Passport to Paris

A common theme for Mary Kate and Ashley movies was travel. In almost every movie their characters would have to travel to a different country for some particular reason. In the movie Passport to Paris, Mary Kate and Ashley's parents feel like they are removed from reality. They are too concerned with boys, the mall, and gossiping. So instead of allowing the girls to go to their school spring formal, the parents send them to Paris to stay with their grandfather who is the Ambassador to France and lives in a big fancy house. I wish my parents sent me to Paris whenever I needed to learn a life lesson!

In Paris, the girls have a chaperone named Jeremy. He works for their grandfather and is an uptight square. Mary Kate and Ashley make it a point to ditch Jeremy and have their own adventures as 13 year old girls in Paris. This is highly unrealistic but was extremely appealing to young girls watching this film back in the early 2000s. They meet cute French boys who show them Paris on the back of their mopeds while stopping for street food and to admire Parisian artwork. They also meet Brigitte, a supermodel who becomes their friend, takes them shopping, and becomes a love interest for Jeremy, thus getting him to lighten up and loosen the reigns.

But this movie is not all about running around Paris and having fun. The girls don't have a strong relationship with their grandpa. He is very strict and doesn't really allow them to be kids. The girls also come to realize that he does not treat Jeremy very well and this is why Jeremy is so uptight and grumpy. In the end, the girls are able to get through to their grandpa after they argue on behalf of Jeremy, and advocate for better water treatment in Paris at one of his important dinners with important people at the embassy. The movie is predictable, but is also the fun, cheesy, adventure fans expect with Mary Kate and Ashley. Full of fashion, cute boys, youthful girly-ness, a pop soundtrack, and Mary Kate and Ashley just generally being cooler than anyone their age would normally be!

It's pretty difficult to find Mary Kate and Ashley movies nowadays in the store but if you'd like to rent or purchase Passport to Paris click here to check it out on Amazon!