Obcecado por Cinema

In excellent, low-key '90s-based rites-of-passage dramedy "I Like Movies" quirky (to almost 'on the spectrum' level) cinephile teen nerd Isaiah Lehtinen (off-the-scale good) dreams of NYU film school from his nondescript Canadian high school while being painfully condascending to those around him (like pal Percy Hynes White & mum Krista Bridges) before rather idolising Romina D'Ugo, his manager at the video-store job that he loves. Debut writer (and director) Chandler Levack EXCELS with his authentic script of genuine characters - all terrifically performed to give it the feel of "Clerks", but more 'real'. Stars should be born from this wonderful gem.

It's a Canadian comedy-drama set in 2003, primarily in Burlington, Ontario, with a few scenes at the end in Ottawa. It follows a teenager in the last year of high school obsessed with Saturday Night Live and commercial movies but is socially inept.

Lawrence Kweller (Isaiah Lehtinen) is a pudgy, smart-mouthed teenager who attends a large high school in Burlington, Ontario (a suburb of Hamilton, Ontario, on the Toronto side). He lives with his single mom (Krista Bridges); his father's absence is explained partway through the film. His best friend, Matt (Percy Hynes White), and Lawrence spend every Saturday night (Rejection Night) watching Saturday Night Live. They've agreed to produce the school's yearend memory movie but have trouble getting started and get in trouble with their teacher (Anand Rajaram). Nevertheless, Lawrence dreams of getting into the film program at New York University, despite the cost being far beyond his family's means.

The film follows Lawrence's efforts to make money for university by working at the local outlet of a big-chain video store. He becomes enamored with his manager, Alana (Romina D'Ugo), who is attractive but pushing age 30. His friendship with Matt changes because of his work schedule and Matt's decision with an accomplished female classmate (Eden Cupid), who is an experienced film editor. The film climaxes with a crisis at the video store and Lawrence's ultimate post-secondary decision.

"I like Movies" was more drama and less comedy than I expected. The dialogue was well-done, and Lawrence's personality was a teenager with whom you could develop a real love-hate relationship. Isaiah Lehtinen, Krista Bridges, and Romina D'Ugo were excellent. Eden Cupid was outstanding in a minor role. However, I found the film's ending too facile to be believable and the film's opening a bit jarring. The core storyline was good, though Lawrence was more naive about university than someone knowing the details of NYU's film program would be.

I encourage film lovers to get out to see I LIKE MOVIES while during its theatre run.

Writer and Director Chandler Laveck has written such compelling and complex human beings.

The lead protagonist Lawrence Kweller is at all times amusing, frustrating, unlikable and endearing. What a tough sell! Actor Isaiah Lehtinen has done a fantastic job of hitting the right notes every moment.

Others Romina D'Ugo, Krista Bridges and Percy Hynes-White's solid chemistry on screen was steadfastly convincing throughout. The film is so tight with the smallest details from art direction, costuming, language, pop culture references, character motivations and development.

This movie had the title going for it. The storyline sounded interesting as well: back to the days of the video store, which only folks above 30 will probably remember.

More good: the dialogues were interesting as well, with many namedrops of classic movies from the past.

The characters were kinda interesting, but there the good news ended, because the actors were lacking in actor's chemistry. They for sure werent terrible actors, merely just not charismatic enough to carry this movie.

Half way through I began to get somewhat irritated by these actors, who usually would only star in cheaply produced television movies.

Not terrible, but certainly not recommended either...

Watching this film, I couldn't help but forgive its shortcomings. It was clearly made on a shoestring budget, with unremarkable locations and occasionally amateurish performances. However, the story's universal appeal overshadowed these flaws. As a film lover and someone who struggles with socializing, I found myself deeply moved and able to relate. The film tackles the theme of moving on and growing up, a familiar territory in cinema. Despite lacking groundbreaking elements, it exudes a nostalgic charm that captivates. The writing, direction, and acting are surprisingly strong, which adds to its merit.