Girlfriend

Please don't waste anymore of our time with this drab. It's apparent that the actors or crew members are posting reviews. That or they're emailing friends and begging them to post a review. I wish I could say something good about this movie but I can't. I'm glad it's over is about that only good thing I can say. My girlfriend and I read about this "project" and thought we would spend our Sunday night at the Tornoto Film Festival seeing something heartwarming and genuine. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. The writing was awful, most of the acting was forced and there were too many holes in the plot to keep track of. I know I'm supposed to like it but no one else in the audience seemed to like it either. After the movie, I heard at least three or four groups of people laughing about what a waste of time it was. Luckily we saw several other great films at the festival that made it worth while. The festival should have given this film a much later time slot so less people would have wasted their time. My girlfriend works in the industry and she wanted to leave 20 minutes into the movie. Sorry guys the movie doesn't work. Excuse any typos - I didn't want to waste anymore time on this movie than I already have.

First, I'm not part of the cast or crew. I'm not "affiliated" with the film in any manner. I watched it at the 2011 Down Syndrome Congress National Convention, and I thought it was well worth the time.

Interestingly enough, I wouldn't classify it as a "Down Syndrome" film. I believe it will be just as entertaining and worthwhile to people who have no affiliation with Down as it is to those who do. It's a solid story that highlights some very believable situations.

The situations related to Down are very poignant, despite not being the focus of the movie -- Evan's ability to care for himself barely scrapes "minimal." He doesn't have the acumen to deal with an antagonistic boss, he makes some very poor financial choices, and at times he simply wanders off in a child-like manner. However, when his mother dies, he's left without any kind of caretaker. Unfortunately, his situation is anything but a flight of movie fancy; it happens every day.

Still, Evan, Down Syndrome, and Evan's uncertain future aren't the focus of the film. Candy brings in another very realistic element: a single mother struggling financially, stuck in an abusive relationship after making some poor relationship choices.

I thought the acting was quite good. In particular, Candy's reaction to Evan's infatuation (and the depth of his infatuation) was superb. Jackson Rathbone did well as Russ, too -- with Russ being such a jerk, it would have been easy to make him a caricature "bad guy." Real people are never that one-dimensional, though, and Rathbone added to the realism of the movie by showing some real internal conflict. Yes, Russ is a jerk, but part of that personality is the result of some internal vulnerability and real world events.

And Evan Sneider was excellent. Another reviewer complained that Evan was "obviously coached." Well, yes, that's what director do. They coached Katherine Hepburn, they coach Tom Cruise, they coach William H. Macy, and I'm sure Justin Lerner coached Evan. Both Justin and Evan did a fine job.

The filming itself was great. I was really impressed by how well the choice of shots emphasized the characters' personalities or relationship with the world.

I'm pretty surprised at the snide comments from some of the other reviewers, particularly intimations that this subject matter is somehow "overdone." One reviewer mentions "Life Goes On" -- news flash, folks, that series wrapped up 17 years ago. And the idea that "Girlfriends" is exploitive is ludicrous. The fact that Evan's character is mentally challenged is essential to the plot.

Overall, this was an excellent film and certainly worth taking the time to watch.

There's only three good things I can say about this movie. Amanda Plummer gave a decent performance. The movie wasn't that long. The concept was good but the writing and finished product were bad. Jackson Rathbone wasn't good. I'm sure these people are trying to cash in on the twilight buzz but it didn't work. The main character, Evan, was believable but his parents should be ashamed for letting these "moviemakers" use him the way they did. Good luck to whoever Paradigm hustles into buying this junk. The Canadian media will not support this project. Make a real movie next time. I would have given it 1 out of 10 stars but someone already did. Get an actual director and do it right.

"Girlfriend" wasn't fully all that I had expected it to be. That being said, don't get me wrong, because it is not a bad movie, far from it. "Girlfriend" is a beautifully told drama, I had just initially expected a little bit more from it. Though it was good entertainment.

The story in the movie is about Evan, who has Down Syndrome, living with his mom in a small town, where he helps her out at a diner. One day his mom doesn't wake up in the morning as she usually does, and Evan is left alone in a world, where he is coming to terms with life around him and being in love with Candy, a single mom who he went to high school with - but she is having issues with a former boyfriend, and he is violent.

"Girlfriend" is a beautifully told story about life and relationships that transcends beyond the usual shallow approach many of us actually have towards these matters, whether we acknowledge it or not. It tells the story of an innocent youth with a heartfelt crush on a woman. And it tells the story of not being "normal" in the terms of what we as a society has branded as "normal". It was a very moving story and it was nicely executed on the screen.

The cinematography was just brilliant. Lots of great camera work here, it was subtle, but still so beautiful, and there was some very emotional and symbolic images throughout the movie, that was really brought to life by the great visionary eye of the camera crew.

As for the acting, well then I think they had some nice people on the list, and newcomer to the movie industry, Evan Sneider (playing Evan) really did a great job. Thumbs up on that. His performance was very natural and believable, and it was charismatic and right on the money. But also the performance by Shannon Woodward (playing Candy) was quite good, having good chemistry with Evan on the screen. Cast as the violent ex-boyfriend Russ was Jackson Rathbone, and he was really well cast for that role, he was very charismatic and acted out that role to perfection. Playing Evan's mom, Celeste, was Amanda Plummer, who despite just having a supporting minor role in the movie, really left a great impact on the rest of the movie even after her character died.

If you like dramas that very well could have been taken straight out of our ordinary every day lives, then you definitely should check out "Girlfriend". It is a beautiful movie with a great story and a big heart. It is the type of movie that will stick with you for some time, because it was just that beautiful.

Genuinely touching film about a guy with Down's syndrome who finds himself in a very different kind of love triangle.

Toughest performance may have been by Shannon Woodward who must play a sympathetic, conflicted character as she picks her way through an emotional and ethical minefield. Evan as Evan also put on a brave performance. Subtle yet effective cinematography, great transitions.

None of the writing seemed overwrought, and judging by the QA, Shannon herself had a lot of room to edit the script on the fly.

And the guy who played Russ also managed to bring moments of sympathy to his character despite being a very scary jerk.

A relatively straightforward film that still manages to surprise.