Bad Hair Day Movie - a Review of the Disney Channel Film

Are you a fan of Laura Marano or Leigh-Allyn Baker? If so, you're going to love Disney Channel's Bad Hair Day movie. I've got the scoop about the film and some tidbits from the stars plus information about how you can stream it.

Bad Hair Day Movie Review

I don't know if you've ever had one of those moments where you're watching TV or a movie with your child and all of the sudden the subject matter takes a different turn and you're left feeling extremely awkward and embarrassed. This happened to me while babysitting my nieces about 5 years ago. We were watching a show, in broad daylight mind you, when suddenly the teenage actors started a mega make-out session. There were my two young nieces looking at me like, "What the heck is this?!" I scrambled for the remote wishing I could rewind time and erase the whole situation, but it was too late. From that day on, I vowed no more random shows or movies. I was sticking with the tried and true Disney Channel or Disney G-rated movies. There's just not enough quality, age-appropriate programming for kids these days and this is precisely why I was thrilled to get invited to a press trip with Disney and ABC to screen the upcoming Disney Channel's Bad Hair Day movie.

Bad Hair Day, starring Laura Marano and Leigh-Allyn Baker, is a comedy about a high school tech whiz, Monica (Marano), who is determined to become prom queen. Unfortunately, on the big day, she suddenly wakes up having a terribly bad hair day. She finds her prom dress has been destroyed, along with her shoes, and everything that can go wrong does. She encounters a police officer (Baker) that's searching for a necklace that Monica innocently bought at a pawn shop to go along with her prom attire. Prom day gets even worse and the pair find themselves on a wild ride being chased by jewel thief. Despite the mayhem, the unlikely buddies learn important lessons about each other and life.

As I mentioned a few days ago, I had the opportunity to screen Bad Hair Day with the film's executive producer and lead actress Leigh-Allyn Baker and interview her afterwards (be sure to check that post out!), and although I'd read a bit about the movie prior to my visit, I had no idea I was going to enjoy it quite so much. Sure the synopsis sounded cute enough, but I'm in my mid-thirties, so would I really get into the storyline and relate? Turns out, YES!

Bad Hair Day

(Disney Channel/Jan Thijs) LAURA MARANO

Right away, Monica (played by Disney Channel favorite of "Austin & Ally", Laura Marano) grabs your attention and you become enthralled in her story. Her maturity shines through, but not in a "trying to be adult before her time" way; it's more apparent in her clever comebacks and her computer programming skills. Soon you find out that this cute, popular girl has been accepted to MIT and she's struggling to decide between a state school with her friends and leaving them behind to be a "nobody" at a school far away.

(Disney Channel/Phillippe Bosse) LEIGH-ALLYN BAKER, LAURA MARANO

Once her path crosses with Liz (played by Baker) over a missing necklace that Monica purchased second hand from a pawn shop, the story takes several hilarious twists and turns. Marano and Baker had such chemistry and the comedic timing between the two was perfection. I found myself laughing out loud with the crowd pretty often.

(Disney Channel/Jan Thijs) JAKE MANLEY, ZOE DE GRAND MAISON, LAURA MARANO, LEIGH-ALLYN BAKER

From the worst hair day ever to a two-timing boyfriend to a stressful driving test, Monica's prom day really can't get much worse; but rather than sulk she and Liz take action and make the best of the situation. There are so many important messages for young people delivered in this film. Monica isn't your typical heroine. She doesn't end up with her prince charming and she chooses to forge her own unique path for her life rather than stick with the status quo. It's a great example for young girls to learn that you don't have to rely on other people to validate you or make you happy. It's all within yourself.

As Baker told us during her interview, they wanted to make people laugh of course, but they also wanted to pull at their heartstrings. Mission accomplished! Even though the movie is mainly comprised of laugh out loud moments, there are definitely some tender moments as well with Liz taking on a sort of surrogate mother role as the day goes on. Liz even learns a few lessons herself; mainly why it's so important to rely on others when you need help. This is certainly something most of us can relate to.

 (Disney Channel/Jan Thijs)) LEIGH-ALLYN BAKER, LAURA MARANO in Bad Hair Day movie.

Overall, I would definitely recommend watching this film with your entire family. At the risk of sounding like an old timer, it's just "good clean fun"! Marano and Baker play off of each other so well and I know you'll love this film as much as I did. I hope there's a sequel for Bad Hair Day 2 in the works because I'd love to see what comes next for these two characters.

If you missed the movie on Disney Channel, you can stream Bad Hair Day thanks to Amazon.

Be sure to check out my interview with Leigh-Allyn Baker too!

If you like Bad Hair Day, you'll probably also like the Disney Channel show Stuck in the Middle. Check out my interview with the Stuck in the Middle cast to learn more about the show. You might also like Bizaardvark too! Check out my Bizaardvark review and interview with the Bizaardvark cast.

Disclosure: I was able to screen this film as part of a press trip held by Disney and ABC. All opinions are 100% my own.