nother part of a whole new thing where the thing she hated and couldn't believe, now she's completely conforming and she wants to be a part of this thing.

[Sabrina Bryan]

And. And by the way, during the time of this movie, while it's getting rolled out, the marketing, the like commercials and things like that on the channel is all about the guns and the like, the flipping it around this. And it's like besides getting walking by a team that's practicing, we've got no. None of this. We've got none of the like. I don't know what they necessarily call this actual drill.

[Will Friedle]

I think it's called drill drill team.

[Sabrina Bryan]

It's the drill team. But like the actual like the flipping of the rifle thing or whatever, that is what they have sold us as audiences. And that's what I'm looking for. And I'm waiting for the competition. And I really like nowhere near inside.

[Will Friedle]

That's what. But that's what I'm saying. It's like that. Make it about that. I want to see more of the competition. I wanted to see more of her finding this micro world we've talked about, right? And that kind of thing. And I'm now 45 minutes in. I'm like, oh, now this is going to be the movie. Like they just changed the movie again. Yes, like, okay, now that. Now she's got to conform even more to be part of this. And so, yeah, okay, so as Kelly leaves, her dad calls from the jungle. She fills him in on everything, but he's not even listening. Once again, he falls while taking a picture. This is very confusing the scene for me. Is he a bad dad? Why is this included? Why is this there? You didn't need this. It just. This is one of the things you could have cut out to get closer to time. The dad isn't there right now. He said he was gone. Have it phone call, do whatever. Leave the message. But you don't need to cut to him falling again. This man can't stand on his feet while he's taking a picture. It's really weird.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Also, it's, like, so unbelievable that he's in, like, the safari or wherever he's actually supposed to be. Like, the way they did something.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. Yep. Okay. It didn't look good. The next morning, Kelly reports to drill team and immediately starts shining boots. While she's hard at work, she's singing creative songs about Captain Stone. And then Hot Brad walks in and shows her how to actually shine the shoes.

[Sabrina Bryan]

By spitting on it?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. I didn't know that's why they call it a spit shine. I know, but I don't know if this was flirty. I didn't find chemistry. I don't think he likes either of these two girls. I didn't find chemistry between any of them. I did. Maybe that's why people in the queer community love this so much, is because the best chemistry in the movie, if you want to call it flirty, does come between the two girls. So, I mean, you know, see that.

[Sabrina Bryan]

But there is more than the guy chemistry.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, but that's what I mean. Some kind of something which then progresses to them doing their kind of dance. I mean, it. It's more than with Brad, who. It's really weird.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Like you said, kind of an unnecessary character, except for to just be like some type of hottie. If.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, just make. Why do they have to put. They didn't have to make him. They didn't have to give them a love interest. Just make him the drills like the other drill sergeant. He's Captain Stone's boss kind of thing. Yeah, but we're now drill practice Cadet Kelly observes the team just two weeks from their next meet, their first step to regionals, and Kelly's actually starting to see the beauty in drill. She notices similarities to ballet. Later, Kelly convinces Carla to help manage the equipment and admits that her home story is even harder than boot camp. So Kelly invites her over for dinner and a sleepover on Friday night. The next day, the two girls are shining shoes when Hot Bread enters again. Kelly jumps at him for attention. But Captain Stone immediately pulls him away to practice. Practice. Now left alone, Cadet Kelly is starting to practice with the rifle. Because this is how she's going to change the school to become more like her is by conforming to everything they do. This sport is growing on her. And now it's the day of the big George Washington Invitational tournament and Rahway enters the gym. And the second they walk in, I'm like, this is a real team doing a real thing. Like, they're incredible. They're very intimidating. Especially because Captain Stone is already having some issues with their uniform. But guess who's there to save the day? The newly amazing equipment manager, California Kelly.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Who slightly annoying.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, slightly annoying Kelly. Slightly, slightly annoying. Cadet Kelly reporting for duty, sir. Who now is taking her job very seriously. Sir notices and is impressed. And now the competition has begun, which feels a lot like west side Story, but with ammunition. The teams march and shout at each other, then start swinging their rifles. George Washington goes first and has an impressive but predictable showing. Then it's Rahway's turn. And they start with a ton of dancing, which for some reason, reason wows Brad and the crew. And when the rifles come out, we realize they're just a bunch of ringers. They have some unreal maneuvers and an all star captain. Even sir knows his quad is toast. And they have these two women come out and do this kind of dance march military thing that was shot in a very wide two shot, kind of with some close ups to see what they're doing. But they're really cool. Keep that in mind. That's going to matter later. George Washington knows they have to practice more. Captain Stone calls their performance a failure. But Brad cuts her off. That's hot Brad, by the way. He insists they have the gun skills. They just need originality, creativity and exhibition. Because originality and creativity is exactly what the military is looking for. With hot Brad now pouting alone.

