Line #16 Film/RadioRebel


1	[[quoteright:220:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/220px-RadioRebel_3429.jpg]]
2	''Radio Rebel'' is a Creator/DisneyChannel Original Movie based on the book ''Shrinking Violet'' by Danielle Joseph. It tells the story of Tara Adams (Creator/DebbyRyan), a ShrinkingViolet with a major secret: By day she's an ordinary student, but by night she's an anonymous DJ called Radio Rebel. The movie focuses on her using her alter ego to encourage people to embrace what makes them unique, as well as her efforts to forge a relationship with LoveInterest Gavin and her torment at the hands of AlphaBitch Stacy, who finds her goal of becoming Prom Queen quickly threatened by Radio Rebel.
3	----
4	!!This film provides examples of:
5	* AdaptationTitleChange: The film is based on the novel ''Shrinking Violet''.
6	* AlphaBitch: Stacy, but [[HeelFaceTurn she thaws out at the end]].
7	* AlwaysIdenticalTwins: Averted with Larry and Barry. They try dressing up identically, but being fraternal, it doesn't work well.
8	* AntiInterferenceLockUp: At one point, the AlphaBitch Stacy locks Tara in a closet so she can't be there to contribute to the drama project the two girls are doing with mutual love-interest Gavin, both to win Gavin over and to further torment Tara.
9	* ArtisticLicenseLaw:
10	** Technically, for all her bluster, Principal Mareno (or any principal for that matter) can't expel anyone. Decisions like that are up to the Superintendent or the School Board.
11	** On a related note, anything confiscated does have to be returned to the students at some point, otherwise it's just theft.
12	** You know, come to think of it, the superintendent and/or School Board are more likely to fire Mareno than expel Tara simply because she fails to be anything resembling a good Teacher.
13	* AwesomeMomentOfCrowning: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]]. Tara starts to get crowned, but she declares that since [[IAmSpartacus the whole school is Radio Rebel]], the crown belongs to all of them. [[spoiler: Then she proceeds to give the crown to Stacy, citing how important it was to her (after getting Stacy to say that she was also Radio Rebel).]]
14	* BeYourself: Radio Rebel's central message.
15	* CatchPhrase: Tara says "This is Radio Rebel" when starting her show.
16	* CharacterDevelopment: Pretty much the entire point. Almost every non-adult character develops into someone better and more complex by the end.
17	* DeducingTheSecretIdentity: Stacy is able to figure out that Tara is Radio Rebel, when she mentions her "Number One Fan" on the radio, something Tara called her earlier when talking about Morp, the party the radio station is throwing for their school to make up for the canceled prom.
18	* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: "This lunchtime fiasco was a... fiasco!"
19	* EasilyForgiven: Stacy, considering that she was ruthlessly mean to Tara from the beginning of the film and even more so when she found out that Tara was Radio Rebel. Luckily for her, Tara isn't the type to hold a grudge. {{Lampshaded}} by Stacy herself.
20	* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: Regarding the book, ''Shrinking Violet'' is about a ShrinkingViolet.
21	* TheFilmOfTheBook
22	* FreudianExcuse: Before becoming the AlphaBitch, Stacy [[spoiler: used to be made fun of for constantly trying to dress like a princess. She became an AlphaBitch solely to aim for Prom Queen, as then dressing and acting like a princess would finally be considered acceptable by her peers.]]
23	* GracefulLoser: For all the importance she placed on being Prom Queen, Stacy seemed prepared to accept her loss to Tara with a surprising amount of dignity.
24	* HatedByAll:
25	** Tara/Radio Rebel herself, albeit temporarily, when prom is canceled.
26	** Principal Moreno is a more straight-up example as only Stacey and her cronies like her (and even then, only for the sake of their ends).
27	* HateSink: Principal Moreno, during EstablishingCharacterMoment, she confiscates both Audrey and Tara’s headsets because of what something Stacy said without even listening to their side of the story, and it has apparently isn’t the first pair she has confiscated and never returned. She abuses power to cancel the prom and her students from listening to Radio Rebel.
