L'histoire

I saw a prescreening of this lovely movie. It explores fresh exciting territory while telling an extremely realistic teen love story. When the leads sneak around and struggle to be together, it has the romance and fun of ROMEO AND JULIET. In other ways it reminds me of THE MAGDALENE SISTERS in that it tells a story that is important for people to see. However, just like in Magdalene Sisters the message doesn't interfere with the high level of entertainment. The mental illness doesn't take over the film. It just provides a unique obstacle that the lovers must get over to be together.

The acting is excellent and the all the characters are really alive, flawed,

passionate and interesting. All in all, this is a warm and funny movie.

"Stateside" is 'based on a true story' and tells the tale of a rich teenager who gets into trouble and is allowed to avoid prison by enlisting in the Marines; he falls in love with a disturbed young woman. We wander to five states (California, Connecticut, New York, North Carolina, and South Carolina) in this disjointed, smoky soap opera. The talented young actors do their best with the mess they are given.

GRADE = "C"

Having shared many conversations with Reverge Anselmo, I found him to be the honorable person portrayed in this wonderful film based on a time in his life. Both he and his film deserve high praise. With "Stateside" R. Anselmo brings the audience an intimate story with the ring of universal truth. Jonathan Tucker captures what I would imagine the young Anselmo to be, a young man of honor who grew up to be an honorable adult. I look forward to seeing future films from this talented writer/director, who presents glimpses of his interior with each project and who will meet with continued success telling stories that resonate with audiences.

If you're over 18 you're bound to be disappointed by this movie. It delivers nothing. It, actually, depresses me. The entire movie is about senseless dramas of stupidity and boredom. In spite of the celebrity cast, it does not take you anywhere emotional, enlightening, or even amusing. What's happening in Hollywood? What's happened to those genius brains? I like to watch movies because I like to escape from reality. However, with the help of Hollywood films, I unfortunately dump from the frying pan into fire. Sad, indeed. I should just stick to foreign films then.

"Stateside" is a quirky romantic comedy. Mark (Jonathan Tucker) is a prep school student with a strict father who sends him to the Marines; Dori (Rachael Leigh Cook) is an aspiring musician with a temper and mental problems. They do a good job of introducing us to the characters; both are quite likable.

The film picks up when our leads are falling in love. The comedy aspects are funny and the romantic aspects are cute. The film gets dramatic at times. In my opinion, too dramatic but the film-makers had things they wanted to say, and I think they wanted to make this a "bigger" film than just a romantic comedy.

The film has a great soundtrack and they got me in a great mood to start the film with Elvis Costello during the opening credits. I recommend "Stateside" for movie fans who want more to their romantic comedies.