Tiger Eyes

One need not know Judy Blume's novel specifically to glean a firm sense that this is a work very much aimed toward teens and young adults. Obviously the protagonist is a teenager, but that slant is borne out in more subtle ways, such as how any scenes or events that don't distinctly center Davey's memories or experiences tend to be spoken of in vague terms, or discrete blocks that are a little curt. Some of the dialogue is a little blunt, or needless or gauche, and the scene writing; I dare say the plot follows a recognizable thrust of a young lead put thrust into difficult circumstances (one parent sick or dead, one parent struggling and unreliable, new surroundings or friends), working through their emotions, and Learning Something About Themselves. None of this means another iteration of such a story can't be worthwhile, and indeed, 'Tiger eyes' is duly engaging and satisfying - it's just safe to say that one broadly knows what to expect.

Familiar threads aside, and slight inelegance, this is quite well done all around. Even though we've effectively sen it before, the narrative is heartfelt, and softly compelling and impactful. The characters, similarly, may be stock material, but they are written only with sincerity, and I very much like the cast. Amy Jo Johnson and Cynthia Stevenson I know well, and though both have only supporting parts, they ably demonstrate why they're so dependable. I can't say I've seen much of Willa Holland or Tatanka Means, yet both illustrate commendable nuance and heart that does much to make this so worthwhile; I'd love to see more of their pictures. Even Elise Eberle and Russell Means, in still smaller parts, light up the screen with the presence and personality they carry, and it's a joy to watch them. And filmmaker Lawrence Blume shows a solid command of the medium, breaking through the marginal choppiness of the YA storytelling to craft a warm, meaningful drama that reaches beyond its target audience.

Flush with themes of grief, impermanence, control, coping, and more, and playing with major beats of illness, death, and fraught family or social dynamics, all such big ideas are realized in a way that makes them relatable to a wide viewership, and more fruitful as a result. 'Tiger eyes' came and went in 2012 with little fanfare or recognition, and I think that's deeply unfortunate. Though a tad imperfect, by and large this is certainly much stronger, and hits harder, than I had assumed sights unseen. It bears substantial gravity and emotional weight more closely resembling its more adult-oriented cousins than its young adult kin, and all involved put in excellent work in all regards to bring it to life. I'm really very pleased with how good this is, to the point that as far as I'm concerned it earns a blanket recommendation. If you have the opportunity to watch, this is well worth ninety minutes of your time.

I asked my wife for her opinion before watching this movie. She told me that as a teenager she used to read all the Judy Blume books, and that it's probably more a movie for a younger audience. I gave it a shot anyway, and to be honest I regret it. It's a boring movie, and yes it's clearly something a younger audience will like more than the average movie watcher. I already had my suspicions when I heard that irritating slow piano music between scenes, it's a typical thing for bad movies. It's almost a signature for lame movies. I won't say the acting was bad, just average, but the story is one of those where you will fight to stay awake. Not for me.

Great movie about loss and family. Highly recommended.

Tiger Eyes, a young adult book written by Judy Blume in 1981 and the first of her movies to be brought to the big screen, is about a young girl trying to cope with the murder of her father. Her son, Lawrence Blume wrote the screen play and directed the film. Willia Holland stars as Davey and Tatanka Means stars as Wolf, the young man who who helps Davey find strength from loss.

Despite the Boston International Film Festival playing an unfinished version of the film that lacked surround sound and the rich deep and moody color the directer intended, the movie was lushly filmed and used the landscape surrounding Los Almos New Mexico as a silent-yet-powerful character in the film.

What is rendered on the screen is a spare yet moving meditation on the solitude of grief and the redemptive power of connection. The film holds a few masterful moments that telegraph to our hearts and minds the experience of grief. Close to the beginning of the movie we are presented with a character's wish to rise up in a hot air balloon and never come down. Shortly thereafter Davey is alone, cradled by a New Mexico canyon, and calls out for her now dead father. The aloneness an isolation of death and loss are hauntingly personified in these two scenes.

The separation and isolation build in the movie and come to a sharp point before pivoting in a Native American ceremony with Wolf (Tatanka Means) and his father Willie Ortiz (Russell Means, Tatanka's real-life father). The ceremony teaches us that no one is left alone in this universe and that it is vital that we are not alone as we are social beings. Wolf's father says "if a person feels disconnected, he or she might fail." The movie starts to unwind itself and carry us to the ending as relationships move from contraction to expansion toward an emotionally satisfying ending. No one fails.

Blume's books are dense. She packs in many different facets of the young adult experience. The movie adaptation of Tiger Eyes is no different. In 92 minutes we are exposed to death, grief, teen drinking, teen relationships and dating, rebellion, angst, and more. I found myself wishing for a simpler more spare story line. The other issues presented in the movie, while important and well done, distracted me from the elegant beauty of relationships lost and found.

I think, perhaps, my wish of a more spare movie reflects my more adult tastes. I got to thinking about how young adults interact with media-- short bits of information. I wonder if that was Lawrence Blume's intention of the movie--to present short bits of information to a young adult audience in their own language. If that's the case, it was pure genius.

more: http://irreverentpsychologist.blogspot.com/2012/04/relationships- lost-and-found-tiger-eyes.html

Davey Wexler (Willa Holland) is struggling after her father was killed. Her mother Gwen (Amy Jo Johnson) has withdrawn. She, her mother and little brother Jason move from Atlantic City to New Mexico to stay with Gwen's older sister Bitsy Kronick (Cynthia Stevenson) and her husband Walter. At the new school, she's befriended by partygirl Jane Albertson (Elise Eberle). While walking alone in a canyon, she is found by native American Wolf who connects with her. She tells him her name is Tiger.

This movie is based on Judy Blume's novel directed by her son Lawrence Blume. It's a teen girl struggling with some difficult issues. The difficulties are large and varied. It's a bit scattered. Willa Holland is quite effective holding the film together. Her performance adds the sensitivity needed although I'm not sure the material is used to its most effectiveness.