Official Synopsis:
Just when BFFs Gabby (Daniella Monet, Nancy Drew) and Devon (Alona Tal, TV's Veronica Mars) have a chance to get the hottest band to perform a free concert at Highland High, their plan goes up in smoke... literally. Desperate not to be labeled losers for life they resort to plan B: kidnap the band! Now it's limos, laughs and a shot of love with 5 Leo Rise (played by hot pop band, The Click Five). But when the girls discover a secret about the band, things hit a sour note. Will 5 Leo Rise to the occasion and play at their homecoming or will Gabby and Devon be stuck in social Siberia forever?
  
Our Take:
At first you may think, “Not another teen movie!” however, Taking 5 manages to rise above the sea of “Made for Tweens” movies such as High School Musical and that sort. Gabby and Devon are best friends and social misfits. After a horrible mishap on stage that ruins their school’s chances of having a popular boy band come play their, the duo set out to make things right. What ensues is a highly improbable yet hilarious series of events where the two girls, along with the help of a couple friends, kidnap pop band 5 Leo Rise. Things get interesting when the band’s lead singer reveals a shocking secret that could ruin their reputation.

Playing boy band 5 Leo Rise are real life Boston based pop-rock band, The Click Five. Having a real life band play the quintet was a really good move as the members already have a camaraderie with each other and creating that on screen chemistry isn’t always easy to do. Speaking of having good chemistry, Daniella Monet and Alona Tal are perfect as “BFFs”. It’s refreshing to see actual teenagers play teenagers.

Taking 5 offers up a handful of short but sweet extra features that will take you behind the scenes and into the director’s head.

* Alternate Opening Sequence (3 minutes) – Gabby and Devon rock out to 5 Leo Rise’s hottest new single, “Kidnap My Heart”.
* Taking the Band: Making Taking 5 (11 minutes) – Interviews with the actors and the band.
* On Set with Devon and Lincoln (5 minutes) – A genuine behind-the-scenes look at Taking 5, with footage of the actors and the band being themselves and having fun.
* Interview with Director Andrew Waller (3 minutes) – Director Andrew Waller discusses the film and his choice to cast The Click Five as 5 Leo Rise.
* Music Video (3 minutes) – A fake promotional music video seen in the movie for 5 Leo Rise’s hot new single, “Kidnap My Heart”. It’s actually pretty amusing to watch these real-life rockers mimic the mannerisms of boy bands like N’Sync and Backstreet Boys.

Taking 5 has a perfect mix of action and campy humor, and it manages not to take itself too seriously. It’s a perfect film for tweens, and its got enough of a bite to keep older kids (and parents) interested without any bad aftertaste.

Overall Picture:
Movie: B
DVD: B-

- Chris Lawrence
Staff Writer