Hey Hey It’s Esther Blueburger revolves around a spunky 13-year-old, played by Danielle Catanzariti, whose parents have been pestering her to invite classmates to her Bat-mitzvah gathering. However, when Esther does invite them, no one shows up.

Esther’s parents are not aware their daughter is an outcast. So when her extended family members turn out to be the only guests to arrive, Esther sneaks from the house and through her backyard to the lane running behind her home. Arriving in the lane, she is startled to find Sunni (Keisha Castle-Hughes) puffing on a cigarette. Realizing Sunni is near her age, Esther invites the girl to her party where she passes her off as one of her classmates. After that, the girls soon become inseparable. Esther admires Sunni because she’s rebellious, sophisticated, and popular. Sunni likes Esther for her sincerity and honesty.

When Sunni learns about Esther being disliked at her private school, she comes up with a scheme to get her new friend into the public school she attends. Esther forges her parent’s signatures to a letter addressed to her school’s administration. The document states that Esther will be in Sweden for the remainder of the year. In the meantime, Sunni convinces her teachers that Esther is a foreign exchange student from Sweden and also persuades Esther that her teachers, classmates and school administrators won’t discover the deception. After all, they only refer to her as RYX/6B, which is the ID number engraved on her lapel pin.

Later, Sunni becomes dismayed when her friends gravitate toward Esther and begin ignoring Sunni. The breaking point occurs when Esther adopts a snarly attitude and starts dressing in expensive and trendy clothing. Suddenly the person Sunni believed Esther to be has vanished and been replaced by someone thoroughly dislikeable. To top things off, Esther develops a stronger relationship than her own with Sunni’s mother (Toni Collette). Will a devastating tragedy bring Sunni and Esther closer together or drive them further apart?

Newcomer Catanzariti tackles the complex role of Esther with considerable aplomb. If her performance in this film is any indication, this actress should have a bright future. But Castle-Hughes may be a little too old to pass for a teenager only a year or two older than Esther. It’s hard to believe the pair would become such close friends.

Cathy Randall, making her screenwriting and directorial debut with this film, never establishes what led Esther’s peers to shun her. This oversight makes it difficult to identify with her plight and accept what she's willing to do in order to be accepted. Furthermore, the film’s premise is completely implausible. No one would be able to get away with the girl’s scheme for long. A valuable point for young people to consider -- to stay true to themselves no matter how difficult the situation -- is lost when Randall drops the ball on this one.

Hey Hey It’s Esther Blueburger, an official selection of the 2009 Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children, screens April 18th, 20th and 21st. For tickets or more information, please call (416) 968-FILM or go to http://www.sprockets.ca.

NOTE: This film depicts teenagers smoking. One brief scene is set in an exotic dance club, but there is no nudity.

(Released by Lightning Entertainment; not rated by MPAA.)