Radio Rebel

Radio Rebel is a Disney Channel Original Movie based on the book Shrinking Violet by Danielle Joseph. It tells the story of Tara Adams (Debby Ryan), a Shrinking Violet 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 Love Interest Gavin and her torment at the hands of Alpha Bitch Stacy, who finds her goal of becoming Prom Queen quickly threatened by Radio Rebel.


 * Alpha Bitch: Stacy, but she thaws out at the end.
 * Awesome Moment of Crowning: Played with. Tara starts to get crowned, but she declares that since the whole school is Radio Rebel, the crown belongs to all of them.
 * Be Yourself: Radio Rebel's central message.
 * Catch Phrase: Tara says "This is Radio Rebel" when starting her show.
 * Easily Forgiven: Stacy, considering that she was ruthlessly mean to Tara from the beginning of the film and even moreso 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.
 * The Film of the Book
 * Adaptation Decay: The plot veers in a different direction here, not to mention the name "Radio Rebel" is an invention of the movie version.
 * Freudian Excuse: Before becoming the Alpha Bitch, Stacy
 * Heel Face Turn: Stacy and Gabe (who seem to get paired together at the end.)
 * Hypocrite: Tara has a bit of trouble following her own advice, but this is largely remedied as the film goes on.
 * I Am Spartacus: The whole school claims to be Radio Rebel in order to protect Tara from being expelled. Even Stacy eventually.
 * Jerkass: Principal Moreno. Stacy and Gabe for most of the movie too.
 * Lighter and Softer: than the 1990 film Pump Up the Volume, where the main character - 'Hard Harry' - seems to be a Spear Counterpart of Radio Rebel in almost every way.
 * Loves My Alter Ego: Subverted. It appears that this is the case between Gavin and Radio Rebel, but it turns out he was pretty smitten with Tara too.
 * The Reveal: No, not that Tara is Radio Rebel. That
 * The Rock Star: Gabe, who is near psychotically obsessed with making it big.
 * Sarcastic Clapping: Principal Moreno when Tara reveals herself as Radio Rebel.
 * Seattle: Though of course, aside from a few establishing shots, it wasn't actually filmed there.
 * Secret Chaser: Stacy is determined to expose Radio Rebel once the Jerkass principal decides
 * Secret Keeper: Audrey and
 * Secret Identity: Tara's identity as Radio Rebel.
 * Shrinking Violet: Tara.
 * Something Only They Would Say: Stacy catches on that Tara is Radio Rebel when Radio Rebel repeats something that Tara said to her earlier.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: When their principal overreacts to Radio Rebel's rebellious podcast, . Not too long afterward, Radio Rebel gets hit with this HARD by nearly everyone at her school.
 * Which crosses Tara right into The Woobie territory. Just look at her face during that moment.