Film / Television
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Counterpoint: Wonder Girls and TeenNick Could be “Daebak!”

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Written by On February 6, 2012

Last week we finally got a chance to see the “The Wonder Girls” movie, a TeenNick special that Wonderfuls and K-pop fans have been anticipating for months now.

While my colleague Alyssa was decidedly unimpressed with the latest American foray from JYP’s popular girl group, I see things a little bit differently.

This show was used to introduce the Wonder Girls to their targeted audience, the teen and tween demographic, and given that caveat, I tried to take myself on a mental time machine before I watched the movie.

The girls stepped off the plane and almost immediately into rivalry and romance. Even though the story was definitely predictable, and frequently cheesy, I think I’d be hard-pressed to find programs in this demographic that aren’t. How many thirteen-year-old American girls do you know that favor deep, intelligent plots over cute clothes and boys? It moved at a fast pace to fit everything in to the allotted 45 minutes, which resulted in some elements feeling rushed, namely Yenny’s instant love interest, DJ Skillz. For me, that part could have been left out, but then it cuts out the important “cute boys” factor. Yenny, Lim, and JYP stole the show in terms of acting, with the latter two providing much of the comic relief that made the movie enjoyable in the first place. How can you not laugh at JYP in one-piece pajamas? Yubin’s delivery was uncomfortable at times, while Sunye and Sohee’s lines were practically non-existent. Overall, the movie was a cute and fun introduction to the Wonder Girls brand.

The question does still remain as to whether this was the right career move for the Wonder Girls, and since breaking into the American market is obviously the group’s goal, I have to say that is it. The teen and tween market is bound to be the most receptive to the pop group style and Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel are the logical avenues to pursue this audience. Both have had proven success with launching musical acts and selling albums based off of their original programming. Will it accomplish their goals? Maybe. If this movie was just a one-off, it is less likely to have an impact. However, if it is used as a stepping stone for future network collaborations (a Wonder Girls & School Gyrls Tour themed show perhaps?) then it is following a proven formula that has worked in the past (Big Time Rush) and could work for the Wonder Girls, too. Since the original airing, Wonder Girls videos have consistently been featured in the top five “Now Being Watched” videos on TeenNick’s website, and even if some of these views are coming from current fans, it can still help to pique the interest of others. For now, we’ll just have to wait and see if this venture “spreads the Wonder” to a new set of fans.

(TeenNick, Nick Cannon Official Website)

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  • M Ng

    Nickelodeon is like the cheaper brand of disney (let’s face it, same demographic market, one is clearly way more popular than the other one), however, I still don’t think it’s the right demographic for the wonder girls, their type of music although are just bubble pop, it’s more for the 18+ kids Vs the 12+ kids (and so is 99% of kpop). I don’t think it’ll work out for the WG, SNSD generated more buzz going on 2 shows just to sing their song (didn’t get interview or anything)… but more importantly they’re throwing themselves to the right audience.

    • Kliks

       o.O!… lol?

    • pmtz

      yes nick is less popular than disney, most people already know that but it still has an audience and regular viewers.  I do agree with you that WG’s target audience does not suit their type of music considering wonder world and honestly im a bit afraid that they will regress in terms of musical growth and return to bubble cringe worthy pop. But at least they have a target demographic and i think getting known in a specific demographic is much easier. 
      But one pitfall of the tween market is that they are rarely considered as true musicians and most of them end up being stuck in that market until they are too old and or new/fresh blood comes(ie jonas bros and justin beiber) 
      well just good luck to WG 

    • http://twitter.com/simpledm xelo truo

      NVM, deleted

    • http://twitter.com/arigatomida jesse

      Just gotta ask, you think the Letterman demographic is a better target audience? You do know how much hate SNSD got from the regular viewers of the show?

  • http://twitter.com/zweiosterei zweiosterei

    Wonder hug!!

  • Eva

    I have to say that I disagree with the OP and really liked Yubin’s performance. Sure her lines were delivered with a heavier accent than some of the others, but her aura was confident and she stood out when the camera was on her.

    Overall, I enjoyed the film.  Cheesy, yes, corny, yes, that was all expected.  However, the heart was there.  Yenny is beautiful, JYP was funny, and the School Gyrls’ acting showed that even being born and raised in the US, their English skills do not mean good acting skills, haha!