[Sabrina Bryan]

But, but, but come on, you can't really. This is what I love about the micro worlds. Like when we're talking about jump rope. I don't know about jump rope, but if they tell me that's what it is, I'm like, okay, so yeah.

[Will Friedle]

No, but believing them.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I'm believing them 100%. To a point.

[Will Friedle]

To a point. I, I think, I don't think that, that you're going to have a military school that's going to break out into like step up kind of dance routines.

[Sabrina Bryan]

No.

[Will Friedle]

And get points for that in a military competition, a precision competition, I believe.

[Sabrina Bryan]

With Any type of dance having a little bit of a flare and a tiny bit of a difference of a style.

[Will Friedle]

Sure.

[Sabrina Bryan]

And you being the new one out there doing it, if it's executed well, it. A lot of the times, most of the times, time, 99% of the time is beneficial to your performance.

[Will Friedle]

I agree. But this is not a dance competition. It's a drill competition based on precision.

[Sabrina Bryan]

These people were doing the.

[Will Friedle]

But. But that's what I think. That's a military dance thing.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I know you got rhythm in there now.

[Will Friedle]

Fair enough. Fair enough.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Dancing.

[Will Friedle]

You got it. You got. You're the dance expert. I don't know what's up.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Rifle. You could throw whatever. You give me rhythm. You give me some, like, intricate move. Movement. You're asking.

[Will Friedle]

You got it. Fair enough. Brad's now pouting alone in the locker room, though. That's hot, Brad, by the way. Kelly sees this as her opportunity. She starts goofily dancing with the rifle, trying to cheer up the team captain. And not only are his spirits listed, but he has an idea. He wants to see more of her moves. Of course he does. And just like that, she has yet another goal. To get Brad's drill team a medal, because that's now her thing. The next day, Cadet Kelly gives Sergeant Ramos a friendship bracelet. She explains, you make a wish and it falls off. Your wish comes true. She also offers her a scarf from Nepal or bangles from Marrakesh, all gifts from her dad's travels. It's her way of paying for a drill team tutor. And it worked. She starts aggressively practicing with Ramos right away. Kelly isn't very good, but she's willing to learn. And it should come as no surprise that we then get a big old training montage. Love a montage. Kelly makes tremendous progress, and when it's time to try out, she kills it. Captain Stone isn't impressed, though. And Brad. That's hot. Brad keeps a poker face. Face again. They're trying out for nationals. They've already done a demo, but now they're auditioning people to be on the team. None of that made.

[Sabrina Bryan]

That was a big. What the hell? This doesn't make any sense. However, I did think you would appreciate the fact that she didn't just get thrown in there and, like, knows the moves. Like, you're showing her work in progress. You're showing her learning the. I wasn't sure why I couldn't remember from when I watched it before, why there was like a. A quiz aspect of it, like trivia type stuff, but that makes sense. Later. But I mean, she's learning. She's actually doing improvement. You see it. I thought you'd really appreciate. Instead of turning, becoming a professional instead.

[Will Friedle]

Of turning the school to do more her thing, she's just conforming to the school.

[Sabrina Bryan]

She's jumping in.

[Will Friedle]

Right? Which I like. But that wasn't, that wasn't very decomposition. There's almost nothing decom about that. The next morning, when the new team members are supposed to be announced, she's called to sir's office. He didn't know she was trying out for the team and he seems angry, but instead of yelling at her, he's actually very proud. And she's made the team. And now as a podcast, we can officially say he's a great stepdad. Sure, little stern, little cold, but has good intentions. He tries to shake her hand again, but she stops him. If joining the drill team was his lesson to teach, she has one for him. You can't be a drill sergeant for a baby. He accepts the statement and is all you ears. It was very nice. And so now as a drill team member, she admires her uniform for the first time ever. And on the field for practice, she runs into Captain Stone, who's obviously not happy to see her least favorite cadet now teammate. Hilariously, during the scene, the song that plays is by Macy Gray and it's called Relating to a Psychopath. Little on the nose in my opinion. Kelly watches her leader dance and decides to join in. At first, Stone is angry and pushes her away. This was a weird scene. Stone is angry and pushes her away, but Kelly doesn't give up. It quickly turns into a dance battle. Step up style and the two soldiers trading routines and eventually just straight up hip hop dancing with fury. Kind of. This is quite a scene and might just find itself up there with the Camp Rock March for the best meme. Sabrina, walk me through whatever the that was.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I don't know it, but the, the funny part. Okay, first of all, no, I would, I would assume this was something that those two actresses look back at and go, oh, like, hey, I've got them. I've got the same.

