Remy Bailard
Arts Editor
The film “Stars Fell on Alabama” delivers small town charm but lacks the complexity to carry out an authentic storyline.
The film provides a light-hearted and easy watch for viewers through witty and humorous dialogue. However, the film feels staged with poor acting and an incomplete plotline.
Released on Jan. 8, “Stars Fell on Alabama” is directed by VW Scheich, and stars James Maslow, known for his role on hit-series “Big Time Rush,” as Bryce Dixon and Ciara Hanna as Madison Belle.
The movie follows Bryce, a successful Hollywood agent, as he must return to his small town in Alabama for a high school reunion. While feeling insecure about the fact that he is the only one of his friends not married with kids, he hires one of his clients, Madison, to play his girlfriend for the weekend.
“Stars Fell on Alabama” offers viewers an enticing experience through small town life. The film incorporates several elements that are typical to southern towns, which allows the audience to form a strong connection. A feeling of nostalgia overcomes the movie as audiences see the characters reconnect with their past after so many years, providing a warm and inviting feel to the film.
The film feels like nothing more than a knock-off Hallmark channel movie with its overly stiff acting. Neither one of the leads seems to fully submerge themselves into the role, causing there to be a disconnection between scenes. The film starts to lose focus as each of the actors is unable to resemble accurate emotions throughout the scenes, which makes the entirety of the film feel highly staged. Maslow has yet to mature and hone in on his skills since his role in the Nickelodeon hit-series, giving the film an amateur feel.
Supporting characters Rachel (Lesa Wilson) and David (Johnnie Mack) outshine the lead roles with their excellent take on unique and personable characters. Each character is well-developed and brings the southern charm that the film encompasses to life. These actors embody the characters magnificently and help to form the strong bond with watchers that the main actors horribly failed to accomplish.
The entire film feels somewhat sporadic, and many scenes do not line up with one another, causing there to be a disconnection with the audience, making “Stars Fell on Alabama” somewhat difficult to follow and causing it to bore the audience at times. There was a strong storyline, but the incomplete scenes were poorly executed it and undoubtedly disinterested the audience.
The setting of the film gives it a warm and homey feeling that contributes to its southern charm. The scenery of the small town in Alabama provides viewers with a more authentic experience and offers a more realistic aspect after the rest of the film felt overproduced and fake.
The movie features several lines of clever and humorous dialogue, which adds a lighter feel and breaks up the monotony of the forced plotline. The witty clapbacks bring a refreshing aspect to the film, distracting viewers from the dreadful acting. The dialogue is one of the only parts of the film that does not make the movie a total drag and overall helps it to run smoother and more efficiently.
The plotline of the movie feels rushed and strays away from the main focus of the romance building between the two main characters. In most romance movies, viewers see a build up of a connection between the two love interests that adds an intriguing effect to the movie . However, “Stars Fell on Alabama” fails to deliver this expectation, stopping it from being a success.
“Stars Fell on Alabama” fails to live up to typical small-town romances with its lack of focus. The pieced together plotline and forced acting makes for the film to be a chaotic and utter disaster.
Released on Jan. 8, “Stars Fell on Alabama” is rated PG-13 and is available to rent or purchase on a variety of platforms including Amazon Prime Video and Google Play.
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