Dramarama

I love coming-of-age films so I've seen tons of them - good and bad. This one surprised me so much I actually watched it a second time! The writing and the actors are so good - you really want to see what happens to all the characters after the film is over. Some of the scenes definitely resonated with me and made me think of what I was like in high school (cringe warning!). It took me a minute to get into the film - it opens with all of them "in character" at a costume party - but it's like peeling the layers of an onion as the film goes on. I couldn't stop thinking about it after it was over. Recommended if you like nuanced coming-of-age films.

This film took me right back into my (awkward) high school years in a way that was really sweet and unexpected. The actors are all so good - especially Danielle Kay and Nick Pugliese. I laughed out loud so many times and definitely got a lump in my throat in the last scene. It all just felt so genuine. Definitely not your typical coming-of-age film.

I was a theatre kid, so this was like looking in the mirror. Scary accurate. Also, the actors are all amazing.

I loved this film! The writing and the acting are so pure and authentic, relating situations we've all been in with people we've all known before. Regardless of whether you grew up with or around theater nerds, Wysocki's given us characters that are familiar (we've all known a Claire, a Rose, a JD, all of them) and he's put them in one of the most familiar-to-all-of-us scenarios: graduating high school, what's coming next as we grow older, and what's going to happen to my band of best friends after all this change. Add to that the difficult circumstance of needing to share something with those best friends that you worry would not only change the dynamic irrevocably, but dissolve the group (or your welcome within it) forever.

The fear that friends (even close friends) can grow apart after big change but change is coming one way or another is what hit home for me. Wysocki handles all of this beautifully. The characters are so well-developed, I found myself connecting with each one as they navigate through what could be the beginning of the end of their close-knit group. Or not! The film is all about what happens during a last night together party (although, many emotions dealt with have clearly been brewing for months or years..."dealt with" being the kind that separates the "friends" from the "friends like family") and, thankfully, there's no "Where are they now?" epilogue over frozen screenshots, so it's left to the viewer to imagine the future. But there's something in how Wysocki tells the story that shows us that, whatever happens, they'll all, at the very least, be ok.

Highly recommend!

I totally relate to this movie in so many ways! It's so heartfelt and hilarious!

I love all these characters! Even the cool guy. (I'm not sure I'm supposed to have empathy for him because he's a bit jerk-ish to the core group of friends, but I do.) When is the sequel or TV series coming out? I want to know what happens to them all!

They all felt so much like REAL friends, not fake constructed friends like "90210." Their intense teenage dynamics that can change on a dime; their goofy, impulsive play; their heartbreaks and connections - all so genuinely portrayed and written. All the secrets they hold, and how (and if!) they are revealed to each other, make for good plot twists, surprises, and suspense. Small, wonderful cast - all excellent!

It's OK if you don't get all the 90s references - I didn't! Even if I didn't always get them, I was laughing because the cast made the lines so funny. And this dramedy lets you laugh without guilt! There really are no crushing jokes at someone else's expense and the serious scenes don't rob you of the joy you had moments before. This movie will pull at your heartstrings at times, but not in obvious "cue-the-tears" ways, thank goodness.

Even though the movie is set in a middle-class suburb, Dramarama captures the uncertainty and excitement of that critical cusp-y time in our lives between adolescence and adulthood that I think is a commonly-shared experience across geographic, ethnic, and economic strata. While the individual details of our personal human development may differ, most of us probably grappled with aspects of our identity, started to question our beliefs and those we were raised with and around, and delighted in the dreams of our future during our "pre-adult" age. Whether you're going through this stage now (or soon!) or you're looking back on it, this movie gives you both levity and perspective on the journey through it.

This movie hits every mark! Including a great soundtrack!

Totally worth the watch! (I've watched this movie a few times already!) I'm all, "This movie is so rad!"