Cadet Kelly - 2 stars out of 10

Cadet Kelly - 2 stars out of 10

...You never realize how cheesy these Disney Channel Original Movies are until you rewatch them as an adult.  Even just looking at the DVD cover, I should have known better.  The film does precisely what it was designed to do: It is a family-friendly film with plenty of cheesy laughs and a stepping stone for Hilary Duff toward the big screen.  I'm still trying to figure out who thought it was a good idea to make Gary Cole ("Office Space") into a military general, though I suppose that all common sense gets thrown out the window when creating a made-for-tv movie.  Regardless of the acting, the story literally induced my gag reflex on a few occasions.  The story sets itself up to be cheesy but the characters could have developed through realistic circumstances.  There is no need for the typical “father is trapped on the side of a cliff so the main character has to use everything that she has learned throughout the film to rescue him” routine.  The ending also goes an unnecessary distance beyond “reasonable cheese,” leaving that sense of wasted time as the credits role.  I love Hilary Duff but I much prefer her “real movies” over this hogwash.