[Will Friedle]

We all do. We all got them. Okay, we all do.

[Sabrina Bryan]

You just kind of go. I remember it's the same thing as I thought about in Camp Rock. Thinking about Alison Stoner looking at some of that choreography going. It felt awkward and it looks awkward. Like I just, I know that that's this because I don't know who they got to choreograph this or where this movement came from, but it didn't really. It wasn't, like, far enough to be hip, but it wasn't, like the military enough.

[Matt Rogers]

Yeah.

[Sabrina Bryan]

You know the step clapping that they do from, like, fraternities and stuff?

[Will Friedle]

Sure.

[Sabrina Bryan]

It wasn't that.

[Will Friedle]

Stop the art. I'm very familiar.

[Sabrina Bryan]

It was not very familiar.

[Will Friedle]

Very. It's great movie.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Great movie expertise in that.

[Will Friedle]

God, when he ends on his elbow. Forget it.

[Sabrina Bryan]

But then it's like they were playing it off, like, oh, that was so good. Like, we're gonna use some of it. But I. I fully forgot that I used to do this with my friends. Friends. Is that when they pat. I can't do it, but they pat, like, crisscross, crisscross. They sit there and walk around each other, and they're like, yeah, crisscross, crisscross. I used to do that.

[Will Friedle]

There you go. That's dancing, bro.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I love intimidation right there.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I could go faster. Chris Cross.

[Will Friedle]

Crisscross. And then, of course, while walking by, Hot. Brad notices how unhinged the showdown is and loves what he sees.

[Sabrina Bryan]

He loves it. That's how good he loves it.

[Will Friedle]

He slow claps and tells the girls this is what the team needs. He wants to work their moves and fiery spirit into their regional routine. Of course, now in history class, Kelly's starting to pay attention and realize the importance of teamwork and unity. With her new understanding, she approaches Stone to make peace and work on new moves. The captain is resistant at first, but eventually cracks a smile and is on board. At home, Kelly is helping her mom set the table for dinner when there's a knock on the door. It's her dad. He's back from abroad and brought a sweater he claims is from a sultan. Kelly's so happy to see him, and he shakes hands with Sir. You can tell stepdad's a little reserved and skeptical when it comes to her biological dad. But during dinner, Kelly's mom is now visibly pregnant and appears to have conquered homemaking, which is nice. She's killing it. Kelly's dad has taken on a nearby assignment at Rockbridge Mountain, and so he'll be able to attend the regional tournament. Kelly makes him pinky promise and is ecstatic. And so we jump right into the George Washington team arriving for the big competition. Ben is very confident and promises sir some secret weapons. And then another big surprise. Amanda, Kelly's bestie from New York, came to watch, and we get these noises when they hug. There is obviously some culture shock here. Her old friend meeting her new friends. Especially because Carla is very comically bummed. Realizing that she isn't Kelly's best friend.

[Sabrina Bryan]

It's been three months. Carla. You've got to calm down.

[Will Friedle]

It was very big acting choice.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I really love you, but, like, chill.

[Will Friedle]

Yep. Sir. Clocks, Cara. And again, from a writing standpoint, this would have hit harder had we known more about Carla's past, which they did not. They just allude to. They don't tell us.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yes, if she had, like, severe, like. Like, abandonment issues.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. Her brother left.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Her sister left her off, like, her world out of her world very quickly. Something like that. But this, at this point, is just, like, girl you've known her for. Her mom is, what, now? Six. Six months pregnant. So, like, it hasn't been long.

[Will Friedle]

Give her a break, sir. Clock's colors, disappointment and frowns. But there's no time to dwell. It's time for regionals. Each soldier is immediately put to the test when higher ups scream at them to recite facts, like the importance of the stripes on a flag or what makes up the Marine Corps logo. Kelly is asked two questions and answer them both correctly. She follows that up with a perfect arm and rifle motion, and she's off to a great start. But when she looks to the stands, her dad is nowhere to be found. By the way, she's the only soldier who decides to smile through the entire, entire thing. George Washington scores a perfect 10 out of 10 in the first round, but they know to stay focused. But Kelly's attention is now completely shifted to her missing dad. She's rattled, especially when her cell phone rings. Brad isn't happy. That's against uniform code. And the phone cuts out almost immediately. Captain Stone is furious. If it would have rung during the routine, they would have all been disqualified. She explains that the cell phone is the lifeline between her and her dad. But no one is happy, especially Carla, who's still bitter about being best friend number two. 2. The team gets ready for the next round as Kelly continues to try to reach her dad. Sir Gives the team a few more words of encouragement and pulls cadet Kelly off to the side. He explains, win or lose, you'll be great. But she starts to tear up. She's worried about her dad. He pinky promised he'd be there. It's not like him at all. But have we had any indication that he wouldn't just ghost her? That's. There's no. No.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I thought that was, like, part of his characters. He was, like, ditzy and kind of, like, not reliable.

