First impressions
The first "reviews" were from bloggers who were invited by Disney to the premiere and allowed to give short impressions before the embargo lifted. They were all overwhelmingly positive.
Sean Boelman (@Bigtunaonfilm): ”The first STARGIRL may not have been my jam but let me tell you what... the sequel HOLLYWOOD @Stargirl is *excellent*. Adorable, charming, and with one of the best soundtracks of the year, this is a huge step up from its predecessor. It's an unexpectedly magical delight!”
Jana Seitzer: ” If you loved Stargirl, get ready to be mesmerized by Grace VanderWaal’s performance in Hollywood Stargirl! Killer vocals, a charming sequel. You can’t ask for more!!”
Tee/ThatsITLA @ThatsITLA: “Grace VanderWaal gives a stunning performance, and her original music is wonderful. Hollywood Stargirl is the coming-of-age story you’ll watch over & over.”
Live With Kathy (BelAirMommie) “Grace Vanderwaal’s voice “is so calming!” She’s absolutely spectacular and extremely talented.”
Official Reviews
(work in progress)...
About her character
”My character is more mature, but also more selfish — but in a good way. In this movie, Stargirl's definitely prioritizes what she needs a lot more. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I love her for that. …Stargirl is going through the challenges of being able to communicate her wants and needs to the adults in her life and figuring it out for herself.” (Interview with
Mammageeky.com .
Video)
Other castmembers about Grace
Chris Williams, about Grace: “she is a wonder. She is an amazing performer and songwriter and there is such a likeness and a depth to her music, which you can just feel, and she is just captivating. She IS Hollywood Stargirl, really.” Judy Greer: “Grace is just amazing”. Julie Hart: “I had a couple of conversations with Grace while we were writing and in the development process about where she was in her life and where she thought Stargirl would be, so it’s really been an evolution and creating her as we go, together.” Nija Okoro: “Grace is amazing, she is such a brilliant artist and her original song is lovely” (From
rehash of D23 streamed footage by “CineMagna - Movies Behind The Scenes)
About the score and music
"Rob Simonsen (Ghostbusters: Afterlife, The Adam Project, Foxcatcher, The Way Back, (500) Days of Summer, The Age of Adeline) and Duncan Blickenstaff (Alex, Inc., Outmatched, LA to Vegas) has composed the original score .... Michael Penn (Girls, Boogie Nights, Masters of Sex) is credited as the project’s executive music producer and for providing additional music. ... In addition to producing most of the songs recorded for the film (with Nick Baxter), he also wrote the original tracks Heaven Knows (performed by VanderWaal) and Miracle Mile (performed by Z Berg). As previously announced, VanderWaal also contributed her own original song Figure It Out (co-written with and produced by Mike Elizondo). Other songs featured in the film include covers of Penn’s own track No Myth (performed by Jasmine Ash & Peter Adams)." (http://filmmusicreporter.com 26/5-22)