  • http://twitter.com/JohnDeSims JDSono

    Mitchie made Daebak cool

  • http://twitter.com/JohnDeSims JDSono

    I keep having the image of Sohee coloring with jumbo crayons in a coloring book in the beginning of the movie

  • Good_luck

    Look, I don’t really see the problem that people have with this made for t.v. movie . It was made for tween audiences on a tween/teen channel, was it supposed to be corny,yes, chessy, yes,predictable, yes. Just like all of the other t.v. moives for tweens/teens(High School Muscial, if that wasn’t predictable..) I thought it was funny and did what it was supposed to do. Everyone knows that the tween/teen market is the most loyal fan base out there, so if they can grab that then they have some type of success.

     I feel that watching WG in the US market they are in it for the long haul(they have proven that), that if something doesn’t go right they are not going to just pull out. They are trying to BUILD a foundation to stand on(not just go out guns blazing, paying everyone and anyone to get on t.v.).

    Wasn’t the biggest WG fan but I will support them in this!!

  • kc

    I couldn’t actually finish this… but mostly because my internet kicked out for a while and I lost interest in trying to find it again when it did come back up. I do actually plan to watch it though (mostly because I’ll have way to much free time later) so I guess it wasn’t to bad.

    one thing I absolutely hated though was their need to put “wonder girls” infront of words like hug… that just kinda makes them look… eh… why do it, why? but then I remember “ah, this is a movie made for people who are around ten years younger then me, it’s a good thing that it makes me cringe”

    I’m not really a fan of WG, I’ve never really got them but it’s fun seeing how persistent they (JYP) are about pursuing America, it makes them appealing in my eyes^^

  • whatthefrell

    “The girls stepped off the plane and almost immediately into rivalry and romance. Even though the story was definitely predictable, and frequently cheesy, I think I’d be hard-pressed to find programs in this demographic that aren’t.”
    It was what it was, it was aiming for a specific demographic, and I personally think it hit the nail on the head.  It was light, fun, multi-cultural*, teen fare, age appropriate, fast-paced and really well-done.  I thought it a nice, fresh, introduction to a target audience here in the states.  
    Overall, I thought it a well-placed, positive, introduction to their American audience.  
    Even JYP’s performance was much less annoying than usual.
    It was fun, and it made you want to see more of them.

    Good job Wonder Girls!  

    *The multi-cultural aspect of it I really enjoyed.  It came off as really natural, un-affected, 
    and positive; at first concerned with the stereotypical comments certain individuals made throughout, I appreciated the manner in which they were addressed; entertaining, 
    eye-opening, and educational.  It was unlike anything we are likely to see in Korean programming anytime in the near future, so I had much appreciation for the manner in which their experience was approached here.

    Again… good job! 

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/WWZG7BQSH2OQPQMJXMBYTQRPQU Ghdksd

    Why is it that the authors here on SB cant be bothered to find out any ACTUAL FACTS when writing their articles?  I mean how hard is it, if I can find it myself within 10 seconds on google.

    I would assume when talking about the WGs movie, you would want to know how many people saw it … right?  That seems very logical to me but it apparently isnt to the writer of this article (or any writer on SB who constantly put out articles with incorrect information) other than saying it “consistently been featured in the top five ‘Now Being Watched’ videos on TeenNick’s website” … LOL.

    ARE YOU SERIOUS ????????????????

    The showing of “Wonder Girls At The Apollo” on TeenNick on Thursday 2/2 at 8:00PM got a TV viewership total of 259k viewers … this isnt a TYPO … 259,000 viewers

    Source : TVbytheNumbers

    Dont believe trust me, just ‘google’ it.  For comparison sakes, the School Gyrls TV movie in 2010 got over 3 million viewers.  A direct comparison isnt fair because the School Gyrls movie was shown on Nickelodeon rather than TeenNick, but it goes to show the tremendous viewership differential between these two TV movies starring WG and School Gyrls 

    An addendum to my post : Others have accused me of ‘hating’ the WG.  No, I dont them, I am neutral to them.  My digust is reserved for the poorly researched articles with incorrect facts that the biased writers here on SB constantly spew out …  

    • http://twitter.com/Laava90 Lava

      nobody’s depending on SB to give facts, they give opinions and prompt discussion…

    • Anonymous

      Yes, 279k viewers to correct but you should also look at the fact that those are the average viewership’s that Teen Nick gets. Average is better than below average in my books.

