Undiscovered (2005) User Reviews

It's actually an average movie

[christian123 · 4/10 · 18 July 2006]

Luke (Strait) and Brier (James) are two beautiful young people who have a chance encounter on a New York subway. Shortly later, they both go to L.A. to find fame, he as a rock star and her as an actress, but when they run into each other again, they have to decide whether their relationship is strong enough to withstand "the business." Undiscovered was named by many as the worst film of 2005. I can't say I really agree with that. The movie is kind of weak but it's still tolerable and it's also pretty harmless. The premise is fairly interesting even if it's not very original. The execution is only average but still much better than expected. The romance is pretty weak though and just not very interesting. The two leads don't have enough chemistry to make the movie work. There are a few moments of intrigue and some nice performances but the end result is still unsatisfying. The reason the film is kind of lackluster is because of the writer and the director. John Galt wrote the screenplay and he fails to really add anything new to this movie. Also, Meiert Avis just keeps everything by the numbers without adding any surprises.

The acting is only okay with Carrie Fisher giving the best performance. She isn't given a lot of screen time but she still manages to give a few funny lines. Pell James is pretty good as Brier Tucket. She has that "model" look and she has an engaging quality that kept focusing my attention to her. Steven Strait is only okay as Luke. He's a little dull but he has that "rock star" look that suited the character. Ashlee Simpson plays Clea and she is actually only a supporting character in the movie. Her performance is surprisingly average (like the film) but she should stick to singing. Shannyn Sossamon was just annoying and not funny while Kip Pardue was only okay.

I think the supporting characters really kept this movie moving. The scenes between Clea and Brier were pretty nice and engaging. Most of the characters were also pretty likable so the viewer at least cares for a happy ending. The ending was surprisingly good but very obvious. The music wasn't as painful as I was expecting it to be. I don't really like the type of music that was performed in the film but some of the songs were decent. Of course, there were a few cheesy songs but they can't all be winners. I think the movie was unfairly bashed because of Ashlee Simpson's appearance. However, she didn't bring down the movie and the film itself wasn't horrible. In the end, Undiscovered isn't worth checking out but it's not a travesty either. Rating 5/10

Not What I Expected

[scottsandage · 4/10 · 27 August 2005]

"Undiscovered" tells the story of an up and coming musician who happens to run into a model once in New York then two years later after they have both separately moved to L.A. The two have a loose relationship and the film is more detached than anything, be it bad acting or bad writing I felt I did not get to know the characters true feelings. I felt that the film had a good story but was just not portrayed the way I think it should have been. These characters should have had tons of emotions but it just never came. It seemed that they were not moving and feeling the way they should have been,especially with the reoccurring scenes where the two who,I was supposed to be convinced, where in love coming together again and again. The film was not totally what I expected it to be and I believe that it could have been better taken advantage of by use of character emotions and camera movements at the right time.

Not as bad as I anticipated

[lsu_grrl · 5/10 · 26 August 2005]

Cheesy plot? Check. Mediocre acting? Check. Stilted lines? Check. Clichéd Hollywood characters? Check. Undiscovered had everything you would expect to find in a mostly bad teen movie. But it did have a few redeeming qualities as well. Like great music, a really funny supporting character, not to mention a lead actor who can really work a pair of leather pants. I went to see a sneak preview of Undiscovered expecting to make fun of it, but I walked out of the theater mostly wanting to check out the soundtrack. The main male character, played by Steven Strait, is a want-to-be rock star who has a ten second encounter with a pretty girl on a New York subway. Fast forward two years, the two meet again in Hollywood. Then, in what seemed to be a highly contrived plot point, the girl, now a successful model, decides to fast-track the guy's career, all while pretending she doesn't like him. Fast forward a few months, the guy's career is taking off, but the pair are still in limbo. I won't say anymore about the plot. Suffice it to say that while the script and story seemed a little forced, and I was pretty sure the director/photographer wanted to make me throw up with a lot of shaking hand-held close-ups, Undiscovered had a pretty good cast of up and comers and a great soundtrack. I was really surprised by Ashlee Simpson, and actually walked out of the theater with more respect for her than when I walked in. Who knew the girl could actually sing.

An Unprejudiced Review.

