Gretchen

A hilarious, tongue-in-cheek depiction of an awkward girl's bad-boy obsession.

I heard this referred to as "Napoleon Dynamite with a female lead." That is accurate to a point. While Gretchen does employ the subtle, dead-pan humor that is found in the utter niavety of the main character, this is where the similarities between Gretchen and Napoleon Dynamite end.

This movie uses that humor to explore and approach serious questions of suburban life in modern America and incorporates those common themes of isolation, danger seeking (by finding that exciting bad-boy) and that snowballing phenomenon of rejection that occurs in high school.

This film is slow paced, so it is not the best choice for a party, but perhaps if you have an hour and a half to appreciate this movie and its very reserved brand of dark humor, you should be pleasantly surprised!

Great and lovely characters swim through a back drop of ugly dilapidated small town life in this slow burn character study that is touching, funny and poignant.

The film takes it's time to really allow us to see inside the mind of the title character, Gretchen (a charmingly tortured Courtney Davis). The film also boasts a wonderful supporting cast (with Becky Ann Baker who brought wonderful life to the unfairly cancelled Freaks and Geeks years ago) and creatively depressing production design including a fast food joint that God forgot (complete with gurgling nacho cheese machine) and the lamest techno rave ever conceived (at least they sold popcorn for 50 cents).

Great work to everyone involved and congrats on your success.

I often scan the Sundance Channel for films that catch my eye and I thought I would give this movie a try and I was mesmerized from the very first minute! I loved this quirky movie about a sweet, socially awkward girl who falls in love with the bad boys. I loved her mother's soft and loving approach toward her. She was such a pure, innocent darling who wanted to fit in somewhere and who longed for the love she missed out on by not having a dad. I loved her tenacity, especially upon meeting her dad and it turns out she and her dad are so much alike, too! Adorable film, I couldn't take my eyes off it and I loved every minute of it!!

I picked up this movie @ a video store in Austin based on the cover. Had to know who this character was! Immediately after watching, I bought it online. My god, this is a perfect movie. The irony of adults acting out teenage insecurities, the anxiety-inducing hilarity of the pacing, jean on jean & patterned turtle necks. Some scenes reminded me of "Welcome to the Dollhouse," like when Gretchen is on the corded phone talking to a boy and her mom is in the kitchen, elated at the sweet idea of a boyfriend for her daughter, completely unsuspecting of the adult nature of the call. The mom, Becky Ann Baker, plays the SAME kind of mom she does in Freaks & Geeks. Warm, understanding, desperate to save her daughter from the pain of adulthood.

I think what this film does so well, what makes it different, is that its just as sad as it is hysterical. I hurt so badly at times in this movie for Gretchen, but that doesn't stop me from pointing & laughing. The settings are also great - the way Gretchen's mother's house feels like a comfortable cage, her father's house feels like a squatter's, the restaurant she temporarily works at is as pathetic seeming as her attempt to fit in there, the "rave" club is as elementary & hopeless as her escape, etc. The character's wardrobes are just fun. I don't know what year we're living in during this movie, but it doesn't matter.

This movie gave me a lot of feelings, more than Gretchen, probably. And it took me days to shake them. I can't wait to see Courtney Davis again in another Steve Collins flick, "You Hurt My Feelings" - I suggested it to be ordered to my local video store.

"Gretchen" is a sweet, funny coming of age movie about Gretchen Finkle – the most awkward 17 year old you've ever met. She dresses like she's twelve, hasn't been past second base, and has less than zero self-confidence. She seems to only be attracted to loser guys who treat her terribly, and the movie is about her journey to figure out why that is.

The director walks a fine line between making fun of Gretchen and letting her break your heart, and some people might not get it. I thought the tone was refreshing, and totally different than most "teen" movies (In the end, Gretchen might not become a popular cheerleader or "get the guy", but you still cheer for her all the way.) The actors aren't actually in their teens, however, which is part of what makes it funny. This is a movie made by adults who are looking back on those high school years, and commenting on how over-the-top dramatic everything was. It's funny, and painful.

I watched "Punch Drunk Love" again the other day, and realized that "Gretchen" is much more similar to this movie than to "Napoleon Dynamite" or "Welcome to the Dollhouse" (the two movies that I've seen it often get compared to). Gretchen is like a teenage version of Barry – lonely, scared, and harboring a pent-up rage that comes out in totally the wrong ways (Barry smashes a glass door; Gretchen scratches a classmate in the face). But unlike Barry, Gretchen hasn't yet met the person that's going to help her come out of her shell. We're just dropping in on her painful high school period.

"Gretchen" also has a similar tone to "Punch Drunk Love" (the way it skirts the line between comedy and drama), and there is a similarity in the look of both movies (precise compositions, dead-center framing, or the way the camera will rest for a long painful close up of Gretchen's face). Overall, if you enjoyed "Punch Drunk Love", I think you will probably enjoy "Gretchen".