Lemonade Mouth

A Disney Channel Original Movie Based on a book of the same name by Mark Peter Hughes. It premiered on April 15, 2011, and was decidedly Better Than It Sounds.

Five high school students meet in detention and discover a shared love of music and organic lemonade. Despite a rocky start and constant interference from an arrogant, self-important rival band and a Jerkass principal, they manage to form an anti-establishment rock band that takes off like a rocket.

It's about making friends, growing up, and saving a lemonade vending machine.

Not to be confused with Mountain Dew Mouth.

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Tropes used in Lemonade Mouth include:

• Adaptational Attractiveness: The whole band, beside Mo.
• Adorkable: Wen, and to a lesser extent Charlie, but mostly Wen. You should hear him rap.
• Adrenaline Makeover: The outfits that Mo wears on stage with Lemonade Mouth are not something you'd arguably see her wearing anywhere else.
• Aloof Big Brother: Charlie's brother, although he actually turns out to be a Broken Ace (Type 2).
• Angsty Surviving Twin: Charlie, in the book (see "Disneyfication" below).
• Anguished Declaration of Love: Played with; she doesn't say it outright, but Olivia makes it clear to Wen that her feelings for him are the reason she's with Lemonade Mouth.
• Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Someone stuck gum underneath a bleacher seat in the new gym, and the principal is not amused.
• Asian Airhead: Blown all the way to hell and back by Stella, who is visionary, leader and driving force of not only Lemonade Mouth, but in the effort to give the students a voice, and the one who gets Mel to build the music hall for the school.
• Badass Creed: Be Strong, Be Heard, Be Proud!
• Berserk Button: Doing anything that defaces the school, or the new gym, will put you in hock with the principal, whether you did it or not. (See the "Lemonade Mouth banner" incident in the cafeteria.) Also, "a school dance is no place for a political tirade."
• Bishonen: Scott, and hinted at with Charlie.
• Blondes Are Evil: Disneyfied so that it's Lighter and Softer, but Jules comes across as this (as well as the Alpha Bitch).
• Blond Guys Are Evil: Played straight with Ray, and averted with Scott.
• Boastful Rap: Wen's vocal contribution to "Determinate".
• Bollywood Nerd: What Mo's father wants her to be. She isn't.
• Break the Cutie: In a nutshell, life for Olivia - almost to the point of Deus Angst Machina.
• But Not Too Foreign: Believe it or not, Naomi Scott (Mo) is actually Indian, despite how she looks.
• Cast Full of Pretty Boys: Wen (Adam Hicks) is the only guy who even approaches Hollywood Nerd levels - and the show strongly insinuates he's going to hook up with Olivia.
• The Cast Showoff: The actors that make up the band (and how!)
  • Actually probably the entire cast as when they all sing "Determinate".
• Chaste Hero: Charlie, who doesn't understand that girls really do like him, and not just the band. Stella also qualifies.
• Chekhov's Gun: The lemonade machine, arguably.
• Clap Your Hands If You Believe: The 'Rising Star' audience, as Lemonade Mouth begins to self-destruct on stage.
• Cool Loser: The members of Lemonade Mouth, especially Stella.
• Cute Kitten: Wen gets Olivia a kitten to replace her pet cat.
• Dark Horse Victory: Played with, as Lemonade Mouth doesn't win at Rising Star (or even play) but ends up becoming a successful band that plays Madison Square Garden.
• Deadpan Snarker: Stella embodies this trope.
• Determinator: Stella embodies this trope; inverted in that Olivia has to be coaxed by the others in order to do everything. Hilarious in Hindsight when you consider that Olivia wrote "Determinate".
  • All of them when they attempt to sing even while the main vocalists have sicknesses. Again, consider the song they were singing.
• Disneyfication: Compared to the book, it is less edgy.
  • Example: Movie!Charlie's big brother is away at college for most of the film. In the book, he's Charlie's twin and died in childbirth with the umbilical cord around his neck.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: So much so, that this could also be a secondary theme of the film.
• Eccentric Mentor: Ms. Resnik.
• Elaborate University High: A plot point in both book and movie, the latter was shot on location in several with Ms. Resnik's actress commenting that she'd never seen such nice high schools before coming to Albuquerque.
• Establishing Character Moment: the scene where the kids sing "Turn Up the Music" neatly defines the members of Lemonade Mouth and their personalities.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Played Lighter and Softer with Scott, as Ray's antics towards the band (and Mo) makes him leave Mudslide Crush.
• Expy: Lemonade Mouth themselves are expies of the detention gang from The Breakfast Club, especially Charlie and Wen.
  • Stella and Mo come across as Spear Counterparts to John Bender and Brian Johnson, while Olivia seems very much a Deconstruction of Claire Standish, and Charlie and Wen are inversions of Andrew Clarke and Allison Reynolds.
    • Stella also is quite similar to Stevie only without magic and less sociopathic, as well as musically inclined.
    • 'Rising Star' also seems to be an Expy of American Idol.
  • Hughes has stated that "Mel's Lemonade" is a Writing Around Trademarks Shout-Out to Del's.
• Failed a Spot Check:

