ScoobyWell Great visuals, story delivers no surprises

Micransix Crappy film

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Michelle Ridley The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Mr Black I have never heard of this movie until tonight when I picked it up at the dollar store - seriously. I did like the performances and the script was good. What i didn't like, and this is a small thing but something i never liked in film , was that it was all shot at the bleakest time of year. Looked like late fall. No leaves on the trees,, the grass is not green, the sky is grey. Just a little annoyance for me, but I've always hated that time of year, and it bugs me to see it on film for some reason. The other thing I didn't like was a few strange oddities, such as the brother stating he was going off to the Falklands War. Really? That short war was fought between Argentina and the UK. I don't understand why they would even put that in the script. I was way off, historically. I also didn't get the reference to Lyme disease. Perhaps the girls father did have it,, but it didn't feature hugely into the story other than the fact that he hasn't worked. But otherwise, a good 'see once' film.

kellystacey1980 Scott is your average dork. He adores Star Wars. He also gets picked on a lot at school — something his older brother, Jimmy (played by Rory's real life older brother, Kieran) took care of before he went into the Army. His father, Mickey (Alec Baldwin, who co-produced), has big dreams of cashing in on the great American Suburbia boom — so much so, that he has all but alienated Scott's mother, Brenda (Jill Hennessey). This has taken Brenda's motherly paranoia up a notch, to the point where she seals Scott's pant legs and sleeves up with duct tape so he won't contract Lyme Disease. As if that wasn't bad enough, the Bragg's daughter, Adrianna (Emma Roberts), has found herself at that odd period in life where she is starting her transformation into womanhood — a transformation that has engulfed Scott's interest completely. Further complications arise as Charlie's illness worsens, and Mickey and Melissa's work relationship takes a downward spiral. Yes, it's a turbulent world — especially for poor Scott, who's having a hard enough time trying to find his place to begin with. In short, Lymelife delivers. The movie has a very honest and frank feel to it, taking you back to those awkward years of your own youth. The cast (even the younger ones) turn in some fine performances, and writer/director Martini assembles the whole piece magnificently.

Ralphcycle1 I'm not certain what happened to this film and how it eluded me for so long. Released in 2009, this is a story about two American families coming apart during the 1970's. It's very well told from Rory Culkin's character's perspective, as a young teen discovering his parent's marriage is pretty acrimonious. It also has a coming of age feel to it as Culkin gets his bum whipped, then watches his older brother (played marvelously by real brother Kieran Culkin) literally pulverizes the bully who beat his kid brother. Alec Baldwin, who becomes the focus of most of Culkin's ire, is a true standout. I would say this is his best work since Glengarry Glenross. It also features Emma Roberts in a role that could have easily become a one note sex symbol but she makes it very real and adds depth. Especially during an unforgettable loss of virginity scene that is so uncomfortable even though the actors are fully clothed. I almost took a point away for the ending but then I re-watched it and understood that it was supposed to be just a few simple momenta that ended the film. All the drama had happened and any more would have probably put it too far over the top. This is not a comedy. It is funny. Very funny at times. But not in a yuk yuk way. these people are real and some of the things they say and do are funny in a real sort of way. And it's also a bit heartbreaking. I don't know how I missed this one. It is a classic of the genre.

betthaes The symbolism is cute: miniature houses in the realtor's office represent the lives of Long Island suburbanites. Those adults are, as young Adrianna states, the phonies.I would probably have more sympathy for this film if it weren't yet ANOTHER take on the same theme: the beautiful homes--and the people who inhabit them--are better on the outside than on the inside. "Black Velvet" did it, "American Beauty" did it. Though "Lymelife" has neither the cartoon-ish graphic drama of the former, nor the urbane sophistication of the latter, it peers into the lives of these people and finds the pimples, the warts (in this case, the ticks) that reside within.To their credit, young Emma Roberts and Rory Culkin turn in fine performances; these are surprisingly round characters, and these actors play them with sensitivity and maturity. Timothy Hutton is also entertaining in and understated way. That said, I was unimpressed by Alec Baldwin and Cynthia Nixon's performances.Overall, the story contains some touching moments, but it is too often marred by awkward writing, predictable moments (yes, there is loud sex, and yes, one of the spouses IS actually in the house). Here is another film that features a dark, gloomy look at life in Wonderland, without enough reason for doing so.