I Like Movies
- 2022
- 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
4.1K
YOUR RATING
Lawrence Kweller, a socially inept 17-year old cinephile, gets a job at a video store, where he forms a complicated friendship with his older female manager.Lawrence Kweller, a socially inept 17-year old cinephile, gets a job at a video store, where he forms a complicated friendship with his older female manager.Lawrence Kweller, a socially inept 17-year old cinephile, gets a job at a video store, where he forms a complicated friendship with his older female manager.
- Awards
- 4 wins & 12 nominations total
Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll
- Yuppie Man
- (as Rodrigo Stoll)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
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.
I can't say enough good things about this movie! It's a charming, heart-breaking coming-of-age story that will make film lovers everywhere laugh with recognition. And I love how specific and true it is to its Southern Ontario setting. A masterpiece.
Anyone who says the protagonist is unlikeable, just doesn't get it. He's flawed and human and it's delightful to watch him learn the errors of his ways and grow as a person.
Director Chandler Levack is in full control of her story, period details are spot on and the acting is superb.
This is one of the best Canadian films I have ever seen hands down.
Anyone who says the protagonist is unlikeable, just doesn't get it. He's flawed and human and it's delightful to watch him learn the errors of his ways and grow as a person.
Director Chandler Levack is in full control of her story, period details are spot on and the acting is superb.
This is one of the best Canadian films I have ever seen hands down.
I found this quirky film a gem. It's authentic, not pretentious.
The main character is wonderfully portrayed - he's lovable, insufferable, a brat, rude - everything that a teenager can be. His relationships with his friends, co-workers and teachers were so real and not contrived a la Hollywood.
Sometimes it goes over the top. Sometimes it's hilarious. It's about the love of movies and teenage dreams of being the next great director.
I give it an 8 because it does have a Canadian feel (a positive thing for me) and it's never boring. I'll remember it the next time I go through Aldershot!
The ending has a happy resolution - our star is growing up!
The main character is wonderfully portrayed - he's lovable, insufferable, a brat, rude - everything that a teenager can be. His relationships with his friends, co-workers and teachers were so real and not contrived a la Hollywood.
Sometimes it goes over the top. Sometimes it's hilarious. It's about the love of movies and teenage dreams of being the next great director.
I give it an 8 because it does have a Canadian feel (a positive thing for me) and it's never boring. I'll remember it the next time I go through Aldershot!
The ending has a happy resolution - our star is growing up!
This is a charming project in theory, but as the film goes along it becomes harder and harder to like the protagonist. Sure, his dad died, but he's a total jerk to everyone around him without any provocation whatsoever. He should show much more character development much earlier in the movie.
Frankly, i understand the type of stress he's going through, but i don't like the stereotype of a mentally ill person behaving chaotically while everyone around them is trying their best to be nice. This is a hollywood stereotype that basically never happens in real life, and the reality is that people don't keep acting like this unless others are bullying/abusing them, and that's really not happening.
The film in general would be much better if there were real pressing reasons for him to act these ways, because i don't think leaning on/fetishizing teen angst is a good way for the script to fill itself out.
The climax of the film is just a bunch of arguments and bad behavior when it should have been nice, and by the time we get to the uplifting segments. It's too little too late, because the protagonist still has not experienced any character development. The only thing that's changed is his haircut and the people around him, and it's utterly implausible that these pretty girls would be talking to him. This isn't because he's overweight, in fact i think his appearance is generally fine, but his personality in this film is just utter trash.
Frankly, i understand the type of stress he's going through, but i don't like the stereotype of a mentally ill person behaving chaotically while everyone around them is trying their best to be nice. This is a hollywood stereotype that basically never happens in real life, and the reality is that people don't keep acting like this unless others are bullying/abusing them, and that's really not happening.
The film in general would be much better if there were real pressing reasons for him to act these ways, because i don't think leaning on/fetishizing teen angst is a good way for the script to fill itself out.
The climax of the film is just a bunch of arguments and bad behavior when it should have been nice, and by the time we get to the uplifting segments. It's too little too late, because the protagonist still has not experienced any character development. The only thing that's changed is his haircut and the people around him, and it's utterly implausible that these pretty girls would be talking to him. This isn't because he's overweight, in fact i think his appearance is generally fine, but his personality in this film is just utter trash.
I loved this little Canadian-made film! It's a great nerd-coming-of-age story. Even though I'm way older than any of the characters in this movie, it still somehow connected with me on the emotional level numerous times. The script is great and the acting is excellent, performed by a well-cast ensemble group. Isaiah Lehtinen did a great job in the lead. I now have a huge crush on Romina D'Ugo! The washed-out suburban no-name locations were a perfect fit for that particular story. Writer-Director Chandler Levack has a great future ahead of her. I would recommend this film to anyone who loves movies!
Did you know
- TriviaA majority of the video rental store set was obtained from an abandoned Blockbuster that had been sitting vacant for around a decade in Owen Sound, Ontario. Asbestos in the store forced the movie crew to find a different building to be the set location. They found an empty thrift shop in Ajax, Ontario and built it into the "Sequels Video" store.
- GoofsA DVD of the film Starry Eyes can be seen in a shot. The film takes place in 2002, even though Starry Eyes was released in 2014.
- SoundtracksIII. Saraband
Written by George Frideric Handel
Performed by Daniel Hope, Lorenza Borrani, Lucy Gould, Stewart Eaton, William Conway, Enno Senft, Kristian Bezuidenhout, Stefan Maass and Stefan Rath
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Details
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $950
- Runtime1 hour 39 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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