''Cow Belles'' is a 2006
romantic teen
Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...
comedy
Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
Disney Channel Original film that stars American
pop recording artists
Alyson Michalka
Alyson Renae Michalka ( ; born March 25, 1989) is an American actress, singer-songwriter and musician who rose to prominence with her starring role as Keely Teslow in the Disney Channel sitcom ''Phil of the Future'' (2004–2006). Aly Michalka w ...
and
Amanda Michalka
Amanda Joy Michalka ( ; born April 10, 1991) is an American actress, singer-songwriter, record producer and voice actress who is best known as one half of the musical duo Aly & AJ (briefly 78violet), alongside her older sister Aly Michalka. She h ...
, better known as sister duo
Aly & AJ
Aly & AJ are an American pop rock duo that consists of sisters Alyson (Aly) and Amanda Joy Michalka (AJ) and signed a recording contract with Hollywood Records in 2004. Their debut album, ''Into the Rush'', debuted at number 36 on the US ''Bil ...
. It premiered on March 24, 2006 on the
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
and was watched by over 5.8 million viewers.
On May 10, 2019, Aly & AJ revealed that they're working on a sequel for ''Cow Belles''.
Plot
Taylor (
Alyson Michalka
Alyson Renae Michalka ( ; born March 25, 1989) is an American actress, singer-songwriter and musician who rose to prominence with her starring role as Keely Teslow in the Disney Channel sitcom ''Phil of the Future'' (2004–2006). Aly Michalka w ...
) and Courtney Callum (
Amanda Michalka
Amanda Joy Michalka ( ; born April 10, 1991) is an American actress, singer-songwriter, record producer and voice actress who is best known as one half of the musical duo Aly & AJ (briefly 78violet), alongside her older sister Aly Michalka. She h ...
) are two thoroughly spoiled yet well-intentioned sisters whose widower father, Reed Callum (
Jack Coleman), owns Callum Dairy. The girls’ mother died prior to the events of the movie. Their house keeper Corrine helps take care of the girls now. Taylor has just gotten her driving license, after almost failing the test at the beginning of the movie. They leave the house to depart for a shopping trip, but leave a towel on the stove, starting a house fire. Shocked by their carelessness and over spending, and deciding the girls should start making their own cash, Reed puts them to work at the dairy to teach them responsibility. He goes out of town, looking for a rare butterfly to add to his collection. This leaves the girls to look after the dairy.
When the girls start working at the dairy, it quickly becomes their worst nightmare. They mess up almost every step of the way, such as dropping Courtney's cell phone into one of the full yogurt cups, and then tripping and splashing blueberries on themselves. All the employees think they are stuck-up and don't believe that they can do their job. Soon after they start working there and doing their jobs better, someone steals all the money out of the businesses' bank account. It is then up to the girls to come up with a plan to save the dairy, and the jobs of those who are working, but no one believes in them. Taylor has changed her nature and asks Courtney if she can use her party money to pay for the employees' paychecks, or else they will leave Callum Dairy. Taylor and Courtney are at a meeting with the other employees when Taylor tricks Courtney into leaving to get her cell phone, she says that she will get the money, but still no one believes her. Without consulting Courtney, Taylor uses her party money for the employees, thus causing a very big fight between the two of them.
Taylor and Courtney finally enjoy their work in the factory and earn the employees' belief and respect. However, Courtney ignores Taylor in every possible way. They have a fight at work when Courtney is putting in the numbers for the expiration dates. Even though they have the money to pay the employees' paychecks, Courtney's mistake threatens their business because the milk, believed to be expired, is sent back. Their employers realize this will take them all night and that they will miss the deadline, but Reed comes along with volunteers, mostly town folks (including the wealthy ones who attended Courtney and her friends' debutante) who are impressed with the sisters' efforts to save the beloved dairy company. They manage to pull through the evening and the employees and town folks celebrate. It is revealed that his business partner and best friend Bob Fenwick is the thief, but he gets away with the money. After checking his finances, Reed determines that the dairy will survive, but that money will be tight for some time. The girls happily volunteer to work with him even when he gives them the day off to help out.
