First Period

It is like, so totally the 80s. This is not your typical formula teen mean-girl movie, although after a while it does seem remarkably normal. Most of the leading actors do a really good job, and the two guys playing the female leads are among the best. At no time do they convince us that they are female, but that doesn't seem necessary. It does require imagination.

Cassandra Peterson, best known as Elvira, is so unbelievably nice and quite pretty as Cassie's mom. Mostly nice, anyway.

By the end of the movie, we have heard positive messages that give this movie some significance beyond being just silly, and we learn a lot about what made certain characters the way they are.

At first I was going to say that college students who need a safe place because they are easily offended should stay far away from this movie. But the Sue Sylvester level of cruelty doesn't last that long, and as I said before, later in the movie it's just the ordinary mean girl stuff. And most of the characters have the right attitude, at least by that time. Early in the movie, the combination of unbelievable confidence in the absence of a reason and unthinkable nastiness gives us hilarious results. The movie can't keep up that level of hilarity and it's just not funny at times later, but doesn't have to be. The seriousness is appropriate and needs to be.

Overall, it's wildly insane and certainly worth seeing.

It's once in a blue moon that a film can make me have to stop laughing for a second because the back of my head is hurting and my cheeks feel like they are going to fall off. The evening started out as surfing Netflix with my boyfriend, how every excellent movie find goes nowadays, and without saying anything to me he picked this movie and we were off on what we thought was going to be an absolutely terrible film with low budget and zero laughs from the first 10 minutes. (Just really rocky, and you have to get a feel for the film.) Don't be fooled with this one though folks. About the time the teachers and school are starting to be introduced is when it really kicked into gear for me.

Written by and starring Brandon Alexander III, this man brings us a surpassing in hilarity parody of 80s teen satires that is wrapped up in the perfect amount of pizazz and sincerity that it comes off as a genuinely funny piece of work, and not another run of the mill independent comedy. The main character is most definitely the best thing about the movie. Cassandra "Totally Rockin' Superstar Extraordinaire" Glenn, You're Welcome, brings to the movie nothing but constant joke after joke, as the writer would have the best lines and character for himself. Sometimes jokes so quick and witty, others so slapstick that it juggles that laughing trigger in your mind to the point where you will be laughing carrying on into the next hilarious scene for all different reasons.

Yes, as with any film that tries really hard, not all the jokes are a hit. There are just some parts that are a bit awkward, and like I said it is very obvious they are trying really hard to pull all the laughs out of the audience they can get, which I usually hate, but hey, it totally works in this case! This is a completely joyous experience from beginning to end.

The supporting characters are all completely memorable and in their own skin as well. Maggie is an excellently portrayed best friend till the end by Dudley Beene. Though Alexander is the star, Beene brings his own flair and personality to the screen in the best way possible. The Heathers are snotty and unlikable, how they are supposed to be, but in that way likable. Their boyfriends even have a nice role as the misunderstood gay guys of the group, and their mother played by none other than Cassandra Peterson (Ms. Elvira) has heartfelt speeches the audience has heard a million times over in any teen drama with a positive message. All of it was great material to work with and the actors captured it perfectly.

An excellent comedy, more so if somewhat dark, somewhat raunchy, drag comedy is your thing. Even with low budget, there are scenes that feel more professional and put together than most blockbusters nowadays. I will definitely be watching this movie again soon, and will definitely be showing it to my friends.

First Period won't make everybody laugh, that's for sure. The more uptight people will probably think it's a kind of dumb and immature humor, but for people that like to laugh with anything, especially if it's exaggerated and over the top, they will have a lot of fun watching this. I did for sure! The entire movie is full of clichés about how teenagers act and think. The genious about this movie is definitely the fact they chose two males to play Cassie and Maggie, the main characters of First Period. Brandon Alexander III and Dudley Beene were hilarious playing their characters. I had a smile on my face for almost the entire movie as they go from one funny scene to another. Brandon Alexander III wrote the story as well, he has a great sense of humor that makes me wonder if he made other comedies like this one. If so, I will definitely give it a go.

I've seen this movie twice on the festival circuit and I can't wait to see it again. It is a laugh riot from beginning to end. Every possible comedic moment is taken advantage of by this very talented cast and crew. Director Charlie Vaughn did a great job making sure all of the actors were portraying characters that lived in the same world. The script comes alive thanks to everyone in this movie with the main duo of Brandon Alexander and Dudley Beene drawing you in and almost immediately forgetting that the actors aren't really 16 year old girls. A lot of independent film falls apart in the post production but First Period is directed, styled and edited beautifully. This movie is well done all the way around and considering it is an independent movie done on a shoe string budget it is that much more of a towering achievement!

So to be honest, I was scared to watch this one (partly because I feel the descriptiveness of the previous reviews might lead me to believe they're fake). But since it was free on streaming Netflix I gave it a chance. I am very glad I did.

This movie won't be for everyone, but for those like me that like their comedy a little silly, a little cynical, and extra random, it's perfect. Imagine if John Waters directed the high school portions of Romey and Michelle's High School Reunion on a shoestring budget. This movie is what you get. The innocence and campiness of Hairspray mixed with the irreverence of his earlier work, perfectly combines with the random silly comic sensibilities of the lead actors. I was laughing almost the entire film.

True, there are a few jokes that fall flat. (Like a toilet scene that was predictable and just not well done.) But most of the jokes fly a million miles a second, and I'm already planning on watching it again to catch the jokes I missed. Sometimes a single strange side glance from one of the leads was enough to make me bust out laughing. Not to mention the actor playing Cassie could basically have a movie all about Cassie and I would watch it in a second.

The thing that really struck me about this movie though was its treatment of all the characters. Most silly low budget films like this lose their way in the third act when they try to learn a lesson or become serious. It often comes off incredibly insincere. That isn't the case with First Period. During the third act we learn more about the characters and all of them become very relatable. I even was shocked to find myself smiling sympathetically during a very tense conversation with Maggie and the main antagonist. It was surprisingly well done. Even though the movie is often cynical, crude, and relishes making fun of its characters, it never loses its heart and understanding that these are real characters who have real emotions and feelings.

I was shocked I loved this movie so much and will definitely be showing it to my boyfriend and friends for some late night laughs. Second Period anyone? "You're welcome."