It si sad to even consider this but we live in a society overly concerned with looks. To make matters worse it is not even a realistic view of beauty but some idealized set of standards arbitrarily projected by television, film and the worse offenders, fashion magazines. In a world were the majority of people struggle to find the barest amount of nutrition an increasing number of teenaged girls are diagnosis with anorexia and bulimia; they have plenty of food available but refuse to consume it. To any third world country this would impossible to even imagine. The old saying ‘you can never be too rich or too thin’ has been taken to an extreme in our culture much to the harm of our children. With this in mind it is refreshing to see a movie that shows a young woman who would be considered a plus size unashamed of her body. Women, by design have curves and we should be thankful of that fact. ‘Queen Size’ is a film originally presented on the Lifetime Network. They hail themselves as the network for women and in this case there is a public service message contained in the plot. Typical of Lifetime original movies it has a message but it is also very entertaining; not just for the ladies, men are allowed to watch as well. It is also true that being overweight is a problem here in the United States. A person should want to have a healthy body not because of the mandates of fashion or society but because it is healthy. The young woman shown in this movie is not obese but she is full figured. The film stresses that a proper body image is the most important thing and it should be applauded for that notion.

This made for cable film had a team of three writers. For Nora Kletter and Rodney Johnson this was their first screenplay credited. The third member of the team, Richard Kletter has over twenty years of experience behind him. He has done mostly television episodes and made for TV movies writing in genres that range from light comedy to science fiction and thrillers. Most importantly here is tow of his recent scripts were for the Lifetime Network. Both dealt with teenaged girls trying to resist peer pressure; ‘She’s Too Young’ and ‘Odd Girl Out’. I admit I have seen both and they contained compelling stories. Just based on the resumes it would seem that Kletter had a lot of creative input here but the other viewpoints afforded by Johnson and the other Kletter involved certainly made this film better than the usual made for TV faire. They took the perfect approach making this a comedy and drama. This kept the film from being to heavy handed, no pun intended, something that would have turned off the primary audience of teen girls. It makes its points without being preachy about it. Sure, sometimes it may come off like this but you have to consider the impact of the film as a whole. The public service sounding dialogue is reinforced with a great mixture of drama and comedic moments that make the story touching and real. It shows a over weight teen, Maggie, expertly played by Nikki Blonsky, as she responds to a cruel joke by magazine thin popular girls. They nominate her for homecoming queen to ridicule Maggie in front of the entire school. At the urging of her friends she decides to take the joke in stride and go for it. There are many moments of self doubt which made the film. All too often in a film like this the victim of the prank is either set on revenge or over confident. Here we see a young woman struggling with her own inner demons to do something ultimately for herself.

Directing the movie was Peter Levin. He is the kind of director that has been working constantly for over forty years. You most likely have seen his name on TV movies and episodes along the way but may not recognize his name. Most people know the high profile directors but few know men like this who have dedicated their lives to providing the best possible films they could. He has worked on such acclaimed and popular series as ‘Joan of Arcadia’, ‘Judging Amy’ and ‘Law & Order’. He also did one of the best of the Lifetime original movies, ‘Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story’. This is a name that knows his craft and plies it well. He paces the movie as if it were a theatrical release. There are the usual three acts we have all come to expect. In the first act we have the setup, the premise is laid out and the initial reaction forwarded. In the second act Maggie has to struggle to keep on her path. The voice of the mother, Annie Potts, seems to be constantly in her head. This may seem like a cheap trick but if you think about it a moment for a teen of this age self doubts would manifest as the parent voice.

The film begins with a little reveal. Maggie is shown sitting on a throne on the homecoming queen float. This is not the story of whether she would win but how she got there. Maggie doesn’t like euphemisms for her weight, she is not plus size, she is fat. It is her way of dealing with her body. Although she has friends she never was part of the popular cliques in thee school. The only reason the popular girls even knew her was to make her the butt of a joke or prank. Maggie’s weight did have an affect on her health. When she went to visit colleges with her mother Maggie was not able to keep up with the walking tour. On the walls of her room are pictures of thin girls cut out from magazines but under her bed are wrappers from candy bars and other snack foods. She knows the health risks, her father died of diabetes. The most popular group of girls in Maggie’s high school is Tara (Kimberly Matula), Liz (Liz McGeever) and Camille (Kelsey Schultz). They have ruled the school for the three years they have been there. They find a lot of pleasures that come with their social status but one of the favorite things to ridicule Maggie; they never tire of calling her names. Tara is certain that she is a lock for homecoming queen; after all she has been class princess three years in a row. Her and her two toadies think it would be a hoot to nominate Maggie. At first Maggie wants to decline but her friend Casey (Lilly Holleman) convinces her that accepting would strike a blow for all the social misfits.

Nikki Blonsky is great in this role, not just because she is a heavy girl but because she has the talent to pull off the drama and comedy. A couple of years ago she was working in a Cold Stone Creamery ice cream parlor when she one the coveted lead role in the film version of the Broadway musical ‘Hairspray’. This movie was rushed out to cash on her new found popularity but it obviously was already on the drawing board. This is the kind of film that you might want to think about watching with your kids. Even if they don’t have a weight problem the themes of peer pressure, acceptance and self image are worth while for all; adults and teens alike. If you have a prejudice about made for TV flicks get over it and give this one a chance; you will not be disappointed.