In an alternate ending, Courtney finds a way to track Reed's friend who stole the money. The girls show their father a footage of the embezzler playing in a casino in Puerto Rico, and Reed alerts the FBI to catch him. Despite getting their money back, the sisters continue working in the dairy in the hopes of one day succeeding their father.
Cast
*
Alyson Michalka
Alyson Renae Michalka ( ; born March 25, 1989) is an American actress, singer-songwriter and musician who rose to prominence with her starring role as Keely Teslow in the Disney Channel sitcom ''Phil of the Future'' (2004–2006). Aly Michalka w ...
as Taylor Callum
*
Amanda Michalka
Amanda Joy Michalka ( ; born April 10, 1991) is an American actress, singer-songwriter, record producer and voice actress who is best known as one half of the musical duo Aly & AJ (briefly 78violet), alongside her older sister Aly Michalka. She h ...
as Courtney Callum
*
Jack Coleman as Reed Callum
*
Sheila McCarthy
Sheila McCarthy (born January 1, 1956) is a Canadian actress and singer. She has worked in film, television, and on stage. McCarthy is one of Canada's most honoured actors, having won two Genie Awards (film), two Gemini Awards (television), an A ...
as Fran Walker
*
Michael Trevino
Michael Anthony Trevino (born January 25, 1985) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as List of The Vampire Diaries characters#Tyler Lockwood, Tyler Lockwood on The CW, The CW's ''The Vampire Diaries''; and as Kyle Valenti in Roswe ...
as Jackson Meade
*
Christian Serratos
Christian Marie Serratos MovieTome ( born Bernardi, ; born September 21, 1990) is an American actress who played Rosita Espinosa in AMC's '' The Walking Dead'' TV series, based on the comic book of the same name. She is also known for playing Su ...
as Heather Perez
* Ron Gabriel as Melvin Melville
* Chris Gallinger as Phillipe
*
Von Flores
Valentin Andres Tanga Flores IV, known by his professional name as Von Flores, is a Filipino-Canadian actor. He is often cast as commanding or aggressive characters.
Early life and education
Von was born in Malabon and lived in Pateros until ag ...
as Nick Perez
* Alex Hood as Richie Miller
* Sharon McFarlane as Doris Miller
*
Sandy Robson
Sandy Wayne Robson (born November 6, 1973) is a Canadian actor, writer, director, and editor.
Robson was born in Peterborough, Ontario and raised in Toronto. He had his writing and directorial debut with his 2015 feature film ''Skyquake''. Robson ...
as Thomas
* Craig Eldridge as Wilbur Meade
*
Paula Brancati
Paula Brancati (born June 6, 1989) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her work on Canadian television, including roles on '' Being Erica'', ''Slasher'', ''Dark Oracle'', and most notably for playing Jane Vaughn on '' Degrassi: The Next Gen ...
as Sarah Van Dyke
* Amanda Tilson as Jenny Bryant
* Diana Peressini as Marissa Wentworth
* Michael Rhoades as Bob Fenwick
* Duane Murray as Pete "Big Pete"
* Dylan Roberts as Ralph
* Ordena Stephens-Thompson as Joyce
* Stuart Clow as Keith Walker
* Beatriz Pizano as Gina Perez
*
Jean Yoon
Jean Yoon (born May 4, 1962) is an American-born Canadian actress and writer of Korean descent. Yoon is best known for originating the role of family matriarch Umma in the 2011 play ''Kim's Convenience'' and in the award-winning CBC Television ...
as Corrine
* Scotty Watson as Larry
Production
The movie was inspired by Fox TV series ''
The Simple Life
''The Simple Life'' is an American reality television series starring Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. It depicts the two wealthy socialites, as they struggle to do manual, low-paying jobs such as cleaning rooms, farm work, serving meals in fast ...
'', which formerly starred
Paris Hilton
Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, socialite, model, and entertainer. Born in New York City, and raised there and in Beverly Hills, California, she is a great-granddaughter of Conra ...
and
Nicole Richie
Nicole Camille Richie (; born September 21, 1981) is an American television personality, fashion designer, socialite, and actress. She came to prominence after appearing in the reality television series ''The Simple Life'' (2003–2007), in whic ...
