Pink Skies Ahead

Aesthetically pleasing film that portrays anxiety in a way I've never seen on film before. Teenaged me could have used this film, thank you to Kelly Oxford for helping the next generation.

It's 1998 L. A. Winona (Jessica Barden) is an aimless 20 year old living with her parents (Marcia Gay Harden, Michael McKean) and working for her father in a meaningless job. She's an aspiring writer but dropped out of school. She can't even pass the driving exam. Her pediatrician Dr. Cotton (Henry Winkler) diagnoses her with anxiety disorder and refers her to psychiatrist Doctor Monroe (Mary J. Blige). Stephanie (Odeya Rush) and Addie (Rosa Salazar) are some of her friends. Her world is shook when her parents announce that they are downsizing to an apartment. She starts dating boring safe Ben.

I like all these actors. Barden is getting a little too old to play this type of role but I still love her deadpan delivery. If only she could swear more here, she would be much more hilarious. The movie needs to get to its point a bit faster. She needs to have her first panic attack in the first act. It's a better reason to see Dr. Cotton than her arm pit. The movie only starts to take off with her inner troubles. The job interview is a very compelling scene. I would like for her to have a few of those scenes and see her progress in her adjustments. This is fine but it could have been more compelling while highlighting a difficult issue.

Isn't the main character supposed to be 20? I get that she has an anxiety disorder, but she acts more like an angsty teenager. It's a little too cringeworthy to watch.

The idea is great and the performances are good but the story is poorly written. The last half hour is good. But the building up to that is very weak and I doubt it is written by anybody who had or knows anything about anxiety attacks. For that matter I doubt the writer even talked to anybody with an anxiety disorder.

It's a shame because if the movie would have been as good as the last 30 minutes it would have been a great movie. Now it's okay and looks more like a teenager coming of age movie.

The plot is okay, just okay. Barden gives a good performance but the dialogue is very poorly written and hackneyed. The film looks nice.