I really need to force myself to write these things either when I get home from the movie or the next day. As it stands, it’s been almost two weeks since I saw this flick so don’t expect anything too detailed, but I’ll do my best to give you my basic impressions, what you have in store for you, and whether I recommend it or not. Really, that’s all I should be doing in these things in general, but sometimes I get a little carried away and I just keep on writing and writing and babbling much like I am right now. Anyway…
This was really a high quality flick, though as a solo 21 year old male I felt a little out of place in a theater full of teenage girls and their mothers. Rightfully so though, as this was very much a “chick flick.” Putting all of that aside, however, it was really well done and was a direct hit for its target demographic. As Ebert made note of in his review, the four girls in this film (Tamblyn, Bledel, Ferrera, and Lively) were blessed with meaty roles that most kids their age would die for. You just don’t see this kind of writing and these performances in very many films geared toward the younger crowd.
The concept revolves around four friends who are very different, but despite that they are inseparable and rely heavily on each other, and are therefore a little anxious about the upcoming summer when they will all be separated. A few days before the point of departure the girls find a pair of jeans which magically fits all four girls (who range from skinny waifs to a larger, full-figured Ferrera), so they decide that they will take turns with the pants, keeping them for a week each before sending them to the next girl. At this point, the pants take a back seat and we follow each girl’s summer story.
What’s nice is that all of the story’s are engaging and meaningful to the young woman of today, and all of them manage to touch on different aspects of life. Bledel’s character is in search of love, confidence, and an appreciation of her own worth; Lively is seeking to fill the void left from the suicide of her mother; Ferrera is dealing with being replaced by a new family that her father has married into; and my favorite story involves Tamblyn, the only of the four girls to remain at home, who is finally forced into a situation where she must care and show her emotions when she comes across a young girl dying of leukemia.
The film is very sentimental and it tugs hard on your heartstrings, but it somehow manages to do so believably, and reason for that is found in the performances. Bledel takes a story we’ve all seen before and makes it completely fresh and meaningful. Lively, in her first feature, handles her psychological issues deftly so that we hate what she’s doing but also understand exactly why she’s doing it. Ferrera is powerful as the forgotten daughter. And as I mentioned before, Tamblyn’ story was my favorite. Her journey from the goth “I don’t give a shit” role to laying underneath the stars, talking to a young girl dying of leukemia talking about life and living is breathtakingly beautiful, and I’d also like to not that the young actress who played the girl is highly talented and one to watch.
I said I was going to be brief, eh? Well whatever. Once I get going there’s no stopping me. In closing, I highly recommend this flick to any young girl or women and any guy who isn’t afraid to shed a tear every now and then.
8/10 Awesomes
IMDB Page and Site Directory
IMDB Page
About Me and My Site
Recommendations
Recent Reviews
Still In Theaters
Movie Review Archive
Top 10's!
Cool Links
Home