Barnes & Noble

Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen have met the challenge of making the transition from tyke stars to tween stars. This is the best yet of their produced-for-video features, a dead-on spoof of Survivor, laced with sly, self-referential humor. In yet another variation on the Parent Trap scenario, Mary-Kate and Ashley star as Shane and Lizzie, estranged siblings who are as different as night and day. One is a "sprout-head" from California, the other a type-A personality from Washington, D.C. The producer of a fading reality-TV series schemes to reunite them on the show and watch the sparks fly and the ratings climb. Of course, initial sibling rivalry gives way to sisterhood as the girls realize they're targets of behind-the-scenes skullduggery and plots by jealous contestants. The Olsens have blossomed into natural performers, and they handle their comedic, dramatic, action, and romantic scenes with aplomb. Longtime Olsen fans will get a kick out of the hilarious epilogue in which previous "movie boyfriends" from Passport to Paris, Holiday in the Sun, Getting There, and the TV series So Little Time pop up to fight over the girls. Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide

Two girls have an unexpected (and unwelcome) reunion with several millions of people watching in this blend of comedy and adventure. Shane (Mary-Kate Olsen) and Lizzie (Ashley Olsen) are teenage twin sisters whose parents divorced when they were young, with each girl living with one of their parents. With time, Shane and Lizzie have developed strongly differing personalities -- Shane is a neo-hippie with bohemian leanings and a fascination with nature, while Lizzie is a high-strung and firmly regimented yuppie in training. Unknown to one another, both girls have applied to take part in a popular television reality series, "The Challenge," in which young people compete for college scholarships by taking part in a series of physical and psychological tests on a remote tropical island. Sensing a possible ratings boost, the show's producers choose both of the battling siblings to appear on the show, but after a few on-camera squabbles, Shane and Lizzie realize they'll have to cooperate if they want to win the contest. The Challenge was the last in a series of successful direct-to-video features starring the Olsen sisters before they made a much-publicized return to the big screen with New York Minute. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 085393421625
• Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Pan & Scan
• Language: English, Français, Español
• Subtitles: English, Français, Español
• Time: 1:32:00
• Sales Rank: 11,872

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