Suburban ‘tweens twist and shout -- or shriek

There is a shriek indigenous only to ‘tween girls, and if there were any justice, it would be heard only by others who consider body glitter essential.

The shriek happens when that really cute guy asks one of them to hang out at the mall, or when one of them gets a terrific pair of shoes. The shriek knows no ethnic or socioeconomic boundaries.

Parents of adorable toddlers should know that it lurks deep within these tykes, requiring only the first signs of puberty to issue forth and begin to shatter adults’ nerves and reduce their ability to complete a thought.

This perfectly pitched shriek -- if such a thing is possible -- is front and center in the Disney Channel’s original movie “Stuck in the Suburbs,” premiering Friday. The shriek begins with the opening scene, in which a mother drives a passel of girls from soccer practice to their homes in a generic suburb.

The main character, Brittany (Danielle Panabaker, “Malcolm in the Middle”), is a sweet, typical ‘tween. She and her friends are totally in love with teen idol Jordan Cahill (Taran Killam).

Their lives, which they consider boring, are about to become far more exciting because Jordan is shooting his next music video in their nameless, faceless town. (Shriek!)

Although actors usually downplay any similarities between their real lives and the characters they portray, Panabaker considers herself very much like Brittany.

“She says things I actually said to my mom and friends,” Panabaker says.

Brittany has a few clumsy moments in the film. “The falls come naturally with me because I am such a klutz,” Panabaker says. “My mom nicknamed me Grace. For five years, I would trip over the air. It takes absolutely nothing for me to fall on my face.”

When Brittany is upright, she often catches her pesky younger brother spying on her. Her older sister and parents humor her, and Brittany has a nice life. She has a group of interchangeable friends she always hangs with -- until a new ‘tween enters her life.

Natasha (Brenda Song, “Phil of the Future”) is exotic. She says she has lived all over, her clothes are cool, and she has her own style and attitude.

“I loved Natasha,” Song says, “because she was very much like me, in a way. She is very, very energetic, the fashionista, the crazier side of me.”

But it turns out that Natasha is a liar, concocting a far more involved life than the one she lives. Deep down, though, she really wants best friends like the ones Brittany has. And Brittany, of course, wants to seem worldly, like Natasha.

Though Brittany genuinely wants to see Jordan, Natasha only wants to do so to make fun of the other girls. But once there, Natasha is under Jordan’s spell. (Shriek!)

Soon his performance is over and as he is being hustled to his waiting car, Brittany and Jordan’s flunky, Eddie (Ryan Belleville), collide, and the contents of their bags spill. She winds up with Jordan’s personal digital assistant, and he gets her pink cellphone.

The easy thing would be to return his PDA, but that wouldn’t make much of a movie.

“It is based loosely on [the 1964 Peter Sellers movie] ‘The World of Henry Orient,’ ” says executive producer Richard Fischoff. “Two girls stalking a celebrity in the age of Blackberry and Palm Pilots and computers, it is so easy to invade someone’s life. There do not seem to be any barriers for privacy anymore.”

True enough, as Brittany soon realizes the treasure she has in this small electronic device. Being a good girl, Brittany has nothing nefarious in mind, but when she comes upon Jordan’s original lyrics, she discovers he has far more to offer than his managers allow. Jordan must repeat the same types of songs and movements because they sell.

Even though Jordan is the object of everyone’s desire, he too wants to be someone else -- himself. Eventually all loose ends are tied up happily -- after all, this is the Disney Channel. And as it goes with these movies directed at ‘tweens, there is a lesson worth learning.

“The movie taught me that you have to be happy with who you are and not change yourself to what other people see you as,” Panabaker says. “You have to live with yourself the rest of your life. No one else can dictate your self-worth.”

Song, who became best friends with Panabaker during the filming in New Orleans, says the movie’s message is: “Be who you are. And if someone doesn’t like you for that reason, forget them. Accept who you are.”

“What I wanted the movie to say is what makes you valuable in this world is your uniqueness and what is idiosyncratic about you,” Fischoff says. “The pressure to become some standardized norm is enormous. We should resist it and encourage other people to resist it. It is OK to be who you are.”

Jacqueline Cutler writes for Tribune Media Services.

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‘Stuck in

the Suburbs’

When: 8 to 9:40 p.m. Friday

Where: Disney Channel

Rating: TV-G (suitable for all ages)