Girlfriend

I went to this movie with a group of 6 friends and none of us liked it. We tried to like it but we just couldn't. It was over acted and not well written. The main character, Evan, was interesting but you could tell he was be coached off screen. The rest of the cast was tolerable but I don't think Oscar will be calling any of them anytime soon. I actually can't understand why the movie was made. Other than some has beens and soon to be has beens, the storyline has been covered. Amanda Plummer was actually the only bright spot in the movie. She was honest and played the part she was given. If the writing is bad it's really not the actors fault. If you have to see it, wait till it gets to RedBox next month and ask a friend to chip in for the buck.

Evan Grey (Evan Sneider) has Down syndrome. He lives and works with his mom Celeste (Amanda Plummer). Their boss isn't happy with his work. He's in love with single mom Candy (Shannon Woodward). She struggles to get money from her violent possessive baby-daddy Russ (Jackson Rathbone). She's involved with Kenny which drives jealous Russ crazy. Celeste dies and relatives give Evan some money to buy food. Instead, he gives it to Candy and wants her to be his girlfriend.

This is not the normal uplifting Down syndrome movie. Evan Sneider does a great job. There are a lot of awkward motivations. It's very troubling to watch Evan being manipulated. Candy is pushed to make compromises. I applaud trying to make something complex with a mentally handicap character but this is an uncomfortable movie. Combining sexuality and the mentally handicap is a high risk proposition in a movie.

There's only three good things I can say about this movie. Amanda Plummer gave a decent performance. The movie wasn't that long. The concept was good but the writing and finished product were bad. Jackson Rathbone wasn't good. I'm sure these people are trying to cash in on the twilight buzz but it didn't work. The main character, Evan, was believable but his parents should be ashamed for letting these "moviemakers" use him the way they did. Good luck to whoever Paradigm hustles into buying this junk. The Canadian media will not support this project. Make a real movie next time. I would have given it 1 out of 10 stars but someone already did. Get an actual director and do it right.

Please give me back the 90 minutes I wasted on this over-hyped hack job. I can't believe that this thing actually got made. The acting and accents were weak at best. I assume the twilight link was why it got picked for the festival, but we've all seen how well the twilight cast member's (Rob & Kristen) other films have done this year. A studio exec sitting next to me left after fifteen minutes. He looked over at me and rolled his eyes as if to say "give me a break." Unfortunately, now I have to write a review and send it to my editor before midnight California time. I've seen some great films this weekend but this wasn't one of them. Don't waste your time or money.

First, I'm not part of the cast or crew. I'm not "affiliated" with the film in any manner. I watched it at the 2011 Down Syndrome Congress National Convention, and I thought it was well worth the time.

Interestingly enough, I wouldn't classify it as a "Down Syndrome" film. I believe it will be just as entertaining and worthwhile to people who have no affiliation with Down as it is to those who do. It's a solid story that highlights some very believable situations.

The situations related to Down are very poignant, despite not being the focus of the movie -- Evan's ability to care for himself barely scrapes "minimal." He doesn't have the acumen to deal with an antagonistic boss, he makes some very poor financial choices, and at times he simply wanders off in a child-like manner. However, when his mother dies, he's left without any kind of caretaker. Unfortunately, his situation is anything but a flight of movie fancy; it happens every day.

Still, Evan, Down Syndrome, and Evan's uncertain future aren't the focus of the film. Candy brings in another very realistic element: a single mother struggling financially, stuck in an abusive relationship after making some poor relationship choices.

I thought the acting was quite good. In particular, Candy's reaction to Evan's infatuation (and the depth of his infatuation) was superb. Jackson Rathbone did well as Russ, too -- with Russ being such a jerk, it would have been easy to make him a caricature "bad guy." Real people are never that one-dimensional, though, and Rathbone added to the realism of the movie by showing some real internal conflict. Yes, Russ is a jerk, but part of that personality is the result of some internal vulnerability and real world events.

And Evan Sneider was excellent. Another reviewer complained that Evan was "obviously coached." Well, yes, that's what director do. They coached Katherine Hepburn, they coach Tom Cruise, they coach William H. Macy, and I'm sure Justin Lerner coached Evan. Both Justin and Evan did a fine job.

The filming itself was great. I was really impressed by how well the choice of shots emphasized the characters' personalities or relationship with the world.

I'm pretty surprised at the snide comments from some of the other reviewers, particularly intimations that this subject matter is somehow "overdone." One reviewer mentions "Life Goes On" -- news flash, folks, that series wrapped up 17 years ago. And the idea that "Girlfriends" is exploitive is ludicrous. The fact that Evan's character is mentally challenged is essential to the plot.

Overall, this was an excellent film and certainly worth taking the time to watch.