Rien n'est impossible

I smiled through this whole movie. I grew up watching most of the coming-of-age movies of my generation. We had Clueless, American Pie, Project X, Mean Girls, 21 and Over, and many more. They all have these hidden but beautiful messages about courage. These movies touched on themes such as love, friendship, the feeling of the unknown approaching fast, and the struggle each of us had with moving on to the next step. Anything's Possible touches on all these themes and does it well. It is an excellent story about self-awareness, identity, and acceptance. It tells us to look beyond the expectations of our society, parents, friends, and even ourselves. To be brave and take a leap to love, and believe that being loved and falling in love does not know any boundaries.

The lead actress and the supporting cast are incredibly talented. The actress playing the mom is fantastic. Eva Reign is not only gorgeous but a skilled actress not afraid to showcase her raw emotions and tell us about her generation's struggles.

The script does not to be too complex and Billy Porter masterfully tells the story of finding love in senior year and going through all the drama that comes with being different. My advice to my fellow movie lovers is to look at this movie unbiasedly and focus on its intended audience. This movie focuses on friendship, love, acceptance, and growth. It does not try to force any messages down our throats or pander, so even boomers may enjoy it.

My biggest struggle growing up was to be accepted. Growing up as a minority and not being represented in my community was very tough. It makes me so happy to see that a young black woman and a middle eastern boy are the lead in this movie. Things are changing for the better, and I pray for acceptance and love for all.

I've been watching coming of what age movies since I was coming of age in the 1970s. This is a very nice addition to the genre with the typical best friend breakup, shifting allegiances, etc., of high school dramas seen through more tolerant, but still fraught, gender issues of today. Richie Cunningham never had to deal with such things.

I'm a substitute teacher in southwest Ohio bouncing from rural to urban schools, and if you don't think that there are LGBTQ kids in your school you're mistaken.

The actors are young and charming and the city of Pittsburgh looks great. Although as a native Pittsburgh I know those characters are on the wrong bus to get to their destinations! Look for the Billy Porter (the director) mural and stay for the High School Musical inspired closing credits.

Anything's Possible is a movie that begins with a slightly intriguing concept trying to make us invest into it from the get-go. Right in the first act thing that mostly catches your attention is the plot and until the end of the third act that pretty much stays the same. The characters play their part as good eye-catcher but most of the time misses the shots. Talking about the story everything that gets thrown at you gets easily unfolded, where most of it either stands quite predictable and the rest of it stays a bit obvious. Director Billy Porter tried to gather some vibrant resources and form a stable harmony but it keeps getting startled as it moves on from the first to the last act. Editing and screenplay needed more time to invest in along with the writing department. All in all Anything's Possible stands as something you can try adding to your list to watch but it will probably be added as a one-time watch.

IN A NUTSHELL: This modern Gen Z coming-of-age story shines a spotlight on Kelsa, a confident high school girl who is trans, as she navigates through her senior year and romance. Two-time Tony Award winner Billy Porter directed the movie. He was most recently featured as a trans "Fabulous Godmother" in Amazon's Cinderella in 2021.

THINGS I LIKED: I had never seen Eva Reign in anything before. She definitely has charisma and does an outstanding job representing the trans world.

This is probably the first time we've ever seen a trans-girl in a high school romance being featured in a film, right? Can you think of others?

Others in the cast include Abubakr Ali, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Simon Joy Jones, and Kelly Lamor Wilson.

There is some humor but a lot of awkward moments.

Keep watching during the final credits for a little dance number by the cast.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: People argue about how woke they are.

The protagonist gets super upset that everyone puts so much emphasis on sex and gender, yet she wears super sexy clothing in every scene.

There's not a lot of depth to the characters in the sense that we don't get to learn that much about them, only offering surface-level discussions.

Similarly, the movie touches on various subjects like gender bathrooms and society's stereotypes but doesn't dive much deeper into the subjects.

All of the teenagers are super self-absorbed, but then again, that's how teenagers generally are.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Crude conversations Some profanity and F-bomb Teenage bullying A transvestite makes out with a guy many times We see a shirtless teenage boy Teens drink alcohol at a party Two teenage boys get into a fist fight

THEMES: Gender identity Teenage/high school life Identity Acceptance Friendship Social media Kindness Courage Romance Discrimination Single motherhood Seeing people for who and what they are Gen Z life and perspective Morally superiority and virtue signaling

This film was well written, interesting, thoughtfully directed, and competently acted. A variety of high school issues are intelligently explored, and it's enjoyable to see the characters explore them. The movie is well-paced and an appropriate length. It successfully achieves the emotional commitment of its viewers, especially when depicting the living relationship between Kelsa and her mother. I look forward to seeing more from new director Billy Porter in the future!