[T_Man · 2 January 2006]

this is a review for anyone who doesn't care that ashlee simpson is in the movie or what it made at the box office and just want a movie to rent because they are bored.

with that being said i found this movie entertaining. there was no point that i felt like i wanted to turn it off or watch another movie. i paid four bucks to rent it, do i regret it? no. i rented the movie despite the negative reviews because most of the people commenting on it had not seen it.

the performance of the lead actress is effective but nothing special. i think its a crime they had shannyn sossamon cast for the movie and used her as the worst character in the entire movie. she could have been much better in the lead role. ashlee simpson was fine in the movie. she wasn't great but she was just really in a sidekick role, nothing demanding.

the plot was good enough to keep my interest, the music was really good so i'm probably going to investigate the soundtrack and the direction was music video-esquire, i guess you can decide for yourself if that is a plus or a minus.

so overall if you like movies that can be classified as 'cute' but aren't corny, if your someone who watches the OC on occasion or if you are just looking for a movie with feeling but isn't too heavy then i say go for undiscovered.

It is good if you want a cute romance movie

[musicgirrl16 · 5/10 · 12 August 2006]

Although not the most sophisticated movie. Storyline is cute and Steven Strait, Pell James and Ashlee Simpson were pretty good. Some line didn't make sense and the sceen where he's acting like a rock star on stage not even noticing the groupie and Josie fighting over him was a little ridiculous and tacky. It may not be up to par with other really good romantic movies such as Notting Hill, Sleepless in Seattle, Pride and Prejudice, The Princess Bride, Pretty woman, When harry met sally.(I can add a lot more but I be sitting here for a good solid hour or so)Aside from all those movies it still is cute feel good (if you're a sap like me) movie. PS. The soundtrack's awesome too.

undiscovered was by far the worst movie of the year

[itsxmexloser-1 · 1/10 · 4 September 2005]

OK lets just sum it up for everyone boy meets girl in corny subway scene then they meet up a couple years later they sleep together then they break up he makes it big time as a singer and he becomes mean (it was shocking NOT) then he becomes nice they meet at the airport and get back together and he decides to become a writer WOW that was sooo lame and boring i left to go to the bathroom and i actually looked for a way to escape lol. o and of course ashlee simpson sings b/c then the movie wouldn't of even made it to theaters. and the main characters name is breyer why didn't they just name her turkey hill or edys. and wat ever moron played Breyer did a terrible job i mean horrid.i clapped when it was over i think i was the loudest in the whole theater.

Another coming-of-age film about getting an entertainment career and love life

[noizyme · 3/10 · 1 February 2006]

Undiscovered was a typical romance drama/coming-of-age film for 20-something's with no backbone or intrigue. I watched it for Shannyn Sossamon because she's played these great characters in the past with very little going on in their lives, but in this film, she's this Brazilian model-type who seems very much in the wrong film (the character does anyways).

I don't know what US Weekly was smoking when they proclaimed on the back of the DVD "Ashlee Simpson shines as a punky inspiring singer-actress." Simpson was basically playing a girl with no real depth and a horrible nasal voice. I do however believe in what the New York Post said about Pell James, that "(she) is adorable and winsome, she's a romantic star in the making." She might be a not-so-well-known actress, but she was a well cast lead girl for this film. But the main "dude," Steven Strait, is just a big baby with too much of his heart on his shoulder, and his knack for writing lame songs in the movie just puts the character in the ground.

I really only liked a few things about the movie. 1) Carrie Fisher. She hasn't been in a whole lot of films as of late, so it was good to see her as a lead role in the model/actress' career. 2) The chick fight in the Viper Room scene. That's always killer. And 3) The small joke about the main singer guy having arachnophobia (told by his agent at Tantra Records).

The rest of the film has been done before by better actors. There was boring music (which consisted of acoustic sets and U2 ripoff songs), a ridiculous back and forth love story which makes you want to turn the DVD off ahead of time, the dude acting like a baby through most of the film because he finds out that his contract was helped out by Brier (the main girl) and it wasn't because of his lame songs, and there was even a ridiculous chant that the Tantra Records' associates go into after deleting this guy from the label. I really didn't get the line when she calls up this musician guy and adds "I know. This is borderline stalking you." Hello? He's been obsessing about you the whole movie, not the other way around.