[Will Friedle]

And that was. But they. Apparently that wasn't a thing. They didn't do that either. Either way, sir offers her the chance to go look for him, but she'd never let her team down. But she's sure something has happened to him. Sir offers that they leave together to find him, but she knows her duty and how important this is for him. But now he commands her. They will go and Brad will adjust properly. And with that, they leave for Rockridge Point. And he doesn't tell his wife. He doesn't tell anybody else in the school. He doesn't tell any. He just. They leave in the middle of a competition. In the competition, Rahway's up first and they're as awesome as expected as. And that's when Captain Stone notices that Kelly is missing. Because again, why tell your team that you're not going to be there? Very strange. Brad knows he must make an audible, removing her entire squad from the routine. Stone announces, once a maggot, always a maggot. And again, do not make a maggot drinking game out of this. You'll be dead by the end of this movie. Just then, Kelly and Sir arrive at Rock Ridge. Kelly races out of the car screaming her dad's name. She has to find him. She notices his camera bag and quickly gets ready to climb the dangerous mountain. When she gets to the top, she looks over the ledge and she was right. Right. Her dad is laying motionless, blood leaking from his head. Sabrina, did you think he was going to be alive and well and just be a deadbeat, or did you think this was all going to happen the way that it happened?

[Sabrina Bryan]

I did not remember this part at all. I was like, whoa. He's like, like dying. Oh, my God. Yeah. Like, I was not expecting that either. I didn't remember any of this part at all.

[Will Friedle]

I thought he was going to be a total deadbeat and then, you know, sir was going to become her new, like, hey, you got to give him a break, like that kind of thing. So the fact that they went this way with it is again like, oh, now she's a rescue lady in the middle of the competition, which is still going on, that you told nobody you're leaving. It just there was so much happening.

[Sabrina Bryan]

And we've only really seen her go off this type of thing at the very beginning. Like, we haven't seen been seen her.

[Will Friedle]

Her training, they should have kept cutting back to this repelling thing, learning more.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Of this repelling thing at all. It was one and done. That first scene, she does it in the rain and then we're good.

[Bowen Yang]

Yep.

[Will Friedle]

Sir calls for a rescue team, but Cadet Kelly says she needs to repel down asap. She's the one that needs to do it because her stepdad is too heavy. So she uses her new training and sir's tutelage to ease herself down, eventually plopping right next to her dad, who has briefly come to. I imagine he tried calling her when he was on and then went unconscious. I still don't know where the first call came from. The situation's under control and it's just in time for the rescue team. And he's taken away for medical attention. Attention. Sir praises her work and when she salutes him, he asks for a hug. It was a very good moment and I loved it. She holds both their hands, calling them both dads. Sir explains she can have two dads just like she can have two best friends. Very nice. It was a very nice moment. That was a weird moment, but a good moment. Back at the competition. That's right, the competition still happening. George Washington is down five points. It's going to come down to Captain Stone and the absent Kelly. But guess who's returned just in time. The maggot right alongside sir. The commandant explains that Kelly was gone under his command and he wishes them luck. It's time for the final performance. But before they can take the mat, Kelly apologizes to Carla. She accepts the apology and they hug. Everything is working out. Just as Stone and Kelly walk onto the mat for their unarmed competition. They have a lot of ground to make up, but we get their unconventional, almost Paula Abdul inspired routine to the song I'm a one girl Revolution. A little, little on the nose again. Okay. This routine again, if you watch the first one, they just filmed the two girls doing it. This one is. Is blurry. Quick cuts. You can't see what's happening. And I'm thinking it's because the routine itself probably wasn't that great. What did you think, Sabrina?

[Sabrina Bryan]

The quick cuts made it obvious that there was not a lot of great content, I guess is what they saw in the editing room. There was a lot of quick cuts that normally, you know, and then the ribbons felt odd to me.

[Will Friedle]

Yep.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Like just, you know, it's. It's different with like maybe a style like they put a little bit more hip hop style into like the movement that is of what you would normally see at one of these competitions. But adding like a full prop feels like. I don't know. Yeah, I don't know.

[Will Friedle]

I get you. I get you.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Oh, I don't know. I don't know that it's believable I think it's too far of a stretch. The, the ribbons and I don't know necessarily that they needed to do it. They seemed good with the rifle things. Why didn't we throw those in?

