Just before she starts high school, Melinda Sordino (Kristen Stewart) suddenly stops talking … to everyone. Her busy parents, Joyce and Jack (Elizabeth Perkins and D.B. Sweeney), do not understand Melinda's silence nor does Joyce comprehend why her once stylish daughter is now dressing in dark, baggy gear. Repeatedly called “squealer” at school, Melinda‘s former friends are ignoring her and mashed potatoes are cruelly hurled at her in the cafeteria. It seems that most of the freshman class is livid because Melinda phoned the police over the summer, which caused a happening party to come to an abrupt, screeching halt. No one knows the exact reason why Melinda felt the need to involve the police and given her current uncommunicative state, no one will know anytime soon.
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New neighbor and potential friend Heather (Allison Siko), a constant chatterbox who does enough talking for the both of them, soon tells Melinda that their so-called friendship cannot continue given Melinda's bleak social status. As Melinda continually butts head with hard-boiled history teacher Mr. Neck (Robert John Burke), she begins to find a possible supporter in intelligent and sympathetic classmate David Petrakis (Michael Angarano). However, when Melinda arrives for her art class and meets gregarious bohemian Mr. Freeman (Steve Zahn), she knows she has found her ultimate ally. Through her impressive artwork, Melinda begins to express herself, going as far as staking out a hidden room in the school to work on her masterpieces.
The entire school year is a struggle for the usually mute Melinda, but her growing relationship with both David and Mr. Freeman causes her to release her bottled-up feelings as the months pass. When Melinda alarmingly learns that her ex-best friend Rachel Bruin (Hallee Hirsch) is dating handsome upper classmen Andy Evans (Eric Lively), Melinda must intervene and tell Rachel the sad reality about her new boyfriend.
The review of this Movie prepared by Tara Dugan