I had to give the film a 3/10. It was shot well, but their was no driving force that kept my attention to the screen without reminding me of how much of a cable TV movie this is. I hope this was just made to give Ashlee Simpson a film career because if the writer really felt depth in this script, I would start to lose hope in the future of film.

Undiscovered - wished it had stayed that way

[dorothyhza · 3/10 · 22 December 2005]

This movie is called UNDISCOVERED, and it should have stayed that way. We find totally uninspiring characters, a weak plot and some self-conscious acting. It fails to ignite, never making it's mind up about what it really wants to be and in the end leaves the viewer with total indifference. There are obvious attempts a edgy camera-work and innovative cinematography but in the end that also fails miserably. Due to the aimless script the viewer never develops any sympathy or empathy for any character. This movie lasts roughly 90 minutes, which is about 88 minutes too long. The best part of the whole thing is one or two Ashley Simpson songs, and that's not even overly impressive.

Sadly, This film is undiscovered at the box office and there really isn't much about the film that needs to be discovered except Ashlee Simpson and Carrie Fisher.

[ScottDMenzel · 4/10 · 4 September 2005]

"Undiscovered" is the story about a group of people who move from New York to Los Angeles in order to jump start their careers. The movie focuses mainly on the lives of Luke Falcon (Steven Strait) who is struggling to become a singer/songwriter and Brier (Pell James) who wants to become an actress. "Undiscovered" shows the things people go through in order to make their dreams come through along with the hard aches of love and friendship.

I'm just going to cut to chase right away in this review, and say this movie has been done before and has been done better. This movie really does live up to its title because a. it's basically a movie about lives of people who are undiscovered and b. it's a movie that will surely be undiscovered not only in the theaters but on DVD as well. The movie on the whole is rather average and sadly that's about it. I mean like I said, this story has been done before and just when the film looks like it's going to move past it's average screenplay it just falls down and never makes it past that mark.

The movie reminds me of two things, the first thing it reminds me of is a really long music video and the second thing this film reminds me of is the TV show called "Making the Video." The movie on the whole is like a mix of the two and nothing really else. The movie kind of falls in the same category of movies like "Crossroads," "Honey," and "Glitter" however in this case this movie isn't as laughably bad as "Honey" or "Glitter" because the acting and dialog really isn't that bad but like I said just horribly average.

I have to give credit where credit is due and I must give Ashlee Simpson credit here. Now I know most of the United States for some odd reason hates Ashlee Simpson for whatever reason but I don't mind her. I think honestly she is the best thing to come out of this film because she was decent in it. And before anyone jumps the gun and says that I am just saying that because I am a fan that's a load of crap because I thought she was going to be awful in this movie from the get go and even laughed when I saw that she was in it. So that being said, I really do think she was the best thing in the movie and did much better here then her sister Jessica did in the god-awful "Dukes of Hazzard". Also the other good thing about this movie was Carrie Fisher who along with Ashlee made this film somewhat enjoyable. The rest of the people in the movie aren't bad actors and I don't think they should be left undiscovered but they just were so average in their roles but that could be because of the screenplay.

The director of this film Meiert Avis is best known for directing music videos for U2 and Bruce Springsteen and honestly I think he should stick to directing music videos because I didn't see much film work in this movie that I wouldn't see in music videos.

In closing, "Undiscovered" just doesn't have much to offer. If this was a made for TV movie it would be fine but the fact that people have to pay $5 -$10 to see this movie isn't going to go over well. While I didn't particularly enjoy much about the movie outside of Ashlee Simpson, Carrie Fisher, and the soundtrack, I didn't feel like I hated this movie when I walked out of the theater. It's just very average and very unoriginal but it still had a few moments and things about it that made it a little enjoyable. I wouldn't recommend anyone paying money to see this film in the theater at regular price but maybe a rental would be a decent choice. This movie isn't the worst thing you could watch, there are films far worse so if your in the video store a few months from now and you see "Undiscovered" sitting on the shelve pick it up and give it a shot.

MovieManMenzel's final rating for "Undiscovered" is a 4/10

Critics are like opinions and we all know what opinions are like...

