Melanie Kang (Mel) is a prideful 17 year old who doesn’t take insults lightly yet is pessimistic about the heights she can achieve. Her complex over her lack of feminine beauty leads her to depend on make-up, as well as reduce her dream of becoming a singer into a joke of cynical sorts.
When her dad playfully suggests that she wouldn’t be accepted as a singer even if she were male, she takes offense and bets that even if she can’t ultimately win, she can at least make it through the first round of a TV talent show while crossdressed. There, she runs into Hilary, with whom she’s known as best friends at school, while both have closer friend groups outside of school. Hilary only shows kindness to those who benefit her, is judgmental, and views an extent of cheating as resourcefulness.
After Hilary mocks the disguised Mel, Mel makes it her goal to show up Hilary in the 2nd round, allied with Mel’s outspoken brother Mark and another show participant: the unconfident but talented Lily. As she trains her singing seriously for the first time, Mel lies to her parents—insisting that she’s given up on the show and has been taking SAT preparation lessons. Meanwhile, Mel and Hilary keep their regular distant but amicable atmosphere at school as Mel secretly wheedles out information on Hilary’s audition plans, and an unexpressed attraction grows between Lily and Mark.
On the day of the 2nd round performance, Mel’s parents and Hilary discover Mel’s lies and confront Mel at the TV station. Enraged, Mel’s mother ruins Mel’s wig and demands that the nonsense stops there. Mel is now left with the decision to either quietly fold, or suffer the humiliation of revealing her identity on TV but proving to herself and to her parents that she is serious about pursuing singing. Mel chooses to perform, after which Hilary acknowledges her ability and the two admit their wrongs to each other, finally putting their two-facedness aside. Neither Mel nor Hilary make it past the round, and Lily is the ultimate winner both in regards to the audition and in overcoming her fears as she confesses that her performed love song is dedicated to Mark. In the aftermath, Mel decides to start singing lessons with the agreement of her parents.
Points excluded from the explanation:
- Mel is mostly ostracized at school because of her online friends, and she's reached a point where she doesn't care to try to get along since she knows she connects best with her online friends. She does however accept her casual companionship with Hilary in which they mutually use one another. (Hilary takes advantage of Mel's make-up collection.)
- Lily turns out to be one of Mel's online friends who expresses what is hindered by her softspokenness through blogs. She has trouble with singing loudly when before an audience. She admires Mark who is bluntly expressive in all things unrelated to his feelings for Lily.
- The reason Mel gets by the 1st round even though she gives a passable yet unimpressive performance is because she discovers that Hilary's dad is surreptitiously on the judging panel. She decides to accept the accidental blackmail to match Hilary's "resourcefulness."
- Mel's mother is obsessed with whipping her daughter to get into a good college after facing the embarrassment of her coworkers being disappointed in Mark while their children all fare well academically. Mel quits the SAT preparation lessons but also spends time studying the SAT practice book that Mark gives her, and seeing this dedication helps in pushing the turning point for Mom.
- An additional layer adding weight to the climatic decision lies in Mel's make-up dependence and how she refuses to leave the house without at least covering her blemishes. But the tears during her confrontation with her parents leave her having to mount that stage baring her true self in every way.
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