Lola ("Freaky Friday's" Lindsay Lohan) is a 16-year-old aspiring actress with Anne of Green Gables' loquacious joie de vivre and Cher Horowitz's wardrobe. Her family's move from glamorous New York to the markedly less cosmopolitan New Jersey incites the sort of exaggerated end-of-the-world despair only a teenager can pull off with any real conviction. Nevertheless, she strives to makes the best of things at her new school, and is thrilled to find a kindred spirit in Ella (Alison Pill), who's a fellow devotee of the broody rock band Sidarthur. Actually, that's the only thing they have in common; Ella is so square she's practically cubic, while the beautiful and vivacious Lola has a free pass to click with the cool clique--if she'll shun her new pal and all others on a sub-par social stratum. Admirably, she opts instead to locks horns with Carla (Megan Fox), the most popular girl in school. What makes this less impacting is that Ella does too much whinging to inspire loyalty, while Lola and Carla seem to share more values than not.

Lola's dramas and daydreams are frequently illustrated by whimsical fantasy sequences that come close to taking this tween comedy to the next level but don't quite feel organic, resulting in a sense of contrivance instead of magical imagination. Also, the lessons learned here don't go far beyond being nice, believing in yourself and telling your parents the truth, which by no means could pass as "Confessions." Would that this film were as pulled together as Lola's fabulous outfits. Starring Lindsay Lohan, Alison Pill and Adam Garcia. Directed by Sara Sugarman. Written by Gail Parent. Produced by Robert Shapiro and Jerry Leider. A Buena Vista release. Comedy. Rated PG for mild thematic elements and brief language. Running time: 89 min