Zoey Brooks, now a 32-year-old struggling television producer for a reality series called "LOVE: Fully Charged," is asked by her best friend Quinn Pensky to be the maid of honor in her and Logan Reese's upcoming wedding, which is scheduled for the same weekend as the LOVE: Fully Charged season finale. Zoey also has unresolved feelings for the best man, Chase Matthews, whom she has not seen or spoken to since abandoning him on a Hawaiian vacation after high school; Chase has since started dating another woman. Zoey devises an elaborate plan to fulfill both commitments, hiring Todd Schupert, an actor who auditioned for LOVE: Fully Charged, to pose as her boyfriend.
Zoey reunites with her school friends at the pre-wedding party: Quinn, now a successful inventor; Logan, who has inherited his father's fortune; Stacey Dillsen, now the runner of a popular murder podcast; Mark Del Figgalo, Stacey's husband and field producer; Michael Barret, now a successful rap producer; and Chase, now an elementary school teacher. After tending to Jordan B., one of the finalists on LOVE: Fully Charged, Zoey returns to the party and finds a hiding Quinn, who reveals that she is uncomfortable with the size and opulence of the wedding. The group goes to a karaoke bar, where a confrontation ensues between Todd and Chase, the latter claiming that he is over Zoey.
The next day, Todd watches Jordan so that Zoey can attend the wedding rehearsal, but Jordan gets amnesia from a head injury and forgets his lines for the finale. On the day of the wedding and finale, Zoey goes to pick up the rings, with Chase inadvertently joining her. Zoey and Chase are distant at first, but after being pressured into kissing by the jewelers (who mistook them for Quinn and Logan), they warm up to each other. Zoey apologizes to Chase for abandoning him in Hawaii and reveals that she was afraid that things between them would end poorly, as they always had. She admits she still has feelings for him, and they share another, more genuine kiss.
En route back to the wedding, Zoey's car dies on the side of the road, forcing her and Chase to continue on foot. They arrive just in time and the ceremony starts, as does the finale, Zoey simultaneously fulfilling her maid of honor duties and feeding lines to Jordan via her phone and earbuds. While giving the welcome speech, Stacey receives a lead suggesting Todd is a serial killer she and Mark have been searching for, and a confused Zoey feeds Jordan the wrong lines, ruining the finale. Zoey confesses that she is working and that Todd is not her boyfriend but actually an actor. Quinn, fed up with Zoey's dishonesty and Logan's insistence on making the wedding a spectacle, calls off the ceremony and runs away in tears, while a guilt-ridden Zoey is fired.
On the beach, Chase reveals to Zoey that he and his girlfriend broke up two weeks prior and that she accompanied him to the wedding only so he would not be alone. Zoey has an idea and takes the gang back to their old school, Pacific Coast Academy (now abandoned following its closure stemming from issues of fraud and embezzlement), where they spruce the place up. Logan apologizes to Quinn and takes her to PCA, where the gang has set up an informal wedding venue. After the ceremony, Zoey's boss calls to tell her the finale turned out to be a huge success and offers her a promotion, which she accepts with some conditions. While dancing, she and Chase profess their love for each other and kiss.
A mid-credits scene shows Todd putting a squirming bag in the trunk of his car, implying that Stacey and Mark's suspicions that he is the killer are correct.
On January 12, 2023, it was announced that a revival film for Zoey 101 was under production by Paramount+,[12] with Nancy Hower as director and a script written by Monica Sherer and Madeline Whitby.[13] Spears posted a photo on Instagram and revealed that she would reprise her role as Zoey, along with most of the cast as well.[14] In addition, it was announced that Spears would also serve as executive producer, along with Alexis Fisher, Hower, Sherer and Whitby,[13] while Shauna Phelan and Zack Olin would be producers.[15] In a statement, Spears said: "I'm beyond thrilled to be back alongside my PCA family and continue the story of Zoey and all the characters fans know and love. As an executive producer, it's been an exciting opportunity to work with such incredible talent as well as Paramount+ and Nickelodeon."[16] However, several cast members did not return for the film. For example, Paul Butcher, the actor who played Dustin in the series, did not return as he was focusing on TikTok.[17][18]Victoria Justice was offered the chance to reprise her role of Lola Martinez in the film, but she could not accept due to scheduling conflicts.[19]
Jamie Lynn Spears interviewed on the set of Zoey 102 in 2023.
After the film's release, the original series Zoey 101 was ranked on the Top 10 most watched television series list on Paramount+ in several countries.[24]
Reception
The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics and fans.[25]Billboard called it a "highly anticipated sequel,"[25] while Ready Steady Cut praised the film as a "a nostalgic and amusing watch, enjoyable for original fans and the series newcomers."[26]Decider recommended streaming the film and wrote in a positive review: "Zoey 102 is a predictable reboot and the plot kinda goes exactly where you think it will. That being said, it's an enjoyable ride that reflects who these characters might be in 2023, and the jokes and writing feel funny and current."[27]
People described Spears' role as Zoey Brooks as "iconic."[28]The New York Times wrote in a favorable review: "It's not an easy task to make a movie out of a kids’ show from a bygone era, but the film does a relatively smooth job of dipping into — but not overdoing — the nostalgia and retaining the lighthearted, wacky tone that was the show's signature. It helps that the cast members, now older, are better performers. Even if there's a ceiling to how much can be achieved here, returning fans wanting a reminder of their youths will get just enough of what they came for."[5] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it reported an approval rating of 67% based on reviews from 6 critics, with an average rating of 5.00/10.[29]
Viewership
The film attracted a large international audience on Paramount+.[7] On July 28, 2023, one day after the film's release, Zoey 102 was the third most watched film on Paramount+ in the United States and the second most watched in Canada.[6][7] The film topped the most watched list in the United Kingdom and Ireland on July 29, 2023.[30]
