NIGHTY NIGHT

REVIEWED - SLEEPOVER: It wouldn't surprise me if Sleepover, the 14th high-school comedy released in the last half-hour, was part of a plot by America's tweenies to convince the older generation that youngsters are still more interested in dancing around to the Spice Girls than ridiculing the overweight while abusing shoplifted solvents.

What would a group of 14-year-olds get up to if, decked out in sexy evening wear, they were released on the city late at night? Nothing too awful, it would appear. They might go to a nightclub, but fear rather than excitement would be their main emotion and, though they might toy with a Sex on the Beach, they would probably end up settling for a Shirley Temple. If the young devils can convince us that this is an accurate representation of what they want from an evening, they will be well on their way to securing undeserved liberty to "partay".

Now, to be fair, Sleepover is not the absolute worst of its high school genre. Alexa Vega, the juvenile lead from all three Spy Kids pictures, is perfectly charming as the youngster hosting a sleepover for her three nicer-than-nice friends. And Jeff Garlin from Curb Your Enthusiasm bumbles well as a typical father who should never have been left in charge.

But, in the same way that Just 17 magazine is only enjoyed by girls under that age, the gutless, weedy Sleepover will probably play better with sub-teens than Ms Vega's more cynical contemporaries.