Foxfire

Not a perfect film, but I got a great feeling from it. I love movies about girls together, being strong and being friends. Not being intimidated and even laughing when the football team shows up to threaten them. Some of the things they did were not ideal, but they were kids, and they made mistakes. Legs was a cool character, and she meant well even when she was acting nuts. But it showed girls sticking together in the face of a "man's" world, the boys visiting their house in the woods, the boys attacking them and the girls commandeering the truck... dancing in the house, driving fast and music blaring... when girls are together, laughing and feeling great in their own skin, nothing else in the world matters, and no opression can hold them. That's the feeling I got from this film.

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.

This is not by any stretch of the imagination a great film. The characters are two-dimensional, the plot is clunky, the sound is spotty, the directing is uneven... but "Foxfire" is worth watching because a previously unknown young actress named Angelina Jolie waltzed onto the set and completely stole this movie.

From her memorable entrance, with the camera panning slowly up from her boots, this movie belongs to Jolie. Part riot-grrl James Dean, part goth Ingrid Bergman, smoldering with sexual tension-- she's simply perfect in this part.

The rest of the cast is pretty solid, the indie rock soundtrack is great, and the story manages to avoid being completely predictable... which is pretty rare for a teen flick. "Foxfire" is a schlocky movie, to be sure, but it's definitely a guilty pleasure.

"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 know women who have lived lives similar to the people in this movie, and it reminded me of them so much. This movie, which does contain some unoriginal pieces to it (which movies don't?), literally made me cry - I fell in love with it. The girls grouped together because they loved each other, and not for "lesbian" ways like some other people who've written on here have mentioned, but in a way of deep heartful respect and trust for each other. My girlfriend watched the movie with me (I first suggested the movie, by the way), and she cried as well, reminded of her past no doubt.

It was a lovely film of women coming of age, going through their rites of passage as it were, and was needed in our glut of male-only movies. I'm listening to the Colorado high school shootings now, and I feel that we need more of these rite of passage movies and less gun-toting movies, we need to get in touch with who we are as people... and this movie definitely touched on that subject well.