Ragazze contro

I thought this film was a thoughtful reflection on an overlooked period of time. The significance of it's taking place in 1981 was the last hurrah of the "Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll" era. AIDS soon followed, and casual sex died. The sex is a big part of the story, a realistic portrayal of a teenage girl's struggles with her newborn womanhood.

The peer pressure to do drugs, smoke, and have crazy meaningless/meaningful sex, all induced by the young idiots around her, happens to most American kids. Anna's dreams of art school are nearly crushed by the combination of her friends, her lonely, pathetic mother, and the usual teenage self-deprecation. It's not hard at all to relate to this character.

It seems that this movie was too subtle for some viewers. Perhaps some people don't want to know the female side of stories we've seen the male counterparts of (quite redundantly) through the years. I welcomed the fresh point-of-view the film possesses. My only true beef would be that it may have been a little too long, but then again, wasn't this writer/director Susan Skoog's first film?

A good film with fine direction of realistic performances (with the exception of the "nerdy" teacher - ugh) and a nice accompanying soundtrack. Overall, I liked it quite a bit.

It wasn't originally my intent to comment on this film, but, after seeing some of the idiotic postings denigrating this fine effort, I felt compelled.

I was rather taken aback by the honesty of this tale. To quibble about the automobiles or the Hardee's cups shows such a lack of perception as to what was attempted here, that it truly boggles the mind.

The dissenting voices here clearly prefer the artificial, rose-colored-glasses view of high school as offered by "Sixteen Candles" or other films of John Hughes. But, for most, and maybe this realization only becomes apparent once one has some significant distance from one's high school experience, for most the high school experience is NOT a star-spangled memory a la "Ridgemont High", "Dazed and Confused", or even "American Graffiti".

These formulative years, more often than not, are times of discovery, of embarrassment, of confusion. and of long stretches of boring and mundane matters.

Writer/director Skoog captured, with no illusion whatsoever, the awkwardness of this period, with the realism and honesty worthy of of a Ken Loach or Mike Leigh. For most people, life is NOT "Ten Things I Hate About You", it is about self-discovery and awareness, and sorting out one's rightful place in the human equation. Skoog's two main characters superbly realized this human comedy.

Anna is a beautiful, talented young girl who has not come to grips with either her talent nor her beauty. She is so easily buffeted by the forces surrounding her, be it her bad-girl best friend or the men who are more than willing to introduce her to the awkwardness of sexual initiation, that it is often heartbreaking to watch.

The fact of the matter is that bad things happen to good people, and in watching Anna attempt to navigate her way through her voyage of discovery, the film subtly explores its themes with rare honesty.

The treatment of sexuality is amongst the film's strongpoints. The peer pressure to conform and the curiosity of the unknown is explored with sensitivity. The bare boobs approach of most teen films is abandoned here for a heartfelt examination of the myriad of forces that are involved in human sexuality...the various dynamics, be they sexual or power, that make the experience a lot more than just a procreative act.

These aren't "characters", these are living, breathing people with inexplicable, self-destructive urges as well as a completely realistic complacency that often allows them to be drawn into situations that are not in their best interests.

This is one of the finest coming-of-age films I have ever seen. If you are a mature, perceptive cinema lover without need for an artificial, romanticized approach to the teen experience, do yourself a favor and check out, "Whatever".

Yes, this is a "real" movie. It's certainly not getting the attention of the mainstream Hollywood summer blockbusters but it's a lot more powerful and enjoyable.

Synopsis: The story takes place in a working class new jersey suburb set in 1981 and centers on a young woman, Anna Stockard played by newcomer Liza Weil. Anna, in her senior year of high school, comes from a broken family, hangs out with the party crowd and is uncertain of her future. Although seemingly intelligent and artistic, she lacks focus. It's unclear if Anna will end up like her hard drinking and drugging friends or fulfill her ambition to go to art school in New York City.

The film was written and directed by New Jersey native Susan Skoog and unlike other films about the 80's (e.g., Boogie Nights), "Whatever" provides a very realistic view of this era. The clothing, hair styles, slang, and music all represent the suburban early 80's not the Hollywood version.

Although many of the characters are unappealing, the film still manages to capture you. I was both riveted and disturbed by it. Weil carries the film by playing Anna with a stoic integrity - you sense that she is a survivor. Skoog has created a film where you feel as if there was a hidden camera viewing a real teenager's life back in 1981. Skoog and Weil appear to have promising careers ahead of them.

If you want to see asteroids, bombs, fireballs and explosions, the 10 plex has a whole bunch of them. If you want to see a movie that is affecting, albeit, slightly disturbing, drive a little further and checkout "Whatever ".

While many will write this off as a slow and plotless waste of celluloid, I found it to be an excellent portrayal of the disconnection and confusion that plagues our youth. Sad to say, this could have had a "based on a true story" title card at the beginning. I've known girls who expressed their praise towards this film for it captures their growing-up period perfectly. If it feels like it's going nowhere, well that just adds to the film's realism. Unlike KIDS, the lead character finally is conscious of her transgressions and thus finds redemption. I find that reason alone, as well as the entire film, worthy of the recognition that it deserves. Rent it with an open mind...

I saw this film quite by accident one night on one of the sky movies channels. I wasn't sure about it at the start, but it was one of those films that you start watching not intending to finish watching it, but them get into it. This is what happened with me and in the end i thought it was an excellent movie.

Mr. Stanley was like my maths teacher and the art teacher just like my art teacher; enthusiastic, encouraging, and all round fantastic teacher.

I think the strong leading female character, Anna, was well acted and portrayed very realistically. Both female actresses are very talented and deserve all good that has come out of this film.