[Will Friedle]

I don't know. We also didn't get to see her do the rifle thing because she had to go save her dad which was the whole thing she was building up for, which was the entire other part of the movie.

[Sabrina Bryan]

That's true.

[Will Friedle]

So anyway, yes, it ends with ribbons. Cuz. Cuz ribbons. Well, it doesn't matter what Sabrina thinks. It matters what the judges think. As they finished the routine, Kelly and Captain Stone exchanged smiles. Nailed it. Their friends and family gave them a standing ovation. And now it's the closing reception. Time to announce the winner. As expected, it comes down to George Washington and Rahway. And the winner is.

[Matt Rogers]

Brr.

[Will Friedle]

In the closest voting ever by just one point. Rahway. That's right. Our teams are the first losers. Way to go. They got a silver medal bet, sir. And the team looked disappointed but accepted defeat. Brad isn't mad. They meddled. It's actually the best they've done in years. So they're going to the finals. Kelly blames herself and Captain Stone agrees. But it's a total fake out. She says if Kelly never joined the team they never would have made it this far. Stone salutes her but Cadet Kelly ditches the formality and bear hugs her. Kelly promises next year they'll do even better. But Captain Stone has bad news. Her father's being transferred to Europe so she won't be at George Washington next year. And now she wants Kelly to be platoon leader to deal with all the little maggots. They both laugh Then George Washington marches out of the gym with one last salute from sir. By the way, if I understand military school the way that I think I understand military school, you're sent to military school. So the fact that her dad is moving to Europe wouldn't change the fact that she's still in military school because she would just be there at military.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Because there was so much of this kind of talk. It seemed to me that this was not that kind of military school. This wasn't a disciplinary action military school. This was a.

[Will Friedle]

No, it doesn't have to be disciplinary action.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Kids went to that had parents in the service.

[Will Friedle]

Right. But when you go to military school you don't. It's. You get a discount if your parents work there. That's true. But no, it's, it's not that. It's Also, you're sent to military school. It's not necessary for disciplinary action. Sometimes you can go to a military school because your parents are in the military or you want to be in the military. So they have a Navy version. They'll have a. A Marine version, so. Which they clearly set up here that they had Marines. There was a Navy version. There was a.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Because he lives so close. But I guess it's because he was the principal or the.

[Will Friedle]

Right. He's the commandant. That's why she's going to this school. But at the same time, what I'm saying is if, if. Cadet, if Captain Stone wanted to stay at this military school. Were you bored at the military school? She has her own room there.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

The fact that her dad is being transferred to Europe probably wouldn't have made that big a deal.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Okay.

[Will Friedle]

She. She could have still stayed at the military school. I'm saying so. But usually it's military kids are pulled. They're in a regular school and they're. Their parents are transferred somewhere.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Okay.

[Will Friedle]

So anyway, so now Captain Stone wants Kelly to be a platoon leader and deal with all the little maggots herself. THEY both LAUGH Then George Washington marches out of the gym with one last salute from Sir Cadet Kelly reveals this was her autobiography and promises that the events were true and genuine. But she may have forgotten what everyone was wearing. And oddly, that's the line the movie ends with. I thought it was strange where all of a sudden now she's doing the original project she was supposed to do for her middle school that she's no longer a part of, which also from a writing standpoint, made no sense whatsoever. This was La Familia from the original.

[Sabrina Bryan]

No desk middle school, Family driven school. And I'm gonna call it La Familia.

[Will Friedle]

It was okay. Anyway, there's our film. We finally switched to T Mobile because with them we could be connected here and there.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Let's watch a movie.

[Will Friedle]

And we have Netflix included to enjoy our favorite show movies. Now the hard part is getting them to agree on a movie. Switch today and get the new Samsung Galaxy S25 plus with Galaxy AI on us all on America's best network. Tap the banner to learn more or visit a store. Best mobile network in the US Based on analysis by Ooklo Speed test intelligence data to H 2025 received Netflix standard with ads on us with qualifying plans.

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[Will Friedle]

And now we've got our real reviews. Sabrina, because you loved it so much, why don't you take the five star review?

[Sabrina Bryan]

I am going to take the five star. And this is from our good friend Unamed. Yes, I hate Disney films, okay, but this one, this one's good. Hillary Duff with her squeaky little voice depicts an amazing comedy drama movie.

[Will Friedle]

Five stars. Okay, I've got the one star and it's from D Tonya 2, which hopefully has better opinions than D Tanya. 1. Hate that person.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Hate her.

