Marci and Summer are two 14 year olds with the usual teenage angst. Both of them are in braces and end up being wallflowers at the local dances. They work part time for a lady named Doris (Kathy Baker) who runs a junk shop. Doris is a shy, spectacled woman who longs for the glamour she sees in her favorite soap opera. One day, Doris gets her hands on a gold-plated box as she looks over items at a yard sale. When she brings it home, it has a ring inside...a ring that grants wishes! Soon, Doris is all dolled up, like a soap star, and the girls get dates for the next big dance....dates that arrive when Doris changes her pet rats into boys. Things don't go smoothly, however. A shy repairman named Herb, who admired Doris from afar, is certain she has been kidnapped and the girls have to buy a never-ending stash of cheese crackers for the new gents. Can anyone spell trouble? This is a cute movie, aimed at preteen girls, no doubt, but which will please women of any age. Kathy Baker is excellent as the shy shopkeeper and the rest of the cast is fun, fun, fun. The script is a fresh, new twist on the old Cinderella story and sports humor at every turn. The costumes are very, very nice, as Doris is soon looking ultra glamorous, thanks to the ring, and the girls always look great, too. If you wish to please any young or old females in your family, try to bring this movie home for them to enjoy. They should be delighted.