[EmerysRowan · 6/10 · 21 February 2006]

Having not heard of this movie before walking into the video store I was pleasantly surprised. I had no preconceived notions, I just knew the guy on front was familiar and that I had heard of a few of the actors. Now I am a huge freak about media in general; music, movies, books, etc... so when I saw their was a chance to get both music and a movie I gave this one a chance. The music was vivid, earthy, and solid. Steven Strait has a good voice and Ashlee Simpson was not annoying and evidently can sing... surprise of all. She wasn't half bad at playing herself on camera which is something her sister has never managed to pull off. The script wasn't perfect but in the end I cared about what happened to the characters. It was not the most heart tugging story, but had a real close shot at being real. The only thing that wasn't real was the ending but it was believable because she did live in the model world so it is possible that her agent (played subtly and well by Carrie fisher) would know someone that could pull off that happening (especially with a fun actor like Peter Weller). Go see this, don't spend to much on it but see it for the music and the fact that there are a lot worse movies out there than this one. You may not walk away with a changed life but you will probably walk away having enjoyed yourself.

Hiss! Boo!

[hannibalw · 1/10 · 2 September 2005]

The fact that Ashlee Simpson was booed off the stage at last years Orange Bowl should have provided plenty of evidence as to her lack of singing talent and abilities . Now we have Undiscovered as proof that she cannot act either . As Clea she is without a doubt clueless on what an actual actor does. Inhabit the role and make it your own not simply mug for the camera. This is another effort from a music vid director Meiert Avis. Where do these people get their names ? Of course the script is hideous and story threads disappear at an alarming rate . Dropping a glove in a train station one of the protagonists drops the other one in a moment of foreshadowing that 'real' ;ove will develop with the mystery man . What a joke ! It won't be long before the Simpson girls are back living in their daddies double wide trailer out in hicks ville .

Musician Appeal

[wordweb-1 · 9/10 · 24 June 2006]

Thought the plot, the characters, the setting, and especially the music fit in every way the tunes, especially "Smart In A Stupid Way" and "Boomerang". Undiscovered has a musician's feel that non-musician's could easily miss. Life of musicians is hectic enough, as in all areas of performing arts. Add to that formula an attempt at true romance while trying to pull it all off with an artist's feel, even by actors playing musicians, and that's quite a feat. This movie was obviously not meant to be some chromed rich kid glamor story about rock musicians. It's a picture of real life in the quest for fame and musical discovery, which in final leans more to the side of musical creation than performing. Thus its setting has that raw quality of down to earth smelly club carpet intermixed with a glamor chase, eventually resulting in neither, but instead a down home one on one relationship with one's music and one's lover.

The soundtrack is excellent, the pop song composition is rich, and the musical performers are 'tight'. Some of the AR record scouts are slimy, which is not totally accurate in the real world, but enough to get the point across in the movie that songwriting carries many more benefits than performing.

Only A 2.8?

[its_a_Kristina_thing · 6/10 · 15 January 2006]

Broke Gigli records? Horrible movie? I rented this movie, thinking it was going to be terrible. I actually thought it was very good.

Most of the actors aren't well known, so it was much easier to watch and not be like, "Oh that's like their other character in that other movie where the guys does this and the thing blows up and......" or be thinking about their career and stuff. The movie seemed much more real with people that weren't known as Hollywood icons (except for Ashlee Simpson).

I thought their Los Angeles life was very interesting and shot quite well. Unlike other movies, it didn't show only the best parts of town. Cramped apartments, Laundromats, outdoor restaurants, small theaters where the aspiring actors spent all their time running lines, the batting cages, city buses, airports, gyms, and other un- glamorous things were shot. The color wasn't perfect but then again they were in LA, a place filled with air pollution and such (as with other cities of course) and smog in the background, trash bags on the curbs, runaway dogs, and graffiti on the walls were filmed as well.

The fact that they were all just friends in search of stardom but in different areas (acting, modeling, music, dance, song writing) made it interesting too. The story never got too into one field because the movie wasn't supposed to be about Ashlee's character getting that part or Luke's brother recording that song, but it did find that medium in establishing each character's struggle to achieve stardom (anxiety when auditioning, racking their brains to remember that line or come up with the rest of that song they've been writing, that adrenaline rush when on stage, doing anything to make more money, inviting their friends on stage to perform with them...). The only field it centered around was music, because most all of the characters were trying to build a career in music and the love aspect of the story between Luke and Brier was kept off because of Luke's success in stage performance- thanks in part to Brier- and Brier's weariness of the relationship due to past experiences with her old boyfriend, who was constantly cheating on her with groupies he met on the road, as he was a musician himself.

