Whatever

I thought this film was a thoughtful reflection on an overlooked period of time. The significance of it's taking place in 1981 was the last hurrah of the "Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll" era. AIDS soon followed, and casual sex died. The sex is a big part of the story, a realistic portrayal of a teenage girl's struggles with her newborn womanhood.

The peer pressure to do drugs, smoke, and have crazy meaningless/meaningful sex, all induced by the young idiots around her, happens to most American kids. Anna's dreams of art school are nearly crushed by the combination of her friends, her lonely, pathetic mother, and the usual teenage self-deprecation. It's not hard at all to relate to this character.

It seems that this movie was too subtle for some viewers. Perhaps some people don't want to know the female side of stories we've seen the male counterparts of (quite redundantly) through the years. I welcomed the fresh point-of-view the film possesses. My only true beef would be that it may have been a little too long, but then again, wasn't this writer/director Susan Skoog's first film?

A good film with fine direction of realistic performances (with the exception of the "nerdy" teacher - ugh) and a nice accompanying soundtrack. Overall, I liked it quite a bit.

I don't think I'd ever heard of this film, but it caught my eye in a table of used videos for sale. I enjoy the TV show Gilmore Girls and recognized Liza Weil on the cover. What a gem this film is! It's not "entertaining" like most escapist films, it's a fairly realist look into the life of a girl who may have a future or who may slide into a miserable life of drugs and drink, perhaps even crime. I found it engrossing, and marveled at Liza Weil, so little utilized in the TV programs I've seen her in. Frederick Forrest also stands out as an enthusiastic art teacher, and I enjoyed how the ex-con was more than a stereotype.

I saw this film quite by accident one night on one of the sky movies channels. I wasn't sure about it at the start, but it was one of those films that you start watching not intending to finish watching it, but them get into it. This is what happened with me and in the end i thought it was an excellent movie.

Mr. Stanley was like my maths teacher and the art teacher just like my art teacher; enthusiastic, encouraging, and all round fantastic teacher.

I think the strong leading female character, Anna, was well acted and portrayed very realistically. Both female actresses are very talented and deserve all good that has come out of this film.

What a movie!!! A pleasant surprise I caught purely by accident the other night on the Sundance channel. As a person who was 13 in 1981, this movie struck a chord in me that wasn't just nostalgia. Most of the characters were memorable and more than just a little familiar to me; Ana, VERY real, I knew half a dozen girls like her, including me. Her English professor, the spiteful and vindictive Mr. Stanley, who didn't have a pain in the ass teacher like this? All of the various heads, drunks and sluts that flocked to Friday night keggers and house parties. Even her ever-hopeful, yet terribly sad mother was a brilliant touch. The script was so well written, in that, while there wasn't much of a real storyline, a few days in the life really, even the secondary characters were anything but one dimensional.

I loved the soundtrack as well, not only did it make me want to break out some of my highschool vinyl, it did a great job of enhancing scenes without taking over and drowning out the actors.

The best thing about this movie though, no FAKE, sugary Hollywood ending!

While many will write this off as a slow and plotless waste of celluloid, I found it to be an excellent portrayal of the disconnection and confusion that plagues our youth. Sad to say, this could have had a "based on a true story" title card at the beginning. I've known girls who expressed their praise towards this film for it captures their growing-up period perfectly. If it feels like it's going nowhere, well that just adds to the film's realism. Unlike KIDS, the lead character finally is conscious of her transgressions and thus finds redemption. I find that reason alone, as well as the entire film, worthy of the recognition that it deserves. Rent it with an open mind...