      Also, if you took your ’10 seconds’ to search on Google for correct facts that I guess you already know how many times the movie is supposed to be re-aired and that there was also a chance for other stations to air the movie if it gets picked up. Which is still a possibility.

      Yes, the School Gyrl’s movie was shown on Nickelodeon and I understand your point but have you ever considered the fact that it MAY be picked up by Nickelodeon? It’s not impossible because Nickelodeon even posted the English version of Be My Baby’s music video on their site so we can’t just leave that part out.

      And again, I don’t think the writer emphasized on the fact how many viewers the movie had rather she wanted to make a point that she believed they were aiming for the right AUDIENCE. She didn’t say how many, or whatever but she emphasized on AUDIENCE which is the teen and tween demographic.

      The writer also made a point about it being “a stepping stone for future network collaborations” which was what the movie was intended for. JYP even hoped for the movie to be picked up by other stations, aired in other countries and other collaborations in the future. Filming the movie and having it aired on Teen Nick is just the first step to their American break through after all.

      I’m not saying that they’ll be picked up by other stations or have future acts through the movie and also not claiming the fact that their American debut would be a success but it’s also not impossible and anything can happen.

      Here’s an addendum to my post as well: If you don’t like articles by SB writers then why read it? Why waste your time coming on a site you dislike and hate because of it’s ‘incorrect’ facts and ‘poorly’ researched articles? If you don’t like it, stop reading it, stop coming here. It’s not rocket science.

      • http://twitter.com/arigatomida jesse

        The guy is such an ass. He’s been hate campaigning against the WG all over the net, and then he tells us he’s not an antifan.

        • Anonymous

          That person needs help.

          • mimo

            You aren’t kidding me. I don’t know how many times I have written “delusional” in response. It is alright if they are trying to provide a solid argument, but it is a whole lot of bashing and “I am correct and you are not.” And if they want to talk facts, they don’t even add sources. A reputable source would make things a little more credible.

    • Guest

      Aren’t you tired of writing the same things over and over again. No one is forcing you to read anything on this site. I think you need to go outside and start making friends outside of the internet world. I pray that the poison in your heart leaves you.

      Wonder Girls Fighting!!

    • http://twitter.com/arigatomida jesse

      You don’t hate them? You’re doing a hate campaign right now though. You’re an antifan so move on with your life.

      Also, those are the usual numbers for Teen Nick. Have you research the usual numbers for Letterman? Have you compared them to the ep SNSD guested? From my understanding, it was lower.

    • scarletdevil

      FACTS PEOPLE
      FAAAAAAAAAAAAAACTS

      • Anonymous

         WE CAN’T FORGET THE FAAAAACTS!!

    • Anonymous

      this person sounds like that candyforea or something who was in the 6theory before. MY FACT! MY FACTS!

      First of all the article never said the Show was a big hit, she mentions that its a start for Wonder Girls, if used properly as a stepping stone it can work to their advantage. 

      Its a counterpoint article, meaning she is looking at it from a different angle then the other article.

    • Anonymous

      You’re not convincing anybody with your “facts”. Post some insightful comments, or just shut up.

    • Guest

      Troll much? I think WG followers and SB readers are tired of you regurgitating the same piece of information on every WG article. If you’re so intent on making the girls seem like failures, then you obvioualy need take a chill pill dude, it’s only Kpop…

  • Aurora2687

    But how long are they going to cater to the demographic their aiming for? The Cheetah Girls craze didn’t last long & the girls struggled to be taken seriously as a group during and after the movies were done. What will this do for the Wonder Girls in the long run?

    • whatthefrell

      Good question…
      My question is, why it was only aired once, 
      and I could find no listings in the immediate future either.
      I would think this would be the kind of thing 
      that would repeated, like so much other programming these days.
      I wanted my niece to see it, but she was at dance practice; 
      and what…, no other opportunities to see it again over 
      a weekend period, on any of the 3 Nickelodeon channels…  really?
      Hopefully it will be repeated at least once this month of February.
      I have no doubt its viewership would only increase. 