I actually thought the movie was pretty realistic (well okay not completely realistic, almost no movies are these days, but it wasn't all changed up like other movies today who totally throw the truth out of wack.)

Ashlee Simpson, though not extraordinarily talented, was not at all annoying or trying to be cute like in her early days on 7th Heaven as Cecilia and not trying to be all punk and sh*t like she was when her music career started out........ you know what I mean. I thought she was artsy and friendly and trustworthy in this movie, just a girl looking to be in the spotlight who loves performing and spends all her time reading scripts, hanging out at the theater, trying to get her friend noticed in this music world, etc. I actually ENJOYED her in this movie.

Brier Tucket was played amazingly well by Pell James. Her character's mother had just died, she had few friends, had just moved to a new and very different city, her boyfriend was undoubtedly cheating on her, and she was being chased by another boy who she didn't want a relationship with because she feared that, because he was soon to be a rock star due to his exuding talent and charm, he would treat her the way her last boyfriend did. She had simply been hurt too much and was trying to be realistic. Brier was mature and filled with grace, trying not to let her feelings for Luke overcome her and allow her to be sucked into that world again. Luke, after seeing Brier for the very first time, guessed that she was a ballerina, as did I. Her gentleness and sensitiveness was touching, especially when she tried to cover her feelings up and be strong- when she called her boyfriend at his hotel after a show and heard multiple girls laughing in the background, when she left Luke's bedroom after coming to the realization that because he would soon be entering the music business it would be difficult for them to be together....

Anyway, I thought this was a great movie, much better than I expected. I would give it somewhere in between a 5 and a six, certainly not a 2.8.

There is a reason why this movie was undiscovered

[justinalpertesq · 4/10 · 12 August 2008]

So, I'm looking through Hulu for something to watch and I come across Undiscovered, the long awaited reuniting of Kip Pardue and Shannyn Sossamon after The Rules of Attraction. A delectable Pell James, Ashlee Simpson, Carrie Fisher, Fisher Stevens, and Peter Weller. A 2005 movie. Very artful cinematography. Why am I first hearing about this movie on Hulu? It has so much going for it.

Well, it was distributed by Lions Gate... a warning flag goes up. I think of Lions Gate and I think of a studio that built itself with signing the rights to bottom of the barrel movies and successfully distributing them.

Ah, despite the compelling cinematography, which compels me to keep watching, and the great presence of Miss James, and the fairly decent directing job, the story just plain blows. It comes close to being compelling but in each instance, falls to cliché, and even does a poor job at that. Miss Simpson gives a nice performance. Miss Sossamon's talent is sorely wasted in this movie. It makes sense why it went straight to Hulu, but with so much going for it, it doesn't make sense why it turned out to be such a poor movie. I am sure that a lot of people put their hearts into this movie. There was a lot of talent here. Just sometimes, it's not enough... you need that stroke of lightning.

I will say this though... as we get older and we live our lives in the suburbs, we have to remember that there are people, like the characters in this movie, who are really living life, and experiencing the world and new things every day. We need to keep that sense of adventure, otherwise, we are the walking dead of suburbia.

The alternate universe version of this film is probably pretty good

[MBunge · 4/10 · 27 May 2011]

When this movie is good, it has all the depth and substance of a chewing gum commercial. When it's bad, it's still as shallow as a puddle of tears in the desert while also being dumb, clichéd and just plain lazy. When Undiscovered begins, it seems like it's going to be a story about the attractive underclass of Los Angeles, the models who want to be actors, musicians who want to be rock stars and the people who just want to have a good time. It's inconsequential but slightly engaging, with good chemistry among the pretty cast. Then all that modest charm is ground away by a boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl plot that is so halfhearted it basically commits narrative suicide.

Luke Falcon (Steven Strait) is a struggling musician. Brier Tucket (Pell James) is a model. They have a cute encounter in New York City and then meet again a year later in LA, where Luke is an even more struggling club singer and Brier is trying to make the stereotypical leap from modeling to acting. Even though they're clearly attracted to each other, Brier doesn't want to get involved with Luke for reasons that are so self-evidently stupid that the movie barely references them. Instead, Brier and her new best friend Clea (Ashlee Simpson) conspire to boost Luke's music career by generating some underground "buzz" about it.

