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Halley(Mandy Moore) just absolutely doesn't believe that true love exists. She is upset with her parent's divorce, annoyed with her best friend's Scarlett(Alexandra Holden) relationship and is also sick about hearing about her sister's Ashley(Mary Catherine Garrison) wedding. Halley just can't see how people can be devoted to each other until she meets Macon(Trent Ford) and the two of them become friends and eventually more. Now the big question is: Will Halley finally fall in love too or will her relationship turn out to be a big disappointment? I thought this was a great teen drama. It dealt with real problems that teenagers go through, people die, people get pregnant and people get broken hearts. Unlike most sleazy teen movies, this one is realistic and the audience will most likely connect and understand what the characters are going through. Mandy Moore does a great job potraying the sweet and innocent Halley and there were also very funny performances by Alison Janney who played Halley's mother and Nina Foch who plays the stoned grandmother. Handsome newcomer Trent Ford doesn't do a bad job either and cutie Alexandra Holden is great too. I would give How to Deal 7/10.

The bright primary colors in which the plot, dialog and characters of this movie are cast gives it away early on: this is a cross between a soap opera and a sitcom, made purely to entertain. As such, it's actually pretty good.

Mandy Moore is adorable. She seems to be learning how to act as she goes along, but isn't that how most of them did it? Give her a few more years and some better scripts to work with and she could be a major star.

The real problem is that for the movie's target audience of middle-class suburban white teenagers it's positively overflowing with groaners -- embarrassing "banter" between the kids, cartoonish characters (idiotic philandering husbands, evil boy-stealing girlfriends), and a preposterous storyline. My own teenage daughter and her friends thought How to Deal was, and I quote, "stupid." But for us middle-aged parents nostalgic for a time in their lives they've almost completely forgotten, it really isn't that bad. Give it a chance.

How to Deal is one of those teen romance movies that really sneaks up on you. It's not just fluff, but rather a surprisingly genuine look at how messy, complicated, and downright weird life can be when you're young. Mandy Moore nails it as Halley, a girl who's completely over the whole idea of love, thanks to her parents' messy divorce and the chaos around her. But as things progress, she starts to realize that maybe, just maybe, love isn't the total joke she thought it was.

This movie isn't afraid to get real. It tackles some tough topics-teen pregnancy, loss, and family drama-but it does it without being over-the-top or preachy. And let's not forget the laughs. Allison Janney, playing Halley's mom, delivers some solid comedic moments, while Nina Foch as the stoned grandma adds a quirky, unexpected layer of humor.

But here's the thing that sets How to Deal apart-it doesn't dumb things down for the audience. The relationships are messy and complicated, just like real life, and it's those imperfections that make the movie feel authentic. There's definitely some cliché teen drama stuff in there, but it's handled with enough sincerity that it doesn't feel like a tired rehash.

At the end of the day, How to Deal gives you more than the usual teen romance fluff. It's a heartfelt, honest look at the ups and downs of love and growing up. If you're in the mood for a teen movie that doesn't insult your intelligence, this one's definitely worth a watch.

Halley Martin (Mandy Moore) is a high school student disillusioned with love. She rolls her eyes at her sister Ashley getting married. Her mother Lydia (Allison Janney) is unhappily divorced from her DJ father (Peter Gallagher) who is getting remarried. Her best friend Scarlett Smith (Alexandra Holden) is happily in love until her boyfriend Michael suddenly dies. She's reluctantly to love until Macon Forrester (Trent Ford) finally breaks down her defenses. Scarlett finds out that she's pregnant. Lydia starts dating Steve Beckwith (Dylan Baker).

This starts off as a pretty lame teen rom-com. When it takes an unexpected turn, the movie feels like it's ready to make a honest effort. It keeps trying but the lame teen rom-com continues to reappear. Trent Ford is not capable enough to be the lead. Mandy Moore needs a better partner who is deeper than some floppy hair. It's a struggle between a quirky indie and a more traditional teen movie. There is enough to make a passable movie. Allison Janney is a fun presence. The movie takes a few too many melodramatic turns. It doesn't all work but enough of it does.

I found this movie to be funny, serious, entertaining, a little sad in parts, but overall, it didn't suck! I don't think it would win any awards, but it served its purpose well - it entertained me for a couple of hours - isn't that all we ask of a movie?

It deals with some VERY serious teenage problems - parents divorcing, finding new partners, teenage pregnancy, young love (and old love), and the cruncher, whether to have sex or not. It covered just about most of the problems teenagers face these days.

It was essentially a good movie and dealt with these issues quite well - not too heavy, not too light.

Mandy Moore was pretty darned good too - she has a nice little career ahead of her me thinks! :)