Una pazza giornata a New York

Taken for what it is, a pre-teen flick featuring the wealthiest 17-years olds in type-cast roles ever, the movie is not terrible. It's no work of art, nor will it be nominated for any awards, but it is entertaining, which is all anyone can expect it to be. It definitely isn't being advertised as anything else.

More than anything, it's silly and allows a girl to giggle at the crazy antics of two sisters caught up in more than they can handle in New York City. A fun story of mayhem and mischief, it is far from the worst movie out this season (have you SEEN "Van Helsing"? I rest my case).

Maybe it's not worth spending $9 on a movie ticket, but it would be a fun rental. :-)

New York Minute was funny from beginning to end. It's a much better movie than critics say. Mary-Kate Olsen has a special comic energy, and Ashley Olsen can be hilarious, both as a physical comedian and in the ways she delivers her lines.

The supporting cast were almost all terrific: Eugene Levy, Andy Richter, Darrell Hammond, Andrea Martin. And the obligatory hot guys, Jared Padalecki and Riley Smith, were good too. The movie is continuously amusing, and there are hundreds of funny moments and good lines.

So why did so many critics hate it? Because they just didn't get what it was trying to do. The first cut in the sound track is the Bangles' "Doll Revolution" (written by Elvis Costello): "Who dries your eyes when you cry real tears?/Who knows or cares what an imitation is?/Only you do.../Tear off your own head/It's a doll revolution.../They're taking over/And they're tearing it down/It's a doll revolution." This movie is the revolution of the Olsen dolls, but the critics' ideas were too fixed to see the irony that pervades it. I'm tempted to think that the critics were too ageist and/or sexist to give young girls credit for being this aware.

Mary-Kate and Ashley have said they like to make fun of themselves and what they've done. They've said they wanted the movie to have a Christopher Guest feel and were fighting the studio to get it. If this movie has a problem, it's that it tries to be both ironic and straight, and in the end may be too multi-leveled for either the hip or the little-girl audience to like. When the two audiences finally do get it, I expect the DVD to become a minor cult classic.

Some critics say how limp and unrealistic the plot is. That's true, but the movie wasn't intended to be realistic. It's a live-action cartoon: South Park with beautiful twins. The perfunctory way it deals with important events like Roxy (Mary-Kate) getting her demo tape to some A&R guys is not a mistake, it's a clue: the movie intentionally subverts its own surface meaning. Criticizing it for its plot is like criticizing Rocky Horror for not being Gone With the Wind.

There is also the question of whether the sexual innuendo in the movie is inappropriate. I say no, but I can understand why some people disagree. I was taken aback myself for the first few minutes of the film. Then I thought: they are almost 18, and have far wider experience than most people twice their age. Who am I to tell them they can't use their sexuality in these innocent ways? One example: a big snake slithers onto the floor of the shower when Jane (Ashley) is there. But all you see is her lower legs and her shoulders, and her wonderful cartoon scream is justification enough for the scene.

It's basically sick that reviewers think of older men when Mary-Kate and Ashley have said they were trying to appeal to guys around their own age. When other actresses have similar things in their films, people don't bat an eye. But people still see the Olsens as the little twins from Full House, and recoil in horror. In fact, New York Minute never shows as much flesh as a bathing suit would. The Catholic News Service and the Christian Critic website both gave the film good reviews.

Some critics condemn the film for racism. I myself am of Chinese ancestry, and I didn't see anything wrong there at all. I actually loved the idea of a white guy who was adopted into a Chinese family and who wants to be Chinese. There were stereotyped aspects to the portrayals, but that goes for everything in the film, not just different races. It's comedy.

Why do people think MK&A can't act? Well, it's true that their enunciation fails them from time to time. Some words just get lost. But that was true of Marlon Brando, so give them a break. And their style is not intended to be realistic: they portray characters, they don't inhabit them. Their strength is comic shtick. I thought they were realistic enough, and as comics they were great. The couple of serious moments in the movie came off extremely well, much better than I expected.

Will its target audiences like it? Maybe, maybe not. Only if they can ignore the elements that are not meant for them. It is difficult to make a movie that will be loved by everyone from six-year-old girls to guys of 25. And perhaps the deep prejudice against the Olsens in audiences older than 15 just can't be overcome, at least not in this first engagement of the doll revolution.

I think the best gag of the movie is Trey's line "Is it my birthday?" when he sees Jane and Roxy in just towels, having just come out of the shower. New York Minute isn't perfect, none of the Mary Kate and Ashley movies are, but 3.9 is way too low. I thought it was fun and entertaining, though very predictable. The subplot about the micro chip inside the dog was a little clumsy, but that's me being picky. I must say the music choices are great, with "War" being played very loudly, and then the talented Eugene Levy singing badly (intentionally) "Bad girl what are you going to do when I come for you?" in reference to Roxy. People say it is just an excuse for Mary Kate and Ashley to show off their fashion tips, but it is much more than that. It set out to entertain, and I personally think it mostly succeeded, putting aside the predictable plot and superficial scripting. 7/10 Bethany Cox.

I thought It was an excellent movie. They definitely brought it up from their direct to video movies. I don't know what everyone was expecting, they can't go from the WAY wholesome to gruesome that quick. Plus, that's not what they are all about. It was a good movie with a nice story line, a lot of laughs, and I'm actually looking forward to whatever movie they come out with next. It wasn't an Oscar worthy movie exactly, but this movie makes it clear that the girls do have the talent and ability to do that someday too...if they want. It's a good movie to take both young girls to see and for older girls to drag their boyfriends to watch. It's cute and sweet. It's better than Lindsey Lohan's MEAN GIRLS anyway.

It's honestly always entertaining to read user ratings at the lower end for a movie like this because it genuinely leaves you puzzled as to what these people were expecting.

The Poster already communicates all you need to know about this movie: It's a silly, 2000s, teenage-girl-comedy, full of cliches, pop songs and very much a product of it's time. You've got your Pop-Rock-Band Cameo, playing a full song, some Minute-Long awkward dancing/styling scenes and your superficial love interests that do not contribute to the plot in any way. In the end everyone get's what they always wanted and everyone is living their best lives. I know, predictable.

Here's the thing: If you're reading this, chances are high you're not exactly the target audience for the movie. That's fine. Neither am I. Just keep your expections in check when you agree to watch this with someone.

The Movie knows exactly what it is and it succeeds at being just that. No attempts were made to make this movie anything beyond that and judging it for that is a little bit silly. If you went into this Movie with higher expectations, you really need to learn how to pick your Movies.