Stella's Brother: When did you become a vegetarian?
Stella's Dad: Yeah, uh, when did this happen?
Stella: (looks down at shirt reading "Vegetarians Rock!") ...four months ago?

• Fan Service Pack: Mo's outfits whenever she's on stage (or away from her Overprotective Dad); the entire band at Madison Square Garden. Averted by Scott, as he's always dressed that way.
• Film of the Book: With a little alteration, mostly the names.
• Five-Man Band: Played with like a ball of yarn by Olivia's new kitten.
  • The Hero - Olivia is the lead singer, but she acts more like the The Lancer.
  • The Lancer - Stella is lead guitar, so you'd think she'd be this, but she acts like The Hero.
  • The Smart Guy - Wen looks like this at first, and he does play keyboard, but he's more The Big Guy.
  • The Big Guy - Charlie would be this, since he's the drummer, but his role is closer to The Chick.
  • The Chick - Mo would be, if she didn't play bass and acted more like The Smart Guy. Unfortunately, she isn't enough of The Smart Guy to satisfy her parents.
  • The Sixth Ranger - Scott, after he tries to help the band out at the Rising Stars competition.
• Former Teen Rebel: The principal.
• Freudian Excuse: Olivia's breakdown comes from the death of Nancy (her pet cat) is because Olivia sees it as the last living part of her dead mother.
• Genre Blindness: Hmm... the new girl that's shown she's willing to speak out against oppressive school policies at a school event comes into the principal's office, wants to have her new band play at a school event, and the principal agrees, thinking that she's trying to fit in better? Way to swing that Idiot Ball, Principal!
• Good Is Not Dumb: Mo, towards Scott.
• Hair of Gold: Olivia, Charlie's female fan.
• Heel Face Turn: Scott, arguably the principal.
  • Mo's father as well.
  • Even we can't really say if she was bad, Jules appears to be part of the crowd singing 'Determinate'
• Held Gaze: Happens between Wen and Olivia while writing 'Determinate'. They then go back to awkwardly writing the song.
• Heroes Want Redheads: Olivia's attraction towards Wen; it really shows when he comes over to Olivia's house and she shows him her songs, and when she admits that he's the only reason she even got involved with the band.
• Heroic BSOD: Olivia suffers this on stage at Rising Star (arguably, it's the entire band that does), and has one averted just before their first performance.
• Hey, It's That Guy!: And then some.
• Hidden Depths: You can find this all throughout the members of the band.
• Hollywood New England: The book takes place in a fictional town in Rhode Island (not Quahog).
• Hope Bringer: Stella takes this Up to Eleven at the pep rally.
• "I Am" Song: Apparently, this is the only kind of song that Mudslide Crush feels that they need to sing.
• "I Am Becoming" Song: "She's So Gone".
• I Can't Believe a Guy Like You Would Notice Me: Mo's reason for not committing to the band at first. Scott's attitude about 'his music being important to him' changes her mind.
• I Don't Want to Ruin Our Friendship: Mo towards Charlie, when he tries to tell her how he feels.
• I Just Want to Be Special: Pretty much everyone, but mostly Stella.
• Insult Backfire: Ray calls Stella 'lemonade mouth' after she stops a fight between him and Charlie by spitting a mouthful of lemonade into his face. That's how the band got its name.
• Ironic Echo: When Scott finds out that Mo is in Lemonade Mouth, he tells her that if she wants to be in a band, she can play backup guitar for him (in Mudslide Crush). Fast forward to the last line of the film, when Olivia says that she hopes their new guitar player (Scott) can keep up... and we see Scott playing backup guitar for them.
• "I Want" Song: "Somebody".
• Jerkass: The principal, with his school sponsorship deal and uber-conformist attitude. Don't forget Ray. My goodness, Ray.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: At least the principal started to lighten up at the end.
• Jerk with a Heart of Jerk: Ray called dibs on this trope.
• Large Ham: Stella. Three words: "WE DO MATTER!"
• May-December Romance: Wen's dad and Sidney.
• Middle Child Syndrome: played with in Stella's case, as she's actually the oldest child.
• Misfit Mobilization Moment: Lemonade Mouth's performance at the Halloween dance.
• Ms. Fanservice: Mo, when she's on stage.
• Non-Action Guy: Wen lampshades this in the altercation with Ray: "I'm a lover, not a fighter!"
• Oh Crap: The principal's reaction as Lemonade Mouth begins " Here We Go".
• Overprotective Dad: Mo's dad, almost to Papa Wolf levels.
• Pairing the Spares: Averted, as Charlie is hinted to have hooked up with his blond-haired fan, and Stella seems more concerned with speaking her mind.
