‘Gossip Girl’ Michelle Trachtenberg Hits ‘The Circuit’
ABC Family will debut the network’s latest original movie at 8pm EST this Sunday, June 8, a stock-car racing drama with a side of romantic triangle and family turmoil called The Circuit.
Recent Gossip Girl addition Michelle Trachtenberg stars as smart and pretty — the ultimate cliché, of course — Kylie Shines, elementary school teacher by day and racecar driver after hours. Kylie also happens to be the daughter of a racing legend, Billy Campbell’s Al Shines, and since this is a TV movie aimed at younger viewers, all is predictably not well between the two.
To increase the dramatic punch, Kylie has a pair of cute guys who want her affections, too, although for different reasons. One, Drew Fuller’s racetrack sensation Kid Walker, is the proverbial “hot” guy adored by women everywhere for his looks and fame, which only makes him even hotter, I suppose. Unsurprisingly, he yearns to add his counterpart in female racing hotness to his harem of easy, eager, and willing conquests. (Note to parents, etcetera: If you’re hoping for a squeeky clean, puritanical TV-movie experience, this flick won’t provide that.)
The other, Tommy Lioutas’ Jake Miley, is the standard “best friend” type who’s always around when Kylie needs him and looks out for her at every moment. Guess which guy gets Kylie first and which one she winds up with in the end after her lessons have been dutifully learned.
There’s room in the plot for a typical smarmy character, as well, Paul Rae’s Robin Cates, the owner of a racing team who eventually manipulates Kylie, Al, and Kid into a high-profile, three-way race against one another. Will Kylie manage to get over herself and her stubborn attitude and do what it takes to win, or will her animosity towards her fellow drivers doom her? Since the so-called Race of the Generation is the final event that the movie builds up to, it can only go one way.
Fortunately, the people who tune in to The Circuit will probably be doing so because they have a thing for — or possibly against — one of the main stars: Trachtenberg, Fuller, and Campbell. To the credit of all three, not to mention the supporting cast, everyone involved does a good, convincing job with the mediocre material. As a result, the movie, with a few tense racing scenes thrown in for good measure, is enjoyable enough while it lasts, although it doesn’t stick around in memory for long afterwards.
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POSTED IN: Drew Fuller, Michelle Trachtenberg, Movies, Reviews
1 opinion for ‘Gossip Girl’ Michelle Trachtenberg Hits ‘The Circuit’
‘The Circuit’ Premiere on ABC Family
Jun 8, 2008 at 4:39 pm
[...] already posted an advance review of the movie, and you can get a sneak peek at it in the the following two videos, one a trailer and [...]
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