I really, really enjoyed this!
This was such an interesting movie. It was handled so expertly on so many levels ... the acting, the dialog, the story ... almost everything was flawless.
The movie isn't a laugh riot (obviously) but the lead, Christina's, wit makes for some funny, memorable lines. The role of her new friend, the older, Douglas, was masterfully portrayed, neither too saccharine or too clever. Just the perfect amount of a tender soul.
I won't harp on the movie's good points too much, I don't want to oversell it. Just know that it is a great watch, especially if you're in the right mood for it. I cried several times, not even from sorrow or from joy, just overflowing emotions.
That said, I only had two reservations about this film. Neither of them are fatal flaws though. In fact, it may be more just me and other viewers wouldn't think twice about them.
First, the actions of the younger sister, Paula, and the way she constantly denigrates her older sister, the protagonist, Christine. It is well done, well acted, and very believable, I just didn't really see the motivation. (And yes, I get that the younger sister was trying to fit in at school so she played the minor antagonist role). I have 3 younger sisters and I am the younger sister to 2 older sisters. None of us would ever, and I mean EVER, not have any one of our sister's backs or choose a stranger's feelings over each other. Again, this is not a flaw in the movie and it IS portrayed realistically. It truly just might be based on my own upbringing. I just had a had time relating to it so it took me out of the scenes several times.
Secondly, and again, this is a minor transgression, I think they cast an actress that was slightly too old to play the lead part of a 17-year old. It's not that she was tall (as the title implies) ... my two older sisters are 5'11" and 6'1". It's just that the entire time I was watching, I felt like this "high schooler" looked more like a mid-20s woman. As soon as I finished the movie, I jumped on the interwebz and started looking. "They" have definitely scrubbed the lead actress's age, but I was able to ascertain that she was probably indeed about 22- 26 when this film was made in 2016.
Nevertheless, because the role was played so phenomenally by actress Amanda Drinkall, I still probably wouldn't have re-cast the lead role. It's just something I noticed.
Thanks for reading my mini-novel.
The movie isn't a laugh riot (obviously) but the lead, Christina's, wit makes for some funny, memorable lines. The role of her new friend, the older, Douglas, was masterfully portrayed, neither too saccharine or too clever. Just the perfect amount of a tender soul.
I won't harp on the movie's good points too much, I don't want to oversell it. Just know that it is a great watch, especially if you're in the right mood for it. I cried several times, not even from sorrow or from joy, just overflowing emotions.
That said, I only had two reservations about this film. Neither of them are fatal flaws though. In fact, it may be more just me and other viewers wouldn't think twice about them.
First, the actions of the younger sister, Paula, and the way she constantly denigrates her older sister, the protagonist, Christine. It is well done, well acted, and very believable, I just didn't really see the motivation. (And yes, I get that the younger sister was trying to fit in at school so she played the minor antagonist role). I have 3 younger sisters and I am the younger sister to 2 older sisters. None of us would ever, and I mean EVER, not have any one of our sister's backs or choose a stranger's feelings over each other. Again, this is not a flaw in the movie and it IS portrayed realistically. It truly just might be based on my own upbringing. I just had a had time relating to it so it took me out of the scenes several times.
Secondly, and again, this is a minor transgression, I think they cast an actress that was slightly too old to play the lead part of a 17-year old. It's not that she was tall (as the title implies) ... my two older sisters are 5'11" and 6'1". It's just that the entire time I was watching, I felt like this "high schooler" looked more like a mid-20s woman. As soon as I finished the movie, I jumped on the interwebz and started looking. "They" have definitely scrubbed the lead actress's age, but I was able to ascertain that she was probably indeed about 22- 26 when this film was made in 2016.
Nevertheless, because the role was played so phenomenally by actress Amanda Drinkall, I still probably wouldn't have re-cast the lead role. It's just something I noticed.
Thanks for reading my mini-novel.
- Princess_Bella_Kitty
- Mar 3, 2023