Big Girls Don't Cry

One of those films I advise parents to watch when their daughters become this special age. Although I absolutely adore this film, I think it could have been just as good with a little less profanity and a little more about the implications and results of actions. Especially drug use is somehow displayed a little too carelessly. Anna Mariah Mühe is a gorgeous girl with the most beautiful eyes ever to be seen on a cinema screen. Just for that the film is absolutely watchable.

All together a really good film with many highs, but not advisable for an afternoon with the family.

So why was this movie not a big bang ? It should have been. I have no clue what was missing, it was a good story, great acting, everything. Maybe it was the title. But even that one wasn't that bad, surprising for a german movie. Nevertheless it soon left the cinema again, and nobody ever talked about it.

This is a movie about girls, and for girls. Its much more serious than other attempts for making such a movie, so no dirt jokes like, for example, in american pie 2. Instead it is about the problems and wishes of modern girls, such as love, faith, school, freedom, security and rape.

Maybe that was the reason for its failure. A movie about girls, how uncool ? I don't know, but I can highly recommend this one to anyone interested.

"Big Girls Don't Cry" is a little German gem about two affluent late teen females - best friends since childhood - whose bond of love for each other is tested when life experiences force them to cope with serious matters of character and integrity. The film is a stylish shoot, imbued with the ever present aura of a female auteur, which offers some superb performances by a young cast, especially tyro Mühe, as it wends it way through a somewhat thin story with realism, balance, proportion, and a distinct absence of that most prevalent of cliches - teen angst. A huge kudo to von Heland for this engrossing little foreign subtitled film which will play best with females, especially teens and young adults into foreign flicks. (B)

Note - If you like this film, you might want to give "Bandits 1997" a try.

I don't think that this is a movie just for girls. I'm a guy and I thought it was brilliant. I think it's a movie just for teenagers and the effect that parents can have on their kids. I mean, Steffi goes crazy when she finds out about her dad's affair and wants to ruin other people's lives, and I think it was portrayed beautifully on-screen. I think that people should take a closer look at how they can take care of their kids.

I also think it's just a beautiful movie of friendship and how far you'll go to help a friend, without losing yourself along the way, as in Kati's situation. I thought it was just a beautiful movie, and I love watching this on TV. I've seen it about 8 times now and still continue to watch it every now and then. By the way, this is the first foreign movie I've seen fully. Sub-titles usually bother me, but they didn't with this one.

I'm out of words after watching this film.. It's totally fascinating! The acting by the young actresses is flawless, and pretty much everyone else is also doing a good job throughout the movie. The storyline is also quite harsh but intriguing. It has the features of a coming of age movie, and what not. Someone has said "underrated masterpiece" about this movie before.Well, I couldn't agree more.. Although I'm a fan of German movies in general, I have to say this one was special for sure. Especially the outstanding performance of youngster Anna Maria Mühe adds delight to the film. The only minor flaw about the flick in general is that it should have been some 12-15 minutes longer instead of pacing up through the last moments. Other than that, it meets my criteria of perfection. Go see it NOW!

9/10