      • Aurora2687

        Personally I would have preferred something like a 12 episode mini series to test the waters, interspersed with some live performances. It’s been quiet after the movie and I hope JYP has something planned after this. It makes me worried that we can’t deduce what JYP’s plan for the Wonder Girls is in the long run for their US venture. I’m starting to suspect he’s just employing trial and error – trying different things to see which will catch on…

    • MqN

      This is a great question and I wonder what the answer will be as played out in the future. 

      @629240c7d9106079ced77d38d43f399b:disqus The word is that they’re going to show it 6 times. Don’t know the accuracy of that one though. 

      • whatthefrell

        Thanks! I shall keep looking…  

  • GracefulCassieShapley

    Actually, this is one of the better nickelodeon movies I have watched. That is not to say that this wasn’t cringe worthy or cheesy, but its your standard nick movie. Cliched characters, predictable plot, overly scripted lines, and a wannabe romance scene. However, this appeals to tweens (10-13 year olds). The plus side of the movie is that it was light, funny, slightly goofy, and it presented the girls in an endearing way. Their English, despite the accents, is quite good (Sohee’s a little awkward.) I disagree with your comment on Yubin. Yeah sure her lines were a little too…..cute for her, but she executed them pretty well and with confidence. For me, Sohee’s English was the most awkward.  Plus, JYP +  one piece pjs = priceless moment XD. 
    That Mitchie guy was really funny, he definitely acted as a good comic relief. I think the reasons why Lim and Yenny were more so the stars of the movie was because their English is the best in the group. Sohee and Sunye have the worse English (that’s not to say their English is any bad) which is why they got less lines. Asian Invasion, that’s what my friends say when they go skating in a giant crowd -__-. The dance scenes were really short lived though, I would have liked to see some more dance/singing battles. Really the only moment that made me cringe was the romance scene between the DJ and Yenny…..that was cringe-y for a moment. 

    Regardless of the demographic that they have targeted, they have targeted a demographic. Its good to have an idea of where you want to go instead of running in with blind-folds and hoping for the best. The plus side with the tween-teen market is that they’re more easier to appeal to and they are more likely to immerse themselves in your products or bubblier music. However, the down side of the tween-teen market is that once you have established yourselves as “Disney” artists its so tough to break out of that image, and your hardly considered to be “True artists.” Once a Disney/Nick star, is always just that…..unless you do some drastic measures to break out of that image. But like that article said, maybe even being the next Cheetah girls isn’t so bad. 

  • http://twitter.com/arigatomida jesse

    JYP: This is big in America. Apple Pie and Major League Baseball.

  • Anonymous

    To me, our girls looked like 5 au pairs…. eh I guess, in a way, they are.

  • lady

    awww :) i want a wonder girls hug now~

  • Music=Love

    I may get a lot of negative responses, but I have never seen a Nick movie this bad. The acting was so bad I had the same pained expression through out the whole movie. It was as if I was Kristen Stewart. I Nickelodeon and I’m kind of offended when people say this was like every Nick movie. I agree with the boring plot and cheesy jokes part, but I still can’t remember a movie this bad. I am not an anti I love the wonder girls and their music. I was spazzing out of joy when I found out they were debuting in America, but I hated this……a lot(except for J.Y.P in his pajamas, that was hilarious).

  • Mgflutie87

    Haha! Those clowns’ll never do well here! Were people actually delusional to think this was some sort of shot to fame?

  • Guest 007

    The Wonder Girls movie was the first time I ever tuned in to watch TeenNick. And to be quite honest…

    LOL. T’was awful. Nickelodeon tv shows are cheesy and reek of sugarcoated teen angst, and even in comparison the movie was terrible. I wish I could post a Jackie Chan WTF meme here, but you get the picture.

    The good news is that I’ll be tuning in to Teen Nick more often these days since I found out that they air reruns of Kenan & Kel, Doug, Full House, and Rugrats. It’s like I’m a child again~

  • Black_Plague

    I horribly miss the good old days of Nickelodeon. All this teen/tween shit more or less makes me want to vomit. And I thought Disney was worse -_-;;