[Will Friedle]

Hate her. So I would have been willing to give this a 2 just because Hillary Duff is cute. But then the dad rescue thing near the end. Can anyone in caps see that? This is moronic in caps to rappel down a cliff straight over an unconscious victim. Um, can you say falling rocks? Then when she gets down there, she flips him over like a rag doll. Can you say quadriplegic? Because that's how a trauma victim might end up easily if you move them. Especially twisting the neck and spine, as she did after this scene. I almost had to go puke. One star.

[Sabrina Bryan]

All right, well, in all honesty, she's not wrong.

[Will Friedle]

She's not wrong.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I was thinking the same thing. She's going directly over him. And then when she just, like, whips him around him, like, oh, my God.

[Will Friedle]

Let's check your neck injury. There you go. And now it's Sabrina's favorite part of the program. We have our. Our feature presentation. This one is called Alliteration Nation. Cadet Kelly is not the only example of a dcom that has withstood the test of time. It's also a rare dcom title with an alliteration. Alliteration, which is when multiple words start with the same sound or letter. Cadet Kelly. So we're going to be given other titles with a liver with alliteration based on past decoms we've watched, and we have to guess which movie is being described. For example, if we get Slamming Siblings, that's first of all an awful title. And.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Siblings.

[Will Friedle]

Yes. So, yeah, here we go. Three out of five. She got it wrong. Sabrina got it wrong. Not wrestling is. Would slam like. Like slam dunking. Yes. Yeah. First of all, Slamming Siblings sounds like the worst porn title ever made.

[Sabrina Bryan]

And that's supposed to be double team. I am gonna die.

[Will Friedle]

Here we go. It was great, too, because she was like, yeah, wrestling sis, by the way, nice to have you.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Nice to have you back, Jensen.

[Will Friedle]

I was like, maybe one of the other producers might let her get away with missing the example, but I, on the other hand, will not.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Up.

[Will Friedle]

Here we go. So three out of five wins. So I don't think I'm. I understand this, because Emotional monster. Well, I guess that's kind of an alliteration. Emotional monster. Listen, I did play with that one, too, but Emotional. Emotional Monster does work. Yeah, that works. Okay, so number one, Emotional Monster.

[Sabrina Bryan]

And we've seen these decoms to the.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Emotional Monster is.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Oh, it's the first one. The one with Robin in it.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, oh, are you talking about Fuzzbucket?

[Sabrina Bryan]

Fuzzbucket.

[Will Friedle]

I mean, are you voting yes? Fuzzbucket. I don't find Fuzzbucket to be emotional or a monster, but I do find the mummy from under wraps to be emotional and a monster. Oh, there you go. Oh, this is gonna be a tough one. Overrun. Yeah, both run and it's movies we've seen. So number two, singing softball sophomores. It can't be pitch perfect. So, singing sophomores, what's a singing movie we saw?

[Bowen Yang]

Oh, oh.

[Will Friedle]

High School Musical. Sabrina.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yes. High School Musical. For sure.

[Will Friedle]

You guys will. Got it. Sabrina. Agreed. One in, one each. There you go. Number three, Phantom Father.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Oh, Phantom Father.

[Will Friedle]

Do we have a dead dad? Dad? I mean, there's a lot of dead dads.

[Sabrina Bryan]

There's.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. I mean, you could easily do Brink as the Phantom Father. Phantom Father. I know there's a lot of absent dads, too, but this one's a little more in. In line. Okay, well, Phantom something with a ghost. What do we. What do we do? That was a ghost. Phantom at the Megaplex.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I know I keep thinking Phantom of the Megaplex, but that was.

[Will Friedle]

I mean, I also wouldn't use a word from the title.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yes, I know, I know, I know.

[Will Friedle]

Right?

[Sabrina Bryan]

That. But that's true.

[Will Friedle]

Phantom Father. Ghost Phantom Father. What's wrong with the dad? I don't know. I don't know.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I don't know.

[Will Friedle]

I just want to do this one every week now. Are you giving up? Yes. Dad napped. Oh, God, of course it is. Oh, God. Number four, Surfing Sisters.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Surfing Sisters.

[Will Friedle]

Did we do a surfing movie? Oh, yeah. What's that one called? Oh, they're in Hawaii.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yes. Oh, rip curls. Rip curls, Rip curls.

[Will Friedle]

I'll give it to you both. I'll give it to both of you, too. So here's. Here's for the victory. Last one you got to get. Maturing mermaid. That's got to be 13th year. 13th year. You pulled it out at the end. Very good. I gave you. Gave you a slightly easier one. This game kind of rules. I might have to bring this.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I really like it, actually. I'm so bad at remembering names, though. That's the one.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, my God. That back. Thank you, Jensen.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Thank you. All right, Sabrina sees my turn. Okay, this is one of my favorite Sabrina C's I've ever seen. Because it was like, if you go back and rewatch it, you've got to watch the very first scene is literally in the exact, exact location. So remember the ribbon dancing?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, yeah.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Exact Location of Together we can from the Cheetah Girls one. Exactly. That's how I knew Ohana.