. The movie was filmed in
Toronto, Canada
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor ...
in 2005.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack is composed of one single ''
On the Ride'', performed by
Aly & AJ
Aly & AJ are an American pop rock duo that consists of sisters Alyson (Aly) and Amanda Joy Michalka (AJ) and signed a recording contract with Hollywood Records in 2004. Their debut album, ''Into the Rush'', debuted at number 36 on the US ''Bil ...
. Its music video features scenes from the movie merged in it and this song is featured in the movie.
Release
*The DVD was released on June 27, 2006 with special features such as behind-the-scenes featurette and music videos.
*
Family
Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
in Canada first aired ''Cow Belles'' on June 30, 2006.
*''Cow Belles'' premiered on
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
Asia on August 6, 2006 (original ending version) and November 19, 2006 (alternate ending version).
*Its premiere was watched by over 5.8 million viewers, making it the fifth most viewed Disney Channel Original Movie as of 2007.
*Cow Belles debuted on U.L television on March 29, 2006 to 2.04 million viewers.
*Cow Belles debuted on
Disney Channel
Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Compan ...
Latin America
Latin America or
* french: Amérique Latine, link=no
* ht, Amerik Latin, link=no
* pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...
on June 12, 2009.
Reception
Jeff Swindoll of the
Monsters and Critics
Monsters and Critics is an online entertainment news website focusing on TV, movies and celebrities. It publishes news, reviews, recaps, interviews, feature articles, explainers, blogs and commentary. The website has been owned by Digital Minefi ...
website said, "Not too bad and a perfect time killer for the kids. I'd suggest a rental for family movie night. Maybe the lessons the girls learn in the
ilm Ilm or ILM may refer to:
Acronyms
* Identity Lifecycle Manager, a Microsoft Server Product
* '' I Love Money,'' a TV show on VH1
* Independent Loading Mechanism, a mounting system for CPU sockets
* Industrial Light & Magic, an American motion ...
will cross over to the audience." Kevin Carr of 7M Pictures said, "''Cow Belles'' follows the
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
formula perfectly. It stars two hot, young singing sensations, who have a contract with the Disney recording branch. If you frequent the Disney Channel often on the dial, you'll recognize Alyson Michalka as Keely from ''
Phil of the Future
''Phil of the Future'' is an American science fiction sitcom that originally aired on Disney Channel from June 18, 2004, to August 19, 2006, for two seasons. The series was created by Douglas Tuber and Tim Maile and produced by 2121 Productions ...
''. These girls are next in line to take over where
Hilary Duff
Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress and singer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including seven Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, four Teen Choice Awards and two Young Artist Awards. She began her act ...
and
Lindsay Lohan
Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress and singer. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at the age of three. Having appeared as a regular on the television soap opera '' An ...
left the stage. Overall, Aly and AJ are decent actors and carry the film as best they can. Aly has a stronger, more mature part, and it shows that she at least has a little more camera time on her sister. However, the casting of the sisters works well as they have good chemistry. Ultimately, these two make a better pair than
Haylie and Hilary Duff ever did." Commonsense Media said, "Parents need to know that this film might at first seem to tell kids that the sisters' frivolous lifestyle is desirable and that their carefree, irresponsible behavior is something to aspire to. But things turn around when the girls finally realize the value of hard-earned money, learn about responsibility, and gain respect for people who must work for a living. While adults may not find this quick turnaround believable, the movie's overall intention is good." Ultimate Disney reviewed the DVD saying "''Cow Belles'' has its fair share of flaws but redeems itself with a solid story and a surprise or two by the end. Like the milk in the movie, the bonus features are skim, and the audio/video presentation could use some improvement. The price tag for this one is a little higher than your average
DCOM too, so a purchase may not be quite warranted. Still, those who have taken a liking to Disney Channel features in the past should give this one a try, so a rental is recommended.".
Sequel
On May 10, 2019, Aly & AJ revealed that they're working on a sequel for ''Cow Belles''.
Aly and AJ Michalka Reveal They're Developing 'Cow Belles' Sequel (Exclusive)
/ref>
References
External links
*
{{Francine McDougall
Disney Channel Original Movie films
2006 television films
2006 films
2006 romantic comedy films
2000s teen comedy films
American teen comedy films
Aly & AJ
2000s English-language films
Films about sisters
Films set in Massachusetts
Films shot in Toronto
Dairy industry
Films directed by Francine McDougall
2000s American films