Amigas de fuego

I've always loved watching Angelina Jolie on screen... but watching her in "Foxfire" quite literally gave me *chills* (and still does). When Legs first walks into Maddy's classroom and they do that long, slow pan up - from head to foot - of Legs, you can instantly feel Angie's incredible magnetism and presence.

As much as people would like to point out the negative aspects of this film - that violence of any sort is "unladylike" or just plain wrong coming from females - "Foxfire" has got many more positive ones on its side.

Maddy and Legs' relationship is one of the warmest, most heartfelt I've ever seen portrayed on film ... Legs is not so much a maternal figure as she is a supportive driving force. She teaches each of the girls to respect themselves and not be ashamed or afraid to be who they are. If anything, I think it's Maddy that's the maternal one ... directing her loving and protective instincts towards Legs. Maddy teaches Legs to open up her heart and stop *running* long enough to realize that some people *can* love you and not abandon you (like her father) or die (like her mother). She teaches her to care again... to love again.

"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 have seen this movie in 1996 when it was released. We didn't know who Jolie was back then but I think this is where producers discovered her even though she'd already made a few movies. This film is mostly about different human beings meeting and changing the life of each other. Just like in real life, you meet someone that has nothing to do with you or your interests but this person will make you feel alive, make you do and beleive stuff you never thought possible. Legs is there only like a tornado sweeping off everything on it's path. And sometimes it can be a good thing. Of course there is many subject related to womwn solidarity, girl power, and bla bla bla. But really a movie is what you see but what comes out of it and what you learn is entirely up to you.

The book was better. Much, much better. Even the presence of Angelina Jolie failed to salvage this feeble flick about a "girl gang." The 5 girls have practically no chemistry, and taking the setting out of the 1950s where it belongs, sexism and other social problems the ORIGINAL Foxfire girls fought seems irrelevant. Yeah, girl power, all the way. Let's talk about guys and hide out in an abandoned shack.

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.