  • That is unless...
• Parental Abandonment: Olivia lives with her grandmother because her mom died and her dad's in jail.
• Popular Is Dumb: Jules, although Your Mileage May Vary. Also played with in the case of the popular students, in they're not ignorant as to what's happening around the school - it just works to their advantage.
• The Power of Friendship: This trope is what keeps the band going, as evidenced by the song "More Than A Band".
• The Power of Rock: The secondary message of the film - that a good rock band can change the world.
  • Which could be a incidental Shout-Out to Macross 7's Fire Bomber, which did the same thing.
• Pretty Fly for a White Guy: Played with, as aside from the rapping, Wen comes across as a normal, average suburban kid with average problems. Also played with in the case of Stella, in that while she wants to be special and an individual, she also wants her family to love and accept her, regardless of what she's into or does.
• Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: We - DO - matter! '
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: "Don't Cha Wish You Were Us?" counts as this and a Villain Song
• Recycled in Space!: It's The Breakfast Club AS A MUSICAL!
• Redemption in the Rain: Inverted. The band's lowest point, - getting arrested and losing the lemonade machine at the same time - comes during a rainstorm.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: A verbal example, as you get the very strong feeling that Mo's performance of "She's So Gone" is directed towards her father's idea of who she should be, and at Scott on several levels.
  • Confirmed by Word of God that the song was modified to better reflect Mo and Scott's relationship.
• The Runner Up Takes It All: Olivia says that they didn't won Raising Star, the last scene of the movie shows them playing at Maddison Square Garden.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Connections: Directly stated as to how Scott gets off with just a warning when he and Mo sneak off, while she gets detention. Implied as to how the popular students get away with so much.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Used by Lemonade Mouth members to almost Catch Phrase status.
• Serious Business: Do not mess with the lemonade machine. However, some fans would note that most of their annoyance has to do with the fact that the machine is being removed to further the principals favoritism of the jocks over other students, which is a legitimate thing to take seriously. Also, as far as the principal is concerned, do not step out of line.
• She's All Grown Up: Mo, in the eyes of her Papa Wolf. An interesting inversion with Scott, as he sees that she's grown into an equal as a musician, and in their relationship.
• Signature Song: Everyone in the film knows the song "Determinate".
• Soapbox Sadie: Stella lives and breaths this trope.
• Tall, Dark and Bishoujo: Mo.
• The Southpaw: Hayley Kiyoko (who plays Stella) appears to be left-handed.
  • Which makes it awfully convenient that there just happened to be a lefty guitar in the music/detention room...
• Spiritual Successor: to Camp Rock. Was about to get a sequel until it was canceled.
• Spit Take: How Lemonade Mouth got it's name.
• Took a Level In Badass: Played with in Mo's case, because her on-stage personality is the opposite of who she is in everyday life.
• Troubled but Cute: Charlie has the look, but not the personality. He comes off as the most normal member of the cast.
• True Companions: Definitely the members of Lemonade Mouth.
• Unlucky Childhood Friend: Charlie, towards Mo. It turns out okay, though.
• Utopia Justifies the Means: Everything the principal does is justified (in his mind) as being for the greater good of the school.
• V-Formation Team Shot: Played with in the principle's office, as the poses range from Stella's Asskicking Pose to Wen's Rebel Relaxation, Mo's standing Pose of Supplication, and Charlie and Olivia's Cower Power.
• Vocal Tag Team: Even Charlie has his moment.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: Stella and Mo - but while Stella finds her family cared all along, Mo gains her father's grudging respect.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: The principal.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: We never find out if Mudslide Crush won Rising Star.
• Whole-Episode Flashback: The film is this, from Olivia's point-of-view as she authors a letter to her father.
• X Meets Y: The Breakfast Club meets High School Musical.
• You Are Not Alone: how Wen gets Olivia out of the bathroom stall.