You're Invited to Mary-Kate & Ashley's Greatest Parties [VHS]
Three Mary-Kate & Ashley "You're Invited" videos hand-picked by fans make up one greatest-hits collection:Birthday PartyThe Olsens put on a big birthday celebration with lots of friends and make the viewer feel invited. Singing, games, presents, cake--it's all here. The focus is once again on the girls as celebrities (and therefore as products, like dolls), and that shtick can be a little wearing when so much of the show is concerned with underscoring their self-conscious cuteness.--Tom KeoghSleepover PartyThe Olsen twins try their best to pull an all-nighter in this high-spirited, 25-minute slumber party episode. Mary-Kate and Ashley jumpstart the fun by encouraging their three perky guests to learn some new dance moves. Cue the MTV-style musical numbers; these girls just gotta sing! And they have a song for every activity, from playing video games, to making pizza (basically ordering a plain pie, then raiding the fridge for a variety of toppings), to scaring each other--and the boys--with spooky stories and makeup. Cute, tame entertainment for 4- to 7-year-olds who enjoy singing and dancing along. While kids 8 and older are much more likely to hold slumber parties, they might find the material too juvenile (sort of likeBarneyunmasked).--Liane ThomasMall PartyWhen Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen send you an invite to their Mall Party, maybe you'd better RSVP that you've got other plans. A credit card-thin plot drops the girls at the Mall of America, where they sing and dance their way through a slew of unmemorable but eminently hummable, bubblegum pop songs that live up to such no-frills names as "Meet You at the Mall" and "Food Court." Although this long half-hour is clearly trading on the fame of the TV twins of the past decade, the real star is that Minnesota mall, with its theme park-style rides and unending shopping opportunities.--Valerie J. Nelson