I Wish I Were Stephanie V

I attended the screening of Stephanie V at the Women in Film festival in Sydney. Was very impressed with what was done with a relatively low budget. The film works well throughout and some of the older characters are particularly enjoyable. The star of the film is Chloe Traicos who also penned the script which is very solid. We can expect great things from Chloe in the future. The story follows three young girls in their quest for love and the hurdles, such as overprotective parents, they have to overcome. Chloe's performance is excellent and she interacts well with the top notch cast. Chloe plays the lead character Helen, a young Greek girl trying to find her way in love and life. Standout performances were Jill McKay. Her role as a traditional overprotective Greek ya ya is hilarious. Kain O'Keefe is also well cast as an energetic friend. I hope this film finds a decent Australian distributor and sales agent as it deserves to go far. I look forward to seeing it on the big screen around Australia.

As a fellow Greek I have to say I absolutely loved this movie. It had splashes of My Big Fat Greek Wedding but with a teen film, girly romance angle to it. The most lovable character is the totally full on Greek grandmother Yaya - played by Jill Mckay who is truly awesome. In some scenes I laughed till I cried. Matrix star Clayton Watson can be recognised as playing the Greek boy hearttrhob - which suits him to a T. Clayton looks so Greek. And newcomer Chloe Traicos plays the lead role of the gawky but sweet, abrasive , but lovable - heroine. Dani Crane and Aimee Falzon are both wonderful in their supporting roles of the two best friends. Dani Crane being the irresistible Stephanie V who everyone wants to be. ( But who has a terrible secret …. No spoilers not telling. You need to see the film)

From what I know so far this film has only screened at festivals. I'm hoping it will get a cinema release soon as its one I want to take my entire Big Fat Greek Family too. On the whole a really good sweet and enjoyable film all round.

This film had me screaming with laughter from the first moment. It tells the story of nerd Helen Andridis ( Brilliantly played by Chloe Traicos) her unrequited passion for Jimmy ( played by the gorgeous Clayton Watson) - her jealousy of the beautiful Stephanie V ( Dani Crane) and the trials and tribulations she shares with her best friend Naz ( Aimee Falzon) Helen's only interest in life is tennis - and Jimmy who her adorable grandmother ( outstandingly played by Jill Mckay) is forever hoping she'll marry. However Helen is too much of a geek to handle it and Jimmy soon falls for the beautiful Stephanie - Uh oh. Greek tragedy Number One. Both Yaya and Jimmy's mother think it is the biggest disaster ever.... and to Helen at first it is..... But ....there's still tennis, Naz, Naz's romance with the lovable quirky Brendan ( another brilliant performance - Kain O' Keefe) and then.... Helen falls in love..... This is technically a girlie film but have to admit all the guys in the audience seemed to love it (including myself - and I was forced to attend the screening) Really hope it goes far! It deserves to!

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!