Just Looking

...and somehow a relief from the modern teen comedies such as American pie, Road trip, Not another teen movie,...

Maybe the acting is not on the level, like it was in The Bronx tale with Rober De Niro or so deep story as in My girl, but hey, at least in this movie kids are shown as they really are. At that age they would like to know everything about sex and here is it shown without a prejudice. I was quite surprised to see an American director to go that far, since Hollywood is so puritan, compared to European production. Well done.

With a little more ambition, this movie would surely be more memorable (maybe with a stronger story and beside Gretchen Mole, some other famous actor).

But despite that, the movie is quite enjoyable to watch it on the video and that's why a little above average grade of

6 out of 10

In the 50s, in Bronx, Lenny Levine (Ryan Merriman) is a Jewish teenager trying to discover sex, being quite obsessed by sex in a naive way. He does not like his stepfather and misses his father, who died a couple of years ago. After trying to see his stepfather having sex with his mother Sylvia Levine Polinsky (Patti LuPone), he is sent to Brooklyn to spend his summer vacation with his pregnant aunt Norma de Lorenzo (Ilana Levine) and his Italian uncle Phil de Lorenzo (Peter Onorati). He likes his uncle Phil and becomes friend of a boy and two girls of his age, who have a "sex club", and Alice, the most experienced of the group, explains subjects related to sex to the others. Later, Lenny has a crush on the nurse Hedy Coletti (Gretchen Mol), a former model. Along his vacation, the reality about the relationship of his father and his mother is disclosed to Lenny, while he learns many topics about sex, reaching the adolescence. "Just Looking" was a great surprise for me: the ridiculous Brazilian title ("The Indiscreet Lens") hides a delightful and nostalgic movie about reaching the adolescence in the 50s. In some moments, it slightly recalls the classic "Summer of 42". It is impossible not liking "Just Looking", which is sensitive, funny, with a magnificent screenplay and dialogs and excellent direction and performance of the cast. Indeed, it is a must-see movie, recommended for any audience. Gretchen Mol is amazingly beautiful in the role of Hedy, and Ryan Merriman and Amy Braverman are excellent in the roles of curious teenagers. I saw this movie on VHS, but today I am going to buy the DVD. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "A Lente Indiscreta" ("The Indiscreet Lens")

I stumbled upon this film on IFC, had nothing better to do, so I sat & watched. I found myself thoroughly enjoying this movie! The kids are real kids, speaking the way kids speak. Ryan Merriman plays Lenny so well, and I loved Amy Braverman's Alice character. I felt, watching her, like I was watching myself at that age, and was rooting for her & Lenny to kiss...and was not disappointed! Catch it if you can!

Alexander and Karp hit a home run with this sweetly sentimental little slice-of-life flick about a Bronx boy in the 50's when his hormones have kicked in and he finds himself preoccupied with sex. Merriman makes a solid centerpiece among some fine character actors and the much under-rated Gretchen Mol as our little hero learns lessons about life, love and...yeah, sex too. A cute, fun, and earnest little romp for anyone who can harken back to when sex was just one big question mark.

Just saw this at a film festival, and it was one of the highlights of my weekend. This was a sweet, funny, sometimes touching film, well directed by Seinfeld vet Alexander. The story deals with a sex-starved 14-year old boy. But since it's set in 1955 and not 1999, all he wants is to see two people in the act. He thinks his plans are dashed when his widowed mother (Patti LuPone) and her new husband send him from the Bronx to his Aunt and Uncle's in the country (Queens). He lucks out to find a bra model (Gretchen Mol) living on his block. I won't give away the rest, but Ryan Merriman as the boy was great. When this opens, as it certainly should, get right out to it. It's the kind of film they just don't make enough of.