SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

ChampDavSlim The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Clarior Tenebris I was a little wary of watching this movie given the title, and even more so after reading the plot description. Just looking at the movie poster in combination with the title, it appeared to be some disgusting BDSM movie between a minor and a middle-aged man (barf). So while I was racking my brains trying to figure out why my mom would order such a movie, I read a couple reviews saying the title was misleading- it is. Kind of. I still felt like barfing in the end.Overall, this movie did not possess or enthrall me. I definitely think the plot had a lot of potential, but it wound up coming off as sappy and contrived. Personally, I didn't feel emotional at all during this film. I was expecting to be able to relate to Leelee Sobieski's character, and while I felt she gave a good performance, the actual writing made her too unbelievable, inconsistent, and at times just really unlikeable. It was hard to connect to her. Another problem I had was with the passage of time. It felt like things were happening too abruptly- before I could really become emotionally engaged. On a more positive note: I will say, there are some gem moments in the script and cinematography that made it worth the watch. A couple scenes stood out to me as particularly memorable for their lines and stylistic execution. Not a horrible movie, but not one I would recommend to my friends.

moonspinner55 Jill Franklyn wrote this coming-of-age comedy-drama which never gets the nimble balance between laughs and pathos quite right. Antisocial 17-year-old girl, into Goth attire, facial piercings, and suicide notes (and, in the completely off-putting first scene, smearing her own blood across her handwritten poetry), cleans herself up and gets a job in the stockroom of a local men's clothing store; there, she befriends her middle-aged boss, who doesn't have any friends either. Christine Lahti made her feature directorial debut here, and the scenario is littered with celebrity friends and (for the most part) a good-natured air. Some of the early visual jokes do not work at all, though Lahti is very adept at setting up intimate conversational moments. Her film would seem to share a common thread with the later "Lost in Translation", but--by focusing most of the attention on the ill-tempered, foul-mouthed teenager (Leelee Sobieski, dressed like a sewer rat)--interest in the central relationship takes an awfully long time to build. Albert Brooks is rather adorable in cardigan sweaters and a natty mustache, but Brooks does more for the movie than it does for him. By the halfway mark, the picture has sunk into a vat of mushy sentiment, clichés, and scenes lifted from other (better) movies and television shows. ** from ****

landisc ... so I can't really rate it. But I can say that the character J was pretty annoying. So she paints with blood and sits down on moving escalators and glares at the conformist sheep surrounding her in the mall. Was the "Comedy" part of this moving supposed to be laughing at her? If so, then yeah, it's pretty funny! Otherwise the movie is painfully dull, kind of like the knife J uses to cut herself.I will say that the friendship that arises between J and her boss is somewhat interesting. Nonetheless, I watched this movie on a Tivo and found myself wanting to fast forward not only through the commercials, but through the movie as well. I would recommend that only individuals with a very high tolerance for angsty, attention-seeking teenage characters watch this motion picture.

ceejay1-1 This is a fantastic idea for a film and one that doesn't conjure up any easy comparisons, perhaps Harold and Maude. Key to the execution of the writer's ambitious vision were the touching performances by Albert Brooks and Leelee Sobieski in the two main roles.The movie is focused more on the teen-aged girl's point of view as she tries to pull middle-aged Albert Brook's character into her world, which is an interesting way to go but not very believable. Albert Brooks shines in an understated way.The movie lets down a bit after the first 1:13 and should have been shorter. The movie has too many characters that remain undeveloped throughout the movie, features an unfortunate plot twist at the end involving a relative Albert Brooks' character didn't know existed, and offers strange elements that detract from the movie's realism (e.g., the "I see dead people" facet and "Caspar the friendly wife" quirk--the purpose of the latter being completely lost on me). I think two love interests were introduced merely to remove any lingering ideas the viewer may have about the nature of the characters' relationship, which we are assured is platonic. I thought the moral of accepting of other people as they are could have been underlined a bit more in place of the unnecessary plot turns.The film's worth watching for the story idea and for the performances of Brooks and Sobieski. I'm glad I didn't see it in the theater because I would've embarrassed myself.