That inexplicably works and Luke is picked up by graceless record executive Garrett Schweck (Fisher Stevens). He remakes Luke into an alt-rock singer who looks like a cross of Danzig and Jim Morrison. Luke starts hanging out with Josie (Shannyn Sossamon), a character that makes absolutely no sense within the confines of the story and whose accent veers from Brazilian to Eastern European to New Jersey. Eventually Luke's star crashes to Earth as inexplicably as it rose in the first place, at which point the film suddenly remembers the whole "Luke loves Brier" thing and wraps up with a conclusion so predictable it's actually mentioned in the writings of Nostradamus.

Also hanging around the story are Brier's New York agent, Carrie (Carrie Fisher), and Luke's brother Euan (Kip Pardue), who's only notable by acting like a white Bootsie Collins and doing the world's slowest job of packing a suitcase. I have no idea why either of these characters are in this movie, but they're pleasant and inoffensive.

As long as Undiscovered is focused on this group of characters just dicking around and not really doing anything, it's nicely watchable. Steven Strait is nothing but a sack of meat with a half-Fabio hairdo that gets pulled back into bun and not a douchebag ponytail, but Pell James is beautiful and inviting, even when Brier is a frustrating twit, and Ashlee Simpson and her old nose are quirkily cute. Put them together and they have a fun and youthful ease about them that's both relaxing and amusing.

However, every single time Undiscovered attempts to tells its intended story, the result is disastrous. What isn't stupid is illogical and what isn't stupid and illogical manages to be both insultingly obvious and awkwardly manipulative. It's a bit astounding how bad the storytelling becomes by the end of the movie.

Undiscovered is one of those films where you can tell that something went very wrong at some point in the process and decisions were made that ruined whatever potential the production ever had. In an alternate universe, all those movie turn out great. Unfortunately, this reality's flawed and disappointing version of Undiscovered is all we've got.

Doesn't worth spending time...

[cofurt1 · 1/10 · 23 November 2005]

ATTENTION!FULL OF SPOILERS!!! Well, first of all let's start with the main characters.Briet (Pell James) is a cute Blondie who does modeling for the living.Our hot guy Luke (Steven Strait) sings and writes songs.They meet accidentally at subway and their paths cross in L.A.

Generally the soundtracks are really fun to listen.Steven and Ashlee shows great singing performance.Unfortunately, the film provides us nothing more than that.The story is so weak that we try our best to believe in the main characters.The script has some logical mistakes and that keeps us away from concentrating.First of all, this meant to be a romantic comedy but there are barely romantic scenes in the movie.The relationship between Briet and Luke is unbelievable.First, Briet moves to L.A to be an actress but then i don't know why, she almost never tries it (except the meeting part with Ashlee).I guess the writer forgot about her career.We see her modeling but only at the opening scene.Other than that, she does nothing more than escaping from Luke which doesn't even make sense.They sleep together but she leaves him without a solid reason.From the beginning till the end, she keeps saying that she has a boy friend (he cheats her all the time, she knows this plus he never calls her till the end).Not an enough reason of course.Besides nobody would be so naive in real life.This is one of the weakest points of the script.

This just seems to create challenge between the main characters but it is so meaningless that you start saying what is this trash?Luke also loves Briet but he never goes for her.Doesn't even try to be together.He just chooses to be with another girl.But then, at the end of the film, (whatever happens to him) he suddenly runs to the airport and gives 1000 bucks to an airplane ticket and follows her.He never tries the half of this effort for the entire movie.

The movie is around 98 minutes but if you would cut 30 minutes from the film by editing it, nothing would change.There are so many unnecessary dialogs, events and characters around.Near to the closing scene, Luke remembers his memories with Briet but they are so normal and easy to forget moments that the scene barely touches our hearts.

In conclusion, if you won't mind average acting, weak story and if you have 2 hours free time to spend, go and see this movie.At least you will listen to nice soundtracks.But do not expect more than that...

One Word...

