The Suite Life Movie

“The Suite Life Movie,” released in 2011, is exactly what you think: a bit of a silly Disney movie. Based on the TV show “The Suite Life on Deck,” it’s about Cody (Cole Sprouse) and Zack (Dylan Sprouse) on their final spring break before going back to school for their last few weeks. Cody receives an internship that is sabotaged by Zack, who gets them another internship that gets them stuck. It is up to them to save themselves and everybody else who are also stuck. Cody and Zack have to get along for their own good and everybody else if they want to escape.

Sarah Peel said in her review, “I will say that I thought that the movie was going to be pointless and even silly to the point that no adult could enjoy it. But, like with many movies before this one, I was surprised at just how funny it was!” Look at when London, played by Brenda Song, thinks that dolphins are camels, which might get some laughs from kids. Or when Zack and Cody fight, which anyone who has a sibling can understand when that happens. It was well written, even if it was slow to begin. Peel said, “I will say that I also feel that they added a lot of thought to it, which is a nice touch for something that the public just learned about late last summer or early fall.”

Peel continued, “I am impressed with how well the characters stayed true to the TV show; I thought that they might get lost in the shuffle. But they stayed strong and were not weakened by Disney. Cody was my favorite, but Zack and London both keep the laughs rolling in. The other characters were just okay; I don’t think they carried the movie like Cody, Zack and London did. Still, I think it was well rounded for a Disney movie. Even if it was a little thick in the plot in some areas.”

The story was fine, but it is what you would predict from Disney. Still, it may be cute enough for even adults to find humor in the film. It was well written, acted and directed, which is fine for a Disney Channel Original Movie. Peel admitted, “However, I will say that it is clearly not the best movie ever made by any means. It was above what I expected, but I do think that they could have made it a stronger movie. With that being said, I can still say that I think most hard core The Suite Life On Deck fans will love it, and perhaps some who are not fans of the show would get a lot out of it.”

The sets and camera angles were sometimes awkward. Filming on a boat may not help their cause. Peel said, “I think that the first few shots did not have a proper angle; it did not show Zack’s whole face when he was with his friend. I think that sort of lowered the movie a bit, but during the rest it appeared to work fine. I think it helped that most of it was filmed on land; that bad angle was corrected, but I was shocked that Disney did not edit that out.” It does not reflect well on Disney in any way.

Peel admitted, “For my age group recommendation, I will say that I do think it is safe for even young kids to watch. Of course, I would not expect anything less from Disney.”

Peel continued, “As for my final thoughts on the movie, I will say that I did enjoy it. But I also did not allow myself to have high hopes for it, so it did not disappoint me. It in fact gave me a surprise in how well it turned out.” This film is not bad, but in no way close to being perfect.

I know that there is a fanbase for “The Suite Life” show, which I am familiar with, but never watched. This film is decent and is good for adults to watch only once, if they want to see it for themselves. But for kids who are fans of the show, they may want to watch it multiple times seeing how they are fans of this show. If adults can watch this more than once, good for them.

Stay tuned tomorrow where I look at another film that I really enjoyed in the next review in “Disney Channel Original Movie Month.”