Video/DVD Review: The Naked Brothers Band: Battle of the Bands
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that you owe it to your kids to do a
major reality check on this made-for-TV movie about the
adventures of Nickelodeon's hugely popular The Naked Brothers
Band. The young stars have no responsibilities whatsoever, live
in the lap of luxury (big-screen TVs, indoor clubhouses stocked
with games, etc.), and enjoy hordes of fans cheering them on
wherever they go. Also, because the plot revolves around the
"love life" of 11-year-old leader Nat -- he's devastated when
his long-time crush falls for a flashy rock star -- there are
more sexual references than you might expect for something
aimed at tweens. A girl is called "hot" and "a good kisser," a
tween pats a girl's bottom as she walks by (she responds by
giggling and asking if she's being "punk'd"), and one scene
shows a teen couple cuddled together and kissing passionately.
Potty language is frequent (the main offender is the group's
youngest member, 8-year-old Alex), partly thanks to a total
lack of adult supervision.
Families can talk about how the Naked Brothers' sense of
reality compares with their own. Kids: Can you relate to the
issues the characters have with each other, with the opposite
sex, and with rivals? Do Nat and Alex interact like you and
your siblings do? What do you think of the kids' lifestyle? How
does it compare to yours? Would you like to be famous? What do
you think would be the benefits of fame? What about the
downside?
In THE NAKED BROTHERS BAND: BATTLE OF THE BANDS, the popular real-life tween band is are back in an exaggerated tale of love, loss, and ultimate triumph of good over, well, not so good. The story picks up as the band -- comprised of real-life brothers Nat and four other members including Rosalina (Allie DeMeco)-- signs on to participate in a worthy charity event. The event brings the squeaky-clean group up against an edgier West Coast band whose heartthrob lead singer, Bobby Love (Keli Price), soon catches Rosalina's eye. Nat becomes jealous, and when the crush develops into an all-out romance, he decides to change his good-guy image to compete with Bobby's flashier one. When that doesn't work, he drops obvious hints about his rival's completely phony façade -- but starry-eyed Rosalina refuses to listen to Nat's claims that her boyfriend hires a songwriter for work he passes off as his own and that he isn't even the Brit bombshell he claims to be. Finally, fed up with Nat's rude behavior, she quits the band. Suddenly the battle of the bands takes on new meaning; Nat now sees it as an opportunity to win back Rosalina's heart -- and reveal Bobby for the fake that he is. But whether the girl of his dreams is ready to hear the truth remains to be seen.