[wickedlip · 1/10 · 19 October 2005]

CROSSROADS!!! I saw this film because of my wife, who is the biggest fan of Ashley. I'm serious when I say this...NOT ANYMORE!!! She seriously stopped being a fan yesterday. Let's ignore the writing, directing, and soundtrack for a moment...ASHLEY IS LAME!!! I am ashamed that my wife was a fan, but at least this movie opened her eyes. I would say go see this movie if you want to convert an Ashley SIMPSON Fan. I have an idea...let's get Spears and Ashley together to do a film. Heck...let's get Federline involved as well, at least this way, I can waste my money on 1 film instead of the upcoming trash. I am so irritated...I have to go.

Strictly For Teens And Twenty Somethings

[filmbuff1974 · 4/10 · 8 April 2008]

If you are one day past your thirtieth birthday, then this movie about a group of self-absorbed twenty somethings seeking fame and fortune in Los Angeles is going to annoy you tremendously. "Undiscovered" is about forty minutes too long. It just goes on and one. I do not recommend this pretentious "trendy" nonsense at all. Well, except for one person who is actually the only highlight in this whole mess--- Ashlee Simpson!

Ashlee Simpson was a pleasant surprise in an otherwise exasperating cinema experience. She has an abundance of charisma and will be looking out for other projects she is in . And if that was her actual singing voice then she is a talented musical performer as well!

The movie takes place in Los Angeles which is one of the main reasons I decided to view this. I just love movies that take place in Los Angeles and especially movies about entertainers seeking fame and fortune in Los Angeles. Unfortunately, in "Undiscovered", the Los Angeles scenery is very "guide bookish". Worse, the director of photography moved the camera so much I couldn't even enjoy the scenery that was shot. the director of photography who couldn't keep the camera still for a moment. What a sickening movie experience! (By the way, whats with the vomit inducing camera movement that seems to be the trend lately?)

I would suggest you pass on this one. All the correct ingredients are there but some how they weren't put together correctly and it makes for a tedious movie viewing experience.

Fun....to make fun of

[happylittletree · 27 December 2005]

The film tries to camouflage its mediocrity behind an edgy MTV style aesthetic, which only works if you're in sixth grade. the film doesn't even manage to capture a remotely compelling portrait of struggling actors in LA before accelerating into a ridiculous turn of "let's make our friend famous".

Steve Strait isn't bad, could be promising in future projects, and Pell James is decently likable but bless her heart she's not yet strong enough to carry a film. As far as Ashlee Simpson goes, she's really not the worst actress on the planet or even in the movie, but that's the most positive thing about her i could think of to say. When she's not visibly trying to be arty and deep her acting talents stand above Jessica Alba & Paris Hilton, yet still decidedly below a cadaver on CSI. Watching her jam is especially hilarious. I don't think her voice sounds bad, but she's transparently trying so hard to be rock that I was surprised the extras didn't start booing her pretentious efforts. It's one of those movies that fails because you're not watching characters, you're watching unconvincing people who seem to think they're acting. Honorable mentions: Shannyn Sossamon is amusing as a dim supermodel, and Carrie Fisher is great because she looks like she can't wait to get away from all these boring prats and home to a very dry martini. And a warning to all: the lack of excitement makes the movie feel an hour longer than it is.

So if you're like me and you love to make fun of bad movies aimed at the WB crowd, or if you're one of THOSE who actually thinks "one tree hill" is a good show, then Undiscovered is a decent rental. if not, don't waste the 90 minutes of your life.

just for the leading actor

[Grotesque_Sphinx · 3/10 · 2 July 2006]

I watched this film because i like the leading actor, and I gotta see him shirtless in this movie. Haha

The film turned out not as bad as I expected, but it's still bad though. About this guy who's struggling to become a singer. Kind of like the male version of Crossroad to me. The story's cheesy, predictable...Hey, what do you expected? Although I kinda like Kip Pardue's character. At least he gave a wacky air onto the story

I'm glad Ashlee Simpson didn't play a major character. Her character doesn't contribute much to the story anyway. It'll go on without her. Except...surprise...surprise...she sang on the end of the movie. The title of the song? Undiscovered of course

From someone who enjoyed this movie.

