Plot
The unpopular Mandy Gilbert lives with her strict father Tom and has only two friends, Alexa and Cayenne. She is bullied and mocked by the popular girls at her high school, particularly Lisa Cross. Lisa happens to be the girlfriend of Mandy's crush, swim team captain Drew Patterson. Mandy is about to turn 18 and wants her life to change.
Mandy decides to try out for the swim team, but loses her glasses at the pool and falls in the water unconscious. When she awakens, she learns that Drew gave her CPR and they talk to each other. Lisa thinks Mandy is a threat and tries to humiliate her by taking Drew to the pet shop where Mandy works. Instead, Drew is impressed by her knowledge of animals and invites her to hang out with him the next day.
Mandy turns 18 and her father surprises her by replacing her glasses and phone with an expensive new video phone and contact lenses. Her father reveals his intentions to join her when she moves to attend UCSB next year, but Mandy is too afraid to voice her concerns about it. Later that day, Mandy flirts with Drew at the lake near school against her father's wishes. When Lisa discovers that Mandy is with Drew, she becomes outraged and uses Mandy's phone, which Mandy had dropped, to film them. Lisa sends the video to Tom, who confronts Mandy. Before going home, Drew invites Mandy to his party on Saturday and Mandy happily accepts. At home, Tom is disappointed in Mandy's actions and bars her from going out or using electronics.
The day of the party, Mandy creates a plan to pretend she is studying at Alexa’s house with Alexa’s mom as a chaperone. Meanwhile, as Tom checks on Mandy throughout the day, Mandy, Alexa and Cayenne find themselves the victims of a series of unfortunate events that nearly ruin their scheme; including Lisa destroying Mandy’s party dress and then later buying the same one Mandy buys as a replacement, Lisa poisoning Mandy with a macadamia nut shake to which Mandy is extremely allergic, getting a furniture salesman to impersonate Alexa’s stepfather, their car getting towed and having to win money to get it back in a band contest, nearly crashing the car, and Lisa getting them banned at the front gate. However, the trio prevails at every obstacle.
Mandy tells Alexa and Cayenne she wants to tell her father the truth about her whereabouts. When she does, Tom tells her he trusts her, and asks her if he has been a good father. Mandy tells him he is a great father, and decides not to tell him she is actually at a party. Mandy attends the party with Drew. Alexa and Cayenne decide to tell Mandy of the Patterson rumor: every year at the Patterson Bash, a Patterson boy takes a girl up to the tower and takes her virginity in the shower. Mandy is hurt and confused, but Cayenne convinces her to be strong and go to the party. Drew is ecstatic to see her and asks to see her in the tower. To her surprise, the "tower" actually turns out to be Drew's photography studio, which is filled with pictures of his family, friends, pets, and one of Mandy that he took at the lake. Seeing this, Mandy is relieved and realizes he just wants to spend time with her.
Drew goes to the bathroom to wash his hands, but does not tell Mandy what he is doing. Mandy thinks he is taking a shower and leaves after she becomes uncomfortable. Meanwhile, Lisa has been drinking heavily all night and Alexa films her vomiting from under a glass table. The clip is shown playing on video screens as the girls exit the party.
Back at home, Tom shows Mandy an updated detachable version of the model home he built for them. However, Mandy sees this as a metaphor for their relationship, and explains that she does not want to feel detachable. Tom says that he trusts her and feels he should let her go.
Afterwards, Mandy and her friends attend their senior prom. Drew, the prom king, is about to crown Lisa as prom queen, but realizes that he truly wants Mandy. Drew brings Mandy up to the center stage and crowns her as the prom queen, as they share a passionate kiss.
Production
The film was executive produced by Tisdale's company Blondie Girl Productions and directed by Stephen Herek. [1] Tisdale said, "When I read the script for Picture This!, I just fell in love with the lead character Mandy, this goofy, unpopular, girl next door who knows what she wants, but isn't willing to sacrifice who she is to get it... Mandy's real and I think a lot of kids will relate to that. It reminds me a lot of when I was in high school." [1]
The film was shot on location in Montreal, Quebec, during the summer months of 2007. Fender instruments, Juicy Couture, and Swiss Army all contributed props to the film. The freeway scene was actually shot in the borough of LaSalle. The mall scene was shot at Fairview Pointe-Claire. The school scenes were recorded at École secondaire du Chêne-Bleu in Pincourt.
