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Movie Review: The Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story



By  Justin Carreiro     9:00 AM    Labels:,,,,,, 
Real talk moment: I have a guilty pleasure for TV movies. I don't just mean specials that are created once in a while, but the full-blown "Lifetime Movie of the Week" TV movie. There are those that have ranged from the downside of torrid affairs to others that are inspired by "real life" events - I've seen my fair share of both. There's something about watching a trashy movie for two hours that can be somewhat relaxing.

Recently, the latest TV movie buzzed around the small screen was about the behind-the-scenes story of one of my favourite television shows from my childhood. I don't make a habit of reviewing TV movies but there's always a first time for everything. The film I will be reviewing today is the "scandalous" expose: The Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story.

The Premise: Based on the events of the popular 90s teen sitcom Saved By The Bell and the "Behind The Bell" tell-all book, The Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story shares the behind-the-scenes story of how the show, and its teen cast, reached worldwide success.

The Results: 1/5!
Drama. Scandal. Fights. Where was all that in this biopic?! The Unauthorized Saved By The Bell Story shared the early beginnings of its teen cast as they dealt with fame and fortune. However, nothing revealed in the film felt too shocking or dramatic to warrant a retelling of the behind-the-scenes events. The character of Dustin Diamond (Sam Kindseth) served as the main narrator for the film and the film primarily focused on the negative drama in his life with drinking, exclusion from the cast and blackmail; this may simply be due to the fact that the real life actor was an Executive Producer of the film. With the exception of a few real secrets that fans already knew (i.e. Lark & Mark-Paul's secret relationship, Elizabeth wanting to branch out into film), the majority of the other information shared was simply implied or fabricated. Based on the scenes shown, the cast dealt with everyday teen issues and they were basically a family by the end of the show. It all seemed very tame and missing the real story of true events. That's not to say it's a bad movie. The soundtrack of the film was incredible, serving up plenty of hits for fans of 80's & 90's music, and some of the cast did a great job channeling their characters. If you're a fan of Saved By The Bell, I'd recommend to check it out to relive some of those iconic moments from your childhood but prepare yourself to debate the accuracy of a few events presented throughout the film.

About Justin Carreiro

Justin is a longtime TV buff and gamer. He loves chatting about shows, playing video and board games, and his not-so-secret love for reality tv. He is also a fan of horror movies, music and a bookworm at heart. He spends his time in Toronto working in PR and Social Media.

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