My Horrible Year!

Dear Reader ...this film, amidst the cesspool of teenage-hopeful movies, really sticks out, kinda shines even. It lacks a lot of the campiness that is usually token with this kinda film, and replaces it with some refreshing realism (occasional profanity, believable scenarios, etc). I mean "Sure".... the narrator Nik (oh MAN what a cutie) tells a rather relative, angst-riddled tale, and is complimented well by her supportin' cast, includin' Mimi Rogers as the "stacked Aunt Marion". Eric Stoltz did a bang-up job directing this, from start to finish, even if the ending did leave a bit to be desired (just, it was predictable, that's all!). All things told, for being made-for-TV, delivered. It gets this fella's Stamp O' Approval.

This is a charming little film, meant for kids I think.

The story is this; Nik (Allison Mack) is about to turn 16 and is

burdened with problems- her mom and dad (Karen Allen and a really funny

Brian Heighton) have hit financial hard times, and they are forced to

work at 'lesser' jobs until better times return. Also, Nik's uncle (Eric

Stoltz) has just died of a heart attack, and Nik thinks her dad is

fooling around with her sexy widowed aunt ( Mimi Rogers). But the

biggest drag is that Nik's mother recently had twins and Nik has to baby

sit them when Mom goes to work every day. It's a teenage girls

nightmare, but luckily she has some really great and funny friends that

bolster her (and us) whenever they're on screen.

It's basically teenage girl vs. the world, and from my point of view her

problems are very small, but like all teens, to her they seem

insurmountable. Consequently, sometimes I had a hard time caring about

her dilemma, but I did keep caring for her. Allison Mack gives a great

performance, deftly balancing comedy and (self involved) pathos- I

enjoyed her very much. I enjoyed the entire cast, to be honest.

There's a lot of odd moments and quirky laughs that came out of nowhere,

obviously they were trying to make more than just another teen film, and

for the most part they succeeded.

I must say it was such a relief to see a movie about teenagers where the

actors are REALLY TEENAGERS! Allison Mack stars as 'Nik Faulkner',

you'll recognize her from 'Smallville', and she was only 18 when she

made this film, and it shows- in a good way. She looks 15 and even has a

little layer of baby fat that she's since shed for Smallville, but she's

ADORABLE. Even though it's a completely different genre, I liked this as

much as 'Smallville'; the side-characters of Babyface and Mouse are

realistic and funny and even kind of moving. The adults are good too but

they didn't really have much to do, as it's told from the kids point of

view. What's nice is that it's a film about loners and the gulf between

children and their parents, but there's no bitter irony or bad attitudes

present. These kids are deep and trying to become better people which is

something not seen in too many films for and about kids.

I loved it!

Okay, "made for TV" -- Showtime, actually -- rarely means "watchable," but Smallville star Allison Mack really shines as the clunky-but-aware kid with braces, strange friends and a first crush in this purported "slice o' life" comedy. Think "That '70s Show" crossed with "10 Things I Hate About You" and you've about got it. While there are no stand-out performances besides Mack's, most of the supporting characters are quirky enough to be memorable, including Caterina Scorsone as the Bret Harte-idolizing best friend. Credit Eric Stoltz for reasonably fast-paced direction and keeping the characters, if not necessarily the plot, interesting. This is definitely a "either you like it or you don't" movie. I like it.

This one caught me by surprise this morning on a cable channel, and I watched it to the end with a big smile on my face. It's a lovely little light footed teen story, but not like I've come to expect in recent years, in that the girls are really smart and don't look like bimbos, and the guys seem to really care about them. The parents aren't dolts, either. The whole thing was refreshing. A great cast, most of whom I've never seen before, with the exception of Mimi Rogers and Karen Allen. The photography is superb, and even the music is fun. Offbeat, I'd say, not your typical fare, which I kind of like. I recommend it highly, it was really good.