Review: You're Invited video series
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that there's little worthwhile content
in these videos. Just about any pedestrian activity is an
excuse for a musical routine -- going a mall's food court,
attending a "fashion college," or just being at home. At best,
the girls are cute and young, and likely to attract the target
audience of sixes, sevens and eights. At worst, they exhibit
the kind of gender stereotyping (hating math, boy-crazy,
obsessed with appearance) that's likely to give parents
pause.
Parents who allow their kids to watch these videos may want to watch them with them to talk about the stereotypes depicted in each and how they compare to real young girls'lives. What would your tween do in Mary-Kate or Ashley's shoes? What else could she sing or dance about besides clothes, spending money and make-up? The series also deals with sibling rivalry and fixates on appearance. Families may want to discuss how everyone looks different and encourage young girls to discuss the beauty of their friends, their family and themselves, without comparing themselves to the cute blond twins in the series.
Common Sense Media Review
Videos reviewed in this series include:
You're Invited to Mary-Kate and Ashley's Greatest Parties,
You're Invited to Mary-Kate and Ashley's Mall Party, You're
Invited to Mary-Kate and Ashley's Birthday Party, and
You're Invited to Mary-Kate and Ashley's Fashion
Party.
Young girls could easily find better role models than the Olsen Twins, since Mary-Kate and Ashley seem to be preoccupied with their appearance, and little else. Besides that, this video series suffers from low production values. The music is sometimes out of sync with the dancing, but it will get some fans on their feet. At best these are bad teenage sitcoms.
A very typical entry into this series is You're Invited to Mary-Kate and Ashley's Greatest Parties. This anthology of three favorite episodes (chosen by viewers) includes "Mary-Kate and Ashley's Sleepover Party," "Birthday Party," and "Mall Party." While the plots tend to be slight, there are some cute song and dance routines, especially in the middle episode. Still, it's best appreciated by loyal Olsen fans. During their "Mall Party," they sing delightedly about splurging on new outfits. In the middle of their "Birthday Party," the twins come up with the brilliant idea of creating a "Makeover Machine." Each guest volunteers to be made up differently: one wants to be a cheerleader, another a can-can girl, another a '50s girl. Some parents might wonder what happened to the astronaut or heart surgeon options.
If its gender politics are irritating, the series is nonetheless upbeat and occasionally humorous, especially when the twins don't seem to be taking themselves too seriously. A particularly winning scene takes place in the "Birthday Party" episode, when Mary Kate and Ashley sing about their piñata. In the middle of their choreographed routine, they appear before the camera in Poncho Villa mustaches, and their performance is wry and funny. But some may find this racial stereotyping offensive.
But once again, these You're Invited episodes rely awfully heavily on musical numbers, despite the fact that neither sister can sing or dance. And because every number has been remastered in a studio, the performances are often out of sync with the soundtrack. While young children may not be bothered by this glitch, older ones will find the series cheesy and dull.
The best in the series is You're Invited to Mary-Kate and Ashley's Birthday Party, but that's not saying much. Although low on plot, this party is heavy on cuteness; Mary-Kate and Ashley are appealingly young. The gender stereotyping is still here, but there's more than enough honest and kind-spirited fun here to entertain youngsters who might be thinking up a theme party of their own. Note: best suited to the very youngest of Olsen fans, since the girls are at their littlest.
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