[Will Friedle]

Cool.

[Sabrina Bryan]

But as they were even doing at first, I get my first Sabrina Sees is, oh, here we go with those wonderful exterior shots of New York. And then it goes right into this park. And I'm like, oh, wait, wait.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, my gosh.

[Sabrina Bryan]

That's the best Together we can where we're up on the, like, little cement area and the green back. Oh, it was so cute. That's the, like, my favorite Sabrina Sees I've ever seen.

[Will Friedle]

That's a good one.

[Sabrina Bryan]

A movie.

[Will Friedle]

That's a really good one. Yep, really good one.

[Sabrina Bryan]

The timeline of this movie had me all over the place. Like, the fact that, like, when we're in New York, then they're getting married, like, what's. Which. What feels the. The next day, but I can't imagine that would really be it then. Which feels like what it seems like it's a week later is when she finds out she's pregnant. Like, wait, what? What? Like, whoa.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. They're trying to show passage of time.

[Sabrina Bryan]

And it's weird, but they're not doing in any sense really. I think. And then again, the biggest one was the mom being very pregnant.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. Like eight months pregnant by that point.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Right. Because she's. She's not just like a little pop, she's like, ready to pop. Like, she's pregnant. Pregnant. So that was very strange. You didn't even really go into it on get. Now that's somebody who's ready to get down and dirty.

[Will Friedle]

No, I didn't want. It's too. I can't.

[Sabrina Bryan]

I cannot believe that was said. And then the. The fact that not one adult or anyone was told that this child, who's at a competition, a school event, was notified. Even the mom that's just right there. Right there in the blue bleachers. No one said, hey, we've got an emergency. This is what we're going to be doing. No one. That was so weird to me because that's like a position I was. If one of my girls, if we were at one of our competitions and she just vanished. And I found out it was like her parent just left. And of course it's. If there's an emergency, that's fine. But, like, I'm in charge of them. Like, yeah, you can't just, like, take them without at least letting me know. I would be pounding down bathroom doors looking for your child.

[Will Friedle]

Of course.

[Sabrina Bryan]

It's like I would be going rampage on this, like, campus or wherever we were. So that was just crazy. Lastly, Captain Stone leaving now you touched on it and I didn't want to get into it just yet because I wanted to save it to me. And I want to ask Christy because I feel like I remember possible rumors of a cadet Kelly too. That's what I felt like. They were setting it up like that whole re like kind of doing the oh, I'm going to be in Europe, you know to where she comes back and is. Is actually now, you know, a platoon leader. Like that was what I felt like was going to be set up for a second Cadet Kelly and I can't wait. That way you get our interview if we're going to get the answer. If was that actually something that was going and like then, you know, either Christy wasn't going to be a part of it. Was she maybe a part of it. All of that goodness we cannot not get from her when we get there.

[Will Friedle]

All right, we'll have to ask when she is there. Thank you, Sabrina.

[Sabrina Bryan]

You're welcome.

[Will Friedle]

Now is the time where we raise rate our movie 1 out of 10. I'm just saying it and I think we should do 10 as the most this time.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Okay.

[Will Friedle]

The possibilities. One out of 10 stars of Kim, possible sad photographer, divorced dads, dirty water, hot dogs, surviving fish. One out of ten scream gasps.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Oh, no.

[Will Friedle]

One out of ten slightly annoying cadets. Scenes from Carrie. Five year old soldiers. One out of ten cold stepdad handshakes or one out of ten west side stories with ammo. What do call you gonna pick?

[Sabrina Bryan]

I'm gonna get sl. We have to slightly annoying cadets.

[Will Friedle]

All right. And I think I'm supposed to go first this time. Okay. There's a lot in this movie that was good. The, the cast for the most part was great. You know, Gary Cole and. And Christie can't go wrong. A lot of it needed a big rewrite. I did not. I still don't know what the goal of this movie was. At first it was she's going to go and check change changed military school and then she just completely conforms. And then it's about her joining the drill team and then it's about family and then I don't. Yeah, lot going on. They needed to pick a story. That being said, again, it was what it was. It's too long. It needed an edit. People are going to hate me. But I'm going to give this 6.5.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Oh my gosh. I thought you were going to be way harsher.

[Will Friedle]

No, again, because the cast kind of saves it And. And I get the nostalgia of the movie. So I'm going to give this a 6.5 annoying cadets. And I think that's being generous. I know people have a lot of nostalgia attached to this movie, but I think if you take the nostalgia out and you actually watch it as a movie, parts of it just aren't that great. Christie shines. Gary Cole shines. It needed a massive rewrite. It really did. And the love story, the whole Brad thing was point. Absolutely pointless, 100%. So didn't understand any of that. Needed a big rewrite.

