Stargirl is a 2020 American jukebox musical romance film based on the 2000 novel of the same name by Jerry Spinelli that debuted on Disney+. The film explores the tense emotions, non-conformity and self-expression of teenagers in high school, and the exuberance of first love. The film is directed by Julia Hart, produced by Kristin Hahn, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Lee Stollman and Jordan Horowitz from a screenplay written by Hahn, Hart and Horowitz, and stars Grace VanderWaal and Graham Verchere. The film was released on March 13, 2020. The film has received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised Hart's direction and the nostalgic tone. A sequel, Hollywood Stargirl, was released on June 3, 2022. Plot Leo Borlock, a teenager in Mica, Arizona, wears a porcupine tie in remembrance of his late father. On each birthday, he receives a new porcupine tie from an unknown person. In high school, Leo plays trumpet in the marching band and helps his friend Kevin Singh, a member of the A.V. club, host an interview show. The free-spirited Stargirl Caraway, makes an impression on Leo and later performs for their losing football team, the Mudfrogs. Kevin and Leo invite her onto their show, but she politely declines. Stargirl becomes a good luck charm for the football team and begins hanging out with Leo and tries to get him to come out of his shell. Archie, the owner of the local paleontologist camp, tells Leo everything about Stargirl, who also learned about Leo through Archie. Later, Stargirl tries out for the Speech regionals against Kevin and wins with an unusual speech on rats before denying any knowledge of returning a bike to a boy who was in the hospital. Stargirl and Leo kiss for the first time and begin dating. During the big game, Stargirl rides with an injured opposing player to the hospital, upsetting everyone, leading to the team's loss and causing Stargirl to lose her popularity. Leo's friends are upset, but they forgive him. The situation escalates after an interview of Stargirl on Kevin's show goes horribly wrong. Leo suggests that she act like everyone else, much to her consternation, she starts calling herself Susan and wearing clothes like those of her classmates. At the Speech regionals, Leo asks Stargirl to the Winter Dance, and she accepts. She is about to give a speech on internet privacy, but shifts to a speech on flowers,