I Wish I Were Stephanie V

I was fortunate to attend the the preview of this film recently at the WOW film Festival. The film about the coming-of-age of 3 girls from very different cultural back-grounds is a must see.

The film is fresh, funny & witty with some serious underlying themes & includes some dramatic, moving and heart-breaking moments.

The cast is sensational. Outstanding are Jill McKay in the hilarious role of an overbearing Greek Ya-Ya, beauteous Aimee Falzon as Naz, an overprotected Pakistani Girl, and the stunning Dani Crane not only shows true athleticism as the tennis champ, Stephanie V, but also delivers an emotive & heart-wrenching performance.

I highly recommend this movie!!

I saw "I wish I were Stephanie V" without knowing anything about the film, except that it was promoted to be a so called "Chick Flick". I found much more in this film than superficial rivalry between women. The characters, both male and female, were all richly developed and I really cared what happened to them throughout the story. The script gave scope to each individual's story and the circumstances that molded their character and situation. I could connect with them all on some level, despite age, gender or ethnicity. And that was another aspect that this film handled well, the complexity of the multi-cultural societies we all live in, and how important it is not to "judge a book by its cover". An engaging and entertaining film for everyone to see.

Have to say as an Independent Comedy Nerd I absolutely enjoyed this wonderful movie. I saw it in New York a few years back and have been trying to get it on DVD but to no avail. It tells the story of 3 girls from 3 different cultural backgrounds living in Australia. Each girl has her own problems struggling with what is expected of her from her family and socially. This is especially seen with the character of Naz - a Muslim girl expected to marry a much older man and instead she falls for a much younger Australian boy. And with Helen - the Greek tennis nerd who has her heart set on the unobtainable Jimmy but then who unexpectedly falls for the macho Jewish stud - Tony. The story is a beautiful coming of age piece about the lives of these 3 girls and the unexpected twists and turns their lives take. And of course there is the element of tragedy when Helen realizes that the exquisitely beautiful Stephanie's life is far from perfect. The cast is superb. I especially like the larger than life Jill Mckay as Yaya. As well as Chloe Traicos who does a great job playing the nerdy Helen. Altogether a really enjoyable piece.

Was not expecting to like this film but was pleasantly surprised. It is quirky cute and hilariously funny. Not to mention the fact all the actresses are just gorgeous - Starts off as a bit of a cliché - Nerdy girl needs a boyfriend. Gorgeous girl steals the boy but then it takes off on a lot of unexpected and hilarious turns including Greek "yayas" going on dates with their granddaughters, and serious Muslim girls realizing that there might be more to life than what mum and dad want. As well as this the plot ends up having a very serious turn which I won't spoil for you. But lets just say its a lot deeper than the average chick flick. 2 thumbs up!

What I love most about Stephanie V were the 3 female character and their intertwining stories and relations. It is great to see female characters further developed than the usual one-layer handbag view we usually get in mainstream movies- I would have even loved to know more! Chloe is fantastic at writing romantic comedies- the story is alive with characters you recognise and situations we find ourselves in too often. It is a positive and uplifting movie, where romance and love is not always an easy experience but in the end always worth it for what it shows us about ourselves. I saw people leaving I Wish I was Stephanie V with smiles on their faces- this is certainly something we want more of with the Australian cinema experience! Go Chloe!