Anything's Possible

This isn't a great movie. It most certainly is a good movie. And as a first offering from Billy Porter there's some incredible material here. Is it fun? Cute? A nice RomCom? Yep.

It's also one of the more important topics we need to be talking about right now. Basic human decency, and the ability for people to live their truth. It's a movie, that happens to be about a trans youth. It deals with some difficult ideas, which is basically adolescence in a nutshell. If the movie offends you, the problem is not with the movie.

Recently I've seen the most disgusting violence I've ever seen in film and television... but someone falls in love with someone else and you're offended?? No. That's not the discussion we need to have. Evolution is hard, and it's going to happen no matter how much you don't want it to.

Kelsa is a modern woman, that just wants her moment to feel loved, and be seen in a world that is trying very hard to erase people like her. Khalid is a kind young man that just follows his heart, into the arms of a woman struggling for identity, a vision of her future, and the need to loved just for who she is. A love story.

If you get that, you'll get this delightful, light, and very needed little bit of comfort cinema. Keep it up, Billy.

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 cute young adult film. I think that it has some strengths like the cinematography, the storyline, and the costume design yet the acting falls a little flat for the main characters. Sometimes the lines would be delivered too flat and sounded amateurish. Overall it doesn't distract from too much of the film. I like Billy Porter's direction with the film and thought he tried to show a new type of romance involving a trans teenager and her life. I think the conflict was somewhat realistic but was wrapped up too quickly. I think the movie wanted to be wholesome yet dramatic but it came off as rushed. Long story short, decent film for those who love young adult romance.

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!

I really admire Billy Porter, a super talented individual who is great at acting and singing. But given this offering, I think he should stick to acting and singing and perhaps stick to producing and finding the right director for his material. Although I was looking forward to a good movie featuring a real trans person and a good script, the whole affair was terribly derivative and so sticky sweet it bordered on nauseating. It reminded me of watching an episode of "Leave It To Beaver" or "Father Knows Best," for anyone out there old enough (and you'd have to be really old) to remember how artificial those episodes felt.

Still, it is groundbreaking in some aspects and I hope to see more movies like this, albeit more realistic and with characters a bit more believable and down-to-earth.