[cassimonium · 6/10 · 27 December 2005]

I fell in love with Steven Strait while watching Sky High about a week ago. I looked him up and found he was in Undiscovered, so I rented the movie today and watched it. I didn't see a trailer for the movie, but I wanted to see it not only because of Strait, but also because I saw Ashlee Simpson, Carrie Fisher, and Shannyn Sossamon were in it. I disagree with comments about this being a terrible movie, and do not understand why they thought so. Strait delivered a performance way beyond his years. Simpson's character was very flat and had almost no emotion, but she fit the movie and played the part well. Sossamon portrayed a Brazilian model, and her accent was on and off, and was a little annoying. She has done much better work. Fisher was the mother figure to the character Brier, and did a wonderful job. The story was realistic and believable, not some sugar-coated story about the rise and fall of a musician's fame. The directing was a little choppy, but Meiert Avis is not a movie director, he's a music video director, and that fit perfectly with the movie plot. The music was outstanding. Simpson and Strait sounded great together. I really enjoyed this movie and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in music.

Oh Boy

[teddyryan · 3/10 · 21 February 2006]

After seeing Pell in BROKEN FLOWERS, I decided I had to see some of her other work. Looking at the media information on UNDISCOVERED, I thought to myself - can't be that bad. You've got Ash Simpson and Los Angeles and good looking people and the infamous Peter "Robocop" Weller. Anyway, I watched UNDISOCVERED last night, and have to say: this film is rank. Directed by Meirret Avis (a veteran of music videos), the film is, to no surprise, nothing but a collection of music videos. The actors, who aren't bad (except for Carrie Fisher who obviously phones this one in for a paycheck), are victim to a lame storyline that make the OC seem complex. Furthermore, Pell isn't given much to work with since her character is the most poorly written of the bunch. In addition, Pell and Steven Straight share the combined on screen chemistry of highway gravel.

I LOVED this movie even though I am NOT an Ashlee Simpson fan

[boo808 · 10/10 · 25 July 2006]

This movie was incredibly good and I really don't understand why it was not a bigger hit. The fact that Ashley Simpson is in it may have contributed to its downfall, but while we're on that subject: I really don't see what was wrong with her performance. I thought, considering she had no acting experience before this film, she did an awesome job. And I really liked how that director didn't make the film about Ashley Simpson. While she definitely had a crucial part in the film, it was not centered around her. With that said, I could find nothing wrong with this movie and believe me I was looking. I thought there had to be a reason it was such a bomb in the box office, but I could not find a single good reason. This movie was brilliant: the story was sweet and romantic, but not gushy, it was surprisingly believable in its portrayal of struggling performers, the acting was flawless, and the music was out of this world. I even bought the soundtrack I was so impressed. So for the record: this movie was NOT like Crossroads (although I don't think that was such a bad movie either) and I would recommend it to every teenager in the U.S.

A lot better than I expected!

[bybee-1 · 7/10 · 30 August 2005]

We have all seen this movie before in one love story or another. The plot is comfortable not inventive, it is there to hold the movie together. The story was how a pair of strangers get through the first infatuation, false expectations, and get to the point that they can learn who the other person really is. The Music is great, pulls you in and sets the next bit up. I consider Undiscoverede a musical of the MTV variety. Nobody breaks into song in the middle of a conversation, but the music is doing a lot of the storytelling. The supporting cast is doing a lot of the character development / exposition for the main characters. Is this because they are a couple of control freaks or played by bad actors? My bet is on competent actors doing what the story required. Character interaction is where this movie works. The music is where it lives. A sweet movie about a couple of nice kids. The dog was my favorite character. High Fidelity is my favorite movie in this genre.

Wannabe vs Undiscovered: The Title is Appropriate

[gradyharp · 3/10 · 29 December 2005]

Some little films are classified as 'sleepers': either they begin as unnoticed little gems that slowly emerge OR they put you to sleep. UNDISCOVERED is the latter. Made by music video director Meiert Avis directing his first feature film and written by newcomer John Galt the backgrounds show. The result is an extended music video with dialogue and unfortunately the story has been told so many times we all know it by memory, making comparisons not only inevitable but also negative.

But everyone has to start somewhere, as the theme of the story points out. The plot is thin - boy meets girl in New York, both craving the entertainment industry, both move to Los Angeles, both get caught up in the negative as well as the positive aspects of the climbing to the top life in LA, both are influenced by friends and family, choices are made, stuff happens. This trickle of dialogue is parceled out between songs by a group of wannabe actors, some better than others. Of the group Kip Pardue shows his more extensive experience and lightens the screen. But the rest is, at best, a series of tryouts told at a pace that assures somnolence. But everyone has to start somewhere.... Grady Harp