Beautiful Disaster (2023) – Review/ Summary (with Spoilers)

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While “Beautiful Disaster” may appear like another strange, bad boy with potential story, it is far better than the movies you’d want to quickly compare it to.

Director(s)	Roger Kumble
Screenplay By	Roger Kumble, Jamie McGuire
Based On	The Novel By Jamie McGuire
Date Released (In Theaters)	April 12, 2023
Genre(s)	Action, Comedy, Crime, Drama, Romance, Young Adult
Duration	1 Hour 45 Minutes
Content Rating	Rated R
Noted Cast
Abby	Virginia Gardner
America	Libe Barer
Shepley	Austin North
Parker	Neil Bishop
Travis	Dylan Sprouse
Mick	Brian Austin Green

This content contains pertinent spoilers.

Film Summary

With how life was back in Vegas, Abby wants something far more simpler during her college years in Sacramento. She wants to hang out with her best friend, America, eventually move beyond being a third wheel on America and Shepley’s dates, and get with a guy like Parker. Someone normal, tame, and stable.

But then there are guys like Travis. People who remind Abby of her dad in some ways, mostly in bad ways, alongside others who she has had crushes on before. Yet, despite Travis having some red flags, he seems like he might be an evolved form of what Abby is used to, but to find out if he is, she has to give him a chance.

Things To Note

Why Is “Beautiful Disaster” Rated R

• Dialog: Cursing throughout
• Violence: Multiple fight scenes with Travis
• Sexual Content: Simulated sex scenes, Dylan Sprouse’s bare behind, and implied nudity for Abby
• Miscellaneous: Drinking, gambling, and smoking

Character Descriptions

Please Note: This character guide is not an exhaustive list of every cast member, and character descriptions may contain what can be considered spoilers.

Abby

A card prodigy, Abby has spent a good amount of her youth playing card games out in Vegas to support her father. But now, she is trying to have a normal and ideal college experience in Sacramento.

• You May Also Know The Actor From Being: Abby in “Beautiful Wedding,” Shiloh Hunter in “Fall,” and Karolina Dean in “Runaways.”

America

America is Abby’s best friend.

• You May Also Know The Actor From Being: Casey Calderon in “Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur,” Carly Bowman in “Sneaky Pete,” and America Mason in “Beautiful Wedding”

Shepley

Shepley is Travis’ best friend and is also involved in his fighting career.

• You May Also Know The Actor From Being: Shepley in “Beautiful Wedding” and Topper Thornton in “Outer Banks.”

Parker

Parker is Abby’s dream guy, or at least the one who she thinks is proper and the right guy for the kind of life she wants to live.

• You May Also Know The Actor From Being: Parker Hayes in “Beautiful Wedding”

Travis

Travis is the youngest of five boys raised by a single father, who, thanks to having to fight his brothers all his life, has become an accomplished fighter. But his life doesn’t strictly revolve around combat. He goes to school and dates, and while he has gained the perception of being a bad boy, maybe even a womanizer, by some, he proves he knows how to be a gentleman.

• You May Also Know The Actor From Being: Travis Maddox in “Beautiful Wedding,” Lucas Ward in “Dismissed,” and Zack Martin in various Disney Programs

Mick

Mick is a piece of work. He is a gambling addict who taught his daughter how to play cards and relied heavily on her financing their lives, as he was never able to be as good as she was and because she made money quicker than he could spend it.

• You May Also Know The Actor From Being: Jeff in “The Conners,” Sean in “Anger Management,” and Keisth Watson in “Desperate Housewives.”

Review

Our Rating: Positive (Worth Seeing)

Highlights

Dylan Sprouse’s Charm

While the age of the heartthrob isn’t what it used to be, I would submit Dylan Sprouse fits the bill. Whether a jerk, a certified lover boy, or anything on the spectrum between an ass to perfect, Sprouse knows how to play that when it comes to Travis and Abby’s relationship, and even at his worst, he can bounce back like its nothing and have you in the palm of his hand.

Also, the man is funny and makes a good lead since, whether it is Abby, her friends, or potential advisories, he knows how to both command a room and not suffocate everyone in it. Thus allowing you to see him and the other actors play in such a way that helps the time go by so fast.

The Chemistry Between Sprouse and Gardner

While Sprouse’s charm and abilities as a romantic lead are undeniable, you can’t discount having a good scene partner, and he gets that in Virginia Gardner. Now, as noted in the “On The Fence” section, some of Abby’s dialog is cringey as she uses toxic feminist language to make blanket statements about men, especially those who look like Travis. But, it is in the opportunity to show Abby she is wrong, without trying to push the idea that she didn’t have valid points, which allows them to work.

You can see a lot of what she says is about protecting her heart, especially considering her father, Mick, is trash and forced her to take care of him, notably financially. So when it comes to Travis coming off like a bad boy whose confidence teeters towards arrogance and who may have consensual sex but appears to be a whore? There is enough there to understand why she sees Travis as the epitome of someone who would be anti-feminist or only feminist regarding things that he can exploit.

Yet, as he proves himself to be far more complicated than she took him for, you come to like these two, love these two, and be glad that, like “After,” it seems they are pressing on with a full franchise, even without knowing if this is a hit.

The Fight Scenes

There aren’t many fight scenes with Travis, either in or out of the ring, but thankfully, Roger Kumble and the members of the sound department execute well-craft fight scenes. From the sounds of hits, how movement is handled to show both Travis’ talent and the power behind his fists and kicks, it seems Sprouse was a top-tier choice in nearly every aspect.

On The Fence

Abby & The Talking Points Of A Toxic Feminist

The beginning of the movie, when Abby is trying to push Travis away, and could potentially irk some viewers, can be difficult. As she paints with a broad stroke how terrible Travis and men like him are and uses every opportunity to make him seem like an entitled misogynist, you can’t help but roll your eyes – at minimum.

But, as noted in the highlights, Travis eventually forces Abby to see him as a human being. One who is flawed and certainly does and says things that fit into this point of view of hers that seems more based on trauma and the avoidance of it than anything else. But, getting to that point where Abby herself gets to evolve beyond the perceptions you’d have for her could be difficult for some if you can’t handle “Woke” language.

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