Smart Cookies

This movie is well done but you have to wonder how someone could write this and not feel like they're plagiarizing Troop Beverly Hills.

In this year's nominee for 'Most Original Concept', we have a misfit Girl Scout troupe (a fat one, a loner, a boy-crazy one etc) taken over temporarily(?) by a hard-nosed realtor bribed into this position by hopes of a promotion from her ex-scout boss. Obviously the two disparate parties can't stand each other at first, but what do you know... give them a bit of time and they might even beat their all-powerful all-conquering main rivals, preside over by a snotty club leader who's performance is by no way inspired by Sue Sylvester of Glee fame!

Yeah, so everything about this Made-For-TV is predictable and contrived, from the tacked-on love interest thrown in just for the sake of it (remember kids:NEVER let your career get in the way of a Good Man) to the treacly 'life lessons' learnt at the end tossed around like cheap cookies. Despite all this though, it still manages to be somewhat entertaining, thanks in no small part to some spirited performances from the youngsters and some surprisingly moving moments (A lot of schmaltz too, but it comes with the territory).

So while this one ain't gonna win any awards, considering its limited ambition & scope I'd say it just about does the job it sets out for. Put it this way: there are FAR worse ways to pass a boring Sunday morning... I would list them here, but I'm too bored. 5/10.

I am a lifetime Girl Scout and while it was a cute Hallmark movie, I was disturbed to see how they would place an adult in a troop role with no suggested training for her. She clearly was not provided training which is not he Girl Scout way and the very first meeting she attended she took the girls off site in her vehicle. I understand there are some artistic licenses but I was watching it going that would never happen! Another discrepancy was the two troops discounting the price of the cookies! Again, this never would fly and I'm a bit surprised Girl Scouts agreed to this script as shown. A cute movie in general but not the known standard for what goes on in troops.

It is a harmless, safe, movie with a good moral. If this were a feature film with A-list celebrities, I would probably expect more drama and more intense dialogue and rate this eight stars but it's a Hallmark movie and produces what one watches a Hallmark movie to get: comfort food that isn't junk food. It has affable characters, a cute plotline, and a happy ending. Since it does everything it is supposed to do, namely, produce light yet wholesome audiovisual fare for a lazy afternoon, I give it ten stars.

By Margie Barron on August 10th, 2012 Printer-Friendly

"Smart Cookies" airs on the Hallmark Channel.

Winding down the two weeks of the television press tour, one of the last great gatherings was for the Hallmark network to make some big announcements. During an elegant luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Hallmark's president and CEO Bill Abbott talked about the full schedule of movies, specials, and daytime shows. Bragging about the "incredible talent we have," Abbott looked around the room at the stars of the upcoming original movies, which are at the core of the Hallmark Channel's "robust family content."Abbott announced that Smart Cookies, premiering Aug. 18, is another great movie with a mission, "to help celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the Girl Scouts of the USA,".

Patricia Richardson (of Home Improvement fame), who stars with Jessalyn Gilsig (Glee) and Bailee Madison (Just Go With It)said "Smart Cookies" is about a real estate agent who helps a hapless Girl Scout troop with their annual cookie sale competition. Behind the scenes, executive producer Jimmy Hawkins, who was a popular child actor in the '40s '50's &'60's and played Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed's son Tommy Bailey in the Frank Capra classic It's a Wonderful Life."Smart Cookies" is based on Hawkins story "Be Prepared". Nowadays he's producing great family friendly movies for a new generation. Richardson said she was "so delighted to work with him because when you do a production like this, we all become like a family. He's one of the nicest guys in show business, and when you are working with children, when you have a producer who knows what it's like, it brings a great quality to the set."