[Sabrina Bryan]

So I am going on the stance of what we. We sort of, I guess, defend ourselves or like, talk exactly what you're talking about. Trying to take the nostalgia away from it. Now, for me, it was an easy watch. I loved watching it on that nostalgia level. However, when I'm doing this and writing down my. My little things that I noticed and getting confused and really kind of picking it apart like we do every other movie, I think it's only fair to make sure I'm doing it with this one and rating it the same way.

[Will Friedle]

Sure.

[Sabrina Bryan]

And without the nostalgia. I agree with you. A lot of. Of this stuff of just not. I feel like we were just like, almost like what her character is like. I'm bumping into this wall. Okay, I'm gonna turn around and go with this story. Okay, I'm gonna go with this storyline. I'm gonna go with this storyline. So that was like something that was really confusing and. And could have definitely been more polished. But at the same time, like you said, the cast once again saves the day of any type of thing that will pull it down too far. But for me, me, it did pull it down enough. I would definitely have rated this up in the nines Back in the day.

[Will Friedle]

Wow. Okay.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Back in the day. And then if I was doing nostalgia only, it would still be up there because I loved watching this movie again. I loved watching them together. Like I said, these were the stars of the channel of my time, like when I was watching it. And I love seeing them in a movie together. However, today I'm going to be giving the them a 7.5.

[Will Friedle]

Okay.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Slightly annoying Cadets. Because of all of those things that I could not help but notice.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, of course.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Take the nostalgia away.

[Will Friedle]

It's kind of like it's an okay movie.

[Sabrina Bryan]

Yeah, yeah, it's an okay movie. It's not as great as I remembered it being. However, the nostalgia is still there and I still love them together and I want them to do Cadet Kelly too. I am here for it. Let them be running. Let the two women be running that military school.

[Will Friedle]

It would be amazing. There you go. Thank you, everybody, for joining us. Our next movie is new to the Magical Rewind feed, but we've mentioned it before. I can't believe we're doing this. It's the 2009 sports mascot comedy Hatching Pete. You remember this? This. Oh, man. This is the movie that Sabrina and I recapped before the podcast even debuted. It was our chemistry test, I guess you could say. And here we are two years later, still recapping dcoms and returning to your roots. Do you remember? Do you gotta watch again?

[Sabrina Bryan]

Oh, I'm for sure watching it again because now after we've seen all of these back to back, now it's gonna be more hilarious.

[Will Friedle]

I know. I can't wait. I can't wait. Well, you can watch it right now on Disney plus and get ready for our next big recap and join us over there on our other feed. That's right, our Park Hopper episode is going to have. Oh, an old friend. Actually, I don't want to call her old because she'll hit me. A. A seasoned friend. No. Okay. I've known this person for a while is what I'm saying. It is one of my closest besties. Christy Carlson Romano. Yes, that's right. Captain Stone herself. Or Kim Pop Possible or Ren Stevens or just about anything else on the channel you want to call her is joining us once again because we all know Cadet Kelly's blowing up. Our timing could not have been better. And she, right in the middle of filming a brand new movie, decided to join us. For more info, you can follow us at Magical Rewind Pod on the Instagram machine now. Bye, everybody.

[Bowen Yang]

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[Will Friedle]

Lenovo with Venmo Stache A taco in one hand and ordering a ride in the other means you're stacking cash back. Nice. Get up to 5% cash back with Venmo Stache on your favorite brands when you pay with your Venmo Desk debit card. From takeout to ride shares, entertainment and more. Pick a bundle with your go to's and start earning cash back at those brands. Earn more cash when you do more with Stash. Venmo stash terms and exclusions apply. Max 100 cash back per month. See Terms at Venmo Me Stash Terms. This is Julian Edelman from Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jewels Sunday mornings I've got my Game day ritual Copy coffee, Lucky socks and now New Morning Uncrustable Sandwiches. It's all about that 12 gram protein boost with the new Uncrustables Bright Eyed Berry or Up and Apple flavors. Bright Eye Berries got a feisty receiver Energy up and Apple, your classic Do it all tight end soft pillowy, packed with protein and easy access enough for Gronk to grab from the freezer. Whether you're on the couch, driving to the tailgate or heading to the locker room, New Morning Uncrustable Sandwiches are the MVP of snacks. Your new Sunday kickoff ritual starts here.

[Bowen Yang]

With New Morning Uncrustable sandwiches packed with 12 grams of protein.

[Sabrina Bryan]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.