Hopelessly shy high school girl Tara Adams (Debbie Ryan) can’t confess her love to handsome Gavin (Adam DiMarco) or stand up to bossy rival, Stacy (Merritt Patterson). Unbeknownst to all however, Tara is the voice behind popular amateur broadcaster 'Radio Rebel’. When Tara’s stepfather uncovers her identity, he hires her to front his ailing radio station whilst upholding her anonymity from friends and foes alike. Encouraged by sassy producer DJ Cami Q (Mercedes De La Zerda), Tara grows in confidence both on the air and in everyday school life, influencing the lives of other misfits but annoying Stacy and the school principal.
Although based on the young adult novel “Shrinking Violet” written by Danielle Joseph, Radio Rebel is more or less a Disneyfied version of the old Christian Slater favourite Pump Up the Volume (1990), another movie wherein a soft-spoken teen misfit adopts a DJ alter-ego to speak their mind to the masses. The film’s central message to look beyond surface appearances also recalls The Breakfast Club (1985), right down to the cheesy dance sequences. Given the cast all sport retro-fashions, the whole thing feels like teen movie timewarp. It is undoubtedly true there are many high schoolers who find it hard to make themselves heard, which reaffirms the potency of Joseph’s plot. However, Radio Rebel herself does not say anything especially rebellious or subversive beyond the standard Disney mantra of “be yourself.” Maybe that’s enough for the target tween audience but more seasoned viewers may find the message somewhat simplistic.
Former British sitcom star turned director Peter Howitt, of Sliding Doors (1998) and Johnny English (2003) fame, adapts to the Disney Channel house style of hyper-manic, bright pastel shaded action. A lot of the silly slapstick centred around two of Tara’s friends ongoing efforts to uncover Radio Rebel’s identity falls flat and the script has an annoying abundance of trendy text-speak, though that is par for the course with teen movies these days. Still, a handful of surreal gags do tickle the funny bone including a bizarre moment involving a dancing sandwich and the world’s worst Shakespearean monologues. In her second Disney vehicle following the superior 16 Wishes (2010), tween star Debbie Ryan delivers another engaging comic performance. She deftly switches from awkward, panicky, stuttering misfit to her sassy, confident motormouth alter-ego but is strangely, frumpily costumed here.
Being unfamiliar with the original novel it is hard to discern whether screenwriters Erik Patterson (an award-winning playwright with several children's TV credits) and Jessica Scott are the ones responsible for the amorphous plot bleeding in all directions including a subplot about Gavin and his ego-inflated bandmates that is inadequately resolved. Yes, this is yet another Disney movie that features a teenager seeking pop stardom in the wake of Camp Rock (2008), Lemonade Mouth (2011), Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009), Freaky Friday (2003) and Starstruck (2010). Come on Disney, change the record. One area where the film successfully breaks from convention is rather than have Tara indulge in revenge she goes on to find common ground with her nemesis Stacy whom she unmasks as a fellow wounded high school misfit with self-esteem issues. Aside from that, despite a promising premise, this ranks among the weaker Disney movies of late, striving to say something meaningful without knowing exactly what.