28	* HeelFaceTurn: Stacy and Gabe (who [[PairTheSpares seem to get paired together at the end]]).
29	* {{Hypocrite}}: Tara has a bit of trouble following her advice, but this is largely remedied as the film goes on.
30	* IAmSpartacus: The whole school claims to be Radio Rebel to protect Tara from being expelled. Even [[AlphaBitch Stacy]] eventually.
31	* {{Jerkass}}: Principal Moreno. [[AlphaBitch Stacy]] and [[TheRockStar Gabe]] for most of the movie too.
32	* KarmaHoudini: Stacy, after Tara extends an olive branch to her.
33	* LightIsNotGood: Stacy and Gabe were this until their HeelFaceTurn.
34	* LighterAndSofter: Than the 1990 film ''Film/PumpUpTheVolume'', where the main character - 'Hard Harry' - seems to be a SpearCounterpart of Radio Rebel in almost every way.
35	* LovesMyAlterEgo: {{Subverted}}. It appears that this is the case between Gavin and Radio Rebel, but it turns out he was pretty smitten with Tara too.
36	* PragmaticAdaptation: ''Several'' changes between the original book ''Shrinking Violet'' and this movie, not the least of which is practically a completely revamped plot. In the book, the protagonist's (named T''ere'', short for Theresa) mom and stepdad are not married yet (and the mom is much more shallow and self-centered - [[spoiler: and it's explicitly stated that Tere was born of wedlock at her mother's prom, which turns out to be an important plot point in the book but would never fly on a Creator/DisneyChannel production]]). Furthermore, she never started as a podcast - the entire plot of the book is about her becoming an intern at her future stepdad's Miami radio station where she ends up through circumstance becoming a popular co-host (calling herself "Sweet-T" as opposed to "Radio Rebel"), all the while learning to overcome her crippling shyness and stand up for herself. The secret identity subplot is still present - [[spoiler: but is entirely enforced by the radio station as a publicity stunt so they can "give her away" as a prom date as part of a promotional contest. Not only does the school's principal not have a problem with the broadcasts, but is completely non-existent as a character. The conflict between Tere and Stacy is entirely between each other.]]
37	* PrincessPhase: Stacy wore a tiara to school every day until the second grade. That's why she wants to be Prom Queen so badly, to feel like a princess again since she's too old to dress up every day.
38	* PromWrecker: Principal Fisher decides to punish Radio Rebel's antics by canceling the prom.
39	* TheReveal: No, not that Tara is Radio Rebel. That [[spoiler: Gavin is the dancing "Turkey on Rye" sandwich guy.]]
40	* TheRockStar: Gabe, who is near psychotically obsessed with making it big.
41	* SarcasticClapping: Principal Moreno when Tara reveals herself as Radio Rebel.
42	* UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}}: Though of course, aside from a few establishing shots, it wasn't filmed there.
43	* SecretChaser: Stacy is determined to expose Radio Rebel once the {{Jerkass}} principal decides [[spoiler: to cancel Prom unless Radio Rebel's identity is revealed.]] A subplot involves Tara's friends Barry and Larry trying to identify Radio Rebel, even before she goes on the radio.
44	* SecretKeeper: Audrey and [[spoiler: Gavin.]]
45	* SecretIdentity: Tara's identity as Radio Rebel.
46	* SecretIdentityVocalShift: Tara uses a special vocoder device to electronically disguise her voice during her Radio Rebel podcasts.
47	* ShrinkingViolet: Tara.
48	* SociallyAwkwardHero: Tara is this in the movie until she revealed herself as Radio Rebel.
49	* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: Stacy catches on that Tara is Radio Rebel when Radio Rebel repeats something that Tara said to her earlier.
50	* ThemeTwinNaming: Larry and Barry.
51	* WhatTheHellHero: When their [[JerkAss principal]] overreacts to Radio Rebel's rebellious podcast, [[spoiler:[[DisproportionateRetribution she cancels the school's prom, for everyone]]]]. Not too long afterward, Radio Rebel gets hit with this '''HARD''' by nearly everyone at her school.

Context Film / RadioRebel