Foxfire

I bought this movie without ever hearing of it before. After seeing the cover and reading the back, I was intrigued. I was not disappointed in the least. Angelina Jolie is acting's best kept secret...or was at least. Now she is starting to finally get the recognition she deserves. The storyline, acting, and camera work was splendid. The bond that forms between the group of girls is touching as is the bond between Maddie and Legs. True, many may not like this movie after reading the novel, because the two are so different, but the movie is more modernized and appeals to a larger audience. The end of the movie never fails to get me choked up. 10/10.

This is not by any stretch of the imagination a great film. The characters are two-dimensional, the plot is clunky, the sound is spotty, the directing is uneven... but "Foxfire" is worth watching because a previously unknown young actress named Angelina Jolie waltzed onto the set and completely stole this movie.

From her memorable entrance, with the camera panning slowly up from her boots, this movie belongs to Jolie. Part riot-grrl James Dean, part goth Ingrid Bergman, smoldering with sexual tension-- she's simply perfect in this part.

The rest of the cast is pretty solid, the indie rock soundtrack is great, and the story manages to avoid being completely predictable... which is pretty rare for a teen flick. "Foxfire" is a schlocky movie, to be sure, but it's definitely a guilty pleasure.

This movie spoke to me, literally, watching it, I could feel what the characters were feeling. I love watching movies about the bond/friendship between teenage girls coming of age, their just so real. The only problem with the movie that I had, was the part where they take Goldies dad hostage, I just can't see that happening in real life, plus it just wasn't like Legs to do that, the storyline just went way off there, but every other parts of the movie were fantastic! I liked the part where they broke into the school and all hell broke loose *laughs* that was funny. I just loved Angelina Jolies character 'legs' I wish I had her power. I ALSO recommend this movie to anyone who is a big Angelina Jolie fan like me *smiles* And dont listen to all those critics who say that its a lesbianish film, because its not, its just about the friendship that forms between five 18 year old girls.

"Foxfire" is about a group of high school girls who are empowered by a mysterious rebel (Angelina Jolie) who drifts into their lives. That itself is a great theme, and I love a good rebel story as much as the next guy or gal.

But this isn't a straightforward "go girl power" flick. Early in the film, things start to get out of hand when the girls resort to violence and criminal activities, and as you can guess things get trickier as the film approaches its tense conclusion.

To me, the beauty of this film is not the simple message about girls fighting back. It's the complex theme of how far is too far? Whether you're a male or female, when is violence justified? And is vigilante justice true justice, or just another form of aggression? These are ideas which the director certainly wants us to consider. Although Jolie's character is definitely glorified for her badass ways, there are enough seeds of doubt to make us wonder if she's really such a great role model.

Excellent acting by a young Angelina Jolie make this a real treat to watch, even for people who aren't her fans. She plays a tough role: a person who is always in control, always cool, yet suppressing some vulnerabilities & volatile demons within.

The directing style is very artistic without getting bogged down with itself. Great attention is paid to colors and composition of shots which, if you pay attention to that sort of thing, will really impress you. I had initially feared that this would have an "ABC afterschool special" vibe to it, but it's clearly in a serious league. As a tangent to that thought, there is some nudity (male posterior in the beginning, and a scene with several topless girls performing a sort of ritual, none of which is sexual).

By the way, there's also a scene depicting a bunch of ill-fated frogs nailed to boards in biology class, but the disclaimer at the end says it was simulated and no animals were harmed.

"Foxfire" reminded me of two similar films that focus on young girls fighting back. These are: the iconic 1988 "Heathers" (a dark comedy about a few murder/suicides at a high school, starring a young Winona Ryder), and the relatively obscure but powerful 2000 "The Smokers" (another dark comedy about high school girls striking back at rapists... by raping them back!). Along with Foxfire (1994) all of these films, one for each decade, present the viewer with a very compelling look at feminism. But whether you're a guy or a girl (I'm a guy if you hadn't guessed), they present charming & chilling portrayals of vigilante justice. Oh, I'll add one more to the list, the most recent addition: "Super" (2010) a very funny--and very disturbing--look at what happens when the rebel gets too wrapped up in his/her idea of "justice". If this theme interests you, your time will not be wasted on any of this great movies.

I know women who have lived lives similar to the people in this movie, and it reminded me of them so much. This movie, which does contain some unoriginal pieces to it (which movies don't?), literally made me cry - I fell in love with it. The girls grouped together because they loved each other, and not for "lesbian" ways like some other people who've written on here have mentioned, but in a way of deep heartful respect and trust for each other. My girlfriend watched the movie with me (I first suggested the movie, by the way), and she cried as well, reminded of her past no doubt.

It was a lovely film of women coming of age, going through their rites of passage as it were, and was needed in our glut of male-only movies. I'm listening to the Colorado high school shootings now, and I feel that we need more of these rite of passage movies and less gun-toting movies, we need to get in touch with who we are as people... and this movie definitely touched on that subject well.