Zoey 102 is a 2023 American romantic comedy film directed by Nancy Hower from a screenplay written by the writing team of Monica Sherer and Madeline Whitby. It is a sequel film to the Nickelodeon series
Zoey 101 (2005–2008), and features many of its cast members reprising their roles, including Jamie Lynn Spears, Erin Sanders, Sean Flynn, Christopher Massey, Matthew Underwood, Abby Wilde, and Jack Salvatore Jr., with Owen Thiele, Thomas Lennon, Dean Geyer, and Katelynn Bennett joining the cast as new characters.
Nickelodeon announced a sequel film to
Zoey 101 in January 2023, 15 years after the series concluded its run on the network. Sherer and Whitby were hired to write the screenplay, and Hower was confirmed to be directing. Spears confirmed her return the same month, and also served as an executive producer of the film alongside Hower, Sherer, Whitby, and Alexis Fisher, while Nickelodeon live-action production heads Shauna Phelan and Zack Olin served as producers. Sanders, Flynn, Massey, Underwood, Wilde, and Salvatore Jr. were also confirmed to reprise their roles, while new cast members Thiele, Lennon, Geyer, and Bennett joined soon after.
Principal photography took place primarily in Wilmington, North Carolina. Roger Neill was hired to compose the film's incidental score.
Produced by Nickelodeon Movies and AwesomenessTV,
Zoey 102 was released on Paramount+ on July 27, 2023. It received mixed to positive reviews from critics and fans. The film was the third most watched on Paramount+ in the U.S. and the second most watched in Canada one day after its release.
Plot
Zoey Brooks is a 32-year-old producer for a reality TV show called "LOVE: Fully Charged." Her best friend, Quinn Pensky, asks her to be the maid of honor at her wedding to Logan Reese, which is on the same weekend as the season finale of
Zoey's show.
Zoey still has feelings for the best man, Chase Matthews. She hasn’t talked to him since leaving him on a Hawaiian vacation after high school. Chase is now dating someone else. To balance her commitments,
Zoey hires Todd Schupert, an actor who tried out for "LOVE: Fully Charged," to pretend to be her boyfriend.
At the pre-wedding party,
Zoey reunites with old friends. She sneaks away to help Jordan B., one of the finalists on her show, before returning to find Quinn hiding. Quinn admits she feels uncomfortable with the wedding's size and lavishness.
The group goes to a karaoke bar, where Todd and Chase have a heated argument. Chase insists he has moved on from
Zoey. The next day, Todd looks after Jordan while
Zoey attends the wedding rehearsal, but Jordan suffers a head injury and forgets his lines for the finale.
On the wedding day,
Zoey goes to pick up the rings, and Chase accidentally joins her. They are awkward at first, but after the jewelers pressure them into a kiss, they start to connect.
Zoey apologizes for leaving him in Hawaii and admits her feelings for him. They share a heartfelt kiss.
Zoey and Chase return to the wedding just in time for the ceremony and the season finale.
Zoey juggles her maid of honor duties while using her phone to help Jordan with his lines. During the welcome speech, Stacey receives a tip that Todd might be a serial killer. This confuses
Zoey, and she gives Jordan the wrong lines, ruining the finale.
Zoey confesses that Todd is an actor, not her boyfriend. She gets fired for being dishonest. Quinn is upset with
Zoey and Logan’s focus on the wedding as a spectacle, so she calls off the ceremony and leaves in tears.
On the beach, Chase tells
Zoey he broke up with his girlfriend two weeks earlier and that she just came to the wedding to avoid him being alone.
Zoey then takes everyone back to Pacific Coast Academy, their old school, which is now empty. They clean it up to create a simple wedding venue. Logan apologizes to Quinn and takes her to PCA.
After the ceremony,
Zoey's boss calls her to say that the finale was a big success. He offers her a promotion, which she accepts with some conditions. While dancing, she and Chase tell each other they love one another and share a kiss.
A mid-credits scene shows Todd putting a squirming bag into the trunk of his car. This suggests that Stacey and Mark are right to suspect that he is the killer.
Cast
Photographs of Victoria Justice and Austin Butler are used to represent their respective
Zoey 101 characters: Lola Martinez and James Garrett. Spears' daughters Maddie and Ivey made cameo appearances in the film.
Production
On January 12, 2023, it was announced that a revival film for
Zoey 101 was under production by Paramount+, with Nancy Hower as director and a script written by Monica Sherer and Madeline Whitby. Spears posted a photo on Instagram and revealed that she would reprise her role as
Zoey, along with most of the cast as well. In addition, it was announced that Spears would also serve as executive producer, along with Alexis Fisher, Hower, Sherer and Whitby, while Shauna Phelan and Zack Olin would be producers. In a statement, Spears said: "I'm beyond thrilled to be back alongside my PCA family and continue the story of
Zoey and all the characters fans know and love. As an executive producer, it's been an exciting opportunity to work with such incredible talent as well as Paramount+ and Nickelodeon." However, several cast members did not return for the film. For example, Paul Butcher, the actor who played Dustin in the series, did not return as he was focusing on TikTok. Victoria Justice was offered the chance to reprise her role of Lola Martinez in the film, but she could not accept due to scheduling conflicts.
Principal photography took place in Wilmington, North Carolina, and some locations included the University of North Carolina Wilmington and Perry's Emporium.
The first trailer was released on June 20, 2023, which announced that the film will premiere on July 27.
Release
The film was released on July 27, 2023.After the film's release, the original series
Zoey 101 was ranked on the Top 10 most watched television series list on Paramount+ in several countries.
Reception
Decider recommended streaming the film and wrote in a positive review: "
Zoey 102 is a predictable reboot and the plot kinda goes exactly where you think it will. That being said, it's an enjoyable ride that reflects who these characters might be in 2023, and the jokes and writing feel funny and current." The New York Times wrote in a favorable review: "It's not an easy task to make a movie out of a kids’ show from a bygone era, but the film does a relatively smooth job of dipping into — but not overdoing — the nostalgia and retaining the lighthearted, wacky tone that was the show's signature. It helps that the cast members, now older, are better performers. Even if there's a ceiling to how much can be achieved here, returning fans wanting a reminder of their youths will get just enough of what they came for." On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it reported an approval rating of 56% based on nine reviews, with an average rating of 4.8/10.
On July 28, 2023, one day after the film's release,
Zoey 102 was the third most watched film on Paramount+ in the United States and the second most watched in Canada.
References
External links
Zoey 102 at IMDb
