Love That Boy

If Kate Hudson or Britanny Murphy played 'Phoebe' and starred in a Blockbuster version of "Love That Boy", then it would totally not compliment my taste in Hollywood sugarcoated flicks. The underrated actors, simplicity and low-budget style aids to the films cuteness and authenticity of what a Canadian director can do to make a low-scale production work, therefore it should stay preserved inside the boundaries of great Canadian film-making and should never be touched again.

Phoebe (Nadia Litz) determines the success of her college life on striving to win the year's "Most Outstanding Student Award". She grounds her priorities on a "to do" list in which she has to accomplish before she graduates. This list isolates Phoebe from her peers and prevents her from experiencing the typical partying life of a college student. Her single and more outgoing roommate, 'Robin' (Nikki Barnett) abandons Pheobe for the road to enlightenment with her new Buddhist friend, 'Kwan' (John Shurko). One of the tasks that Phoebe must do is find a boyfriend. Unexpectadley, Phoebe finds a fourteen year old friend to talk to, 'Frazer' (Adrien Dixon) and forms a deep friendship that is something more than just "hanging out".

Character development was well thought out. The annoyance of Nadia Litz who plays Phoebe was really irritating throughout the beginning of the film. At some certain points in the beginning, I wanted to kick my television set and throw it out the window. However, once she met Frazer she started to grow on me as the scenes progressed---a film never really did that to me before, and I was quite surprised! Usually when a film opens with an annoying character, the character still stays annoying towards the end of it. But Phoebe totally flipped 180. Adrien Dixon who played Frazer wasn't too bad either---it's good that he didn't come across as one of those typical horny teenagers looking for sex. Ahem, American Pie and Girl Next Door anyone?

Above all, one of the main reasons why I enjoyed this film was because I didn't expect much from it before I decided to watch it, however, I was impressed with the overall outcome after wards. Although it didn't have the greatest well-known actors, the best cinematography or screenplay, I saw a lot effort being put into the film. The soundtrack was great too.

Overall, 7/10

Set in suburban Halifax, a college student meets the neighbour across the street. LOVE THAT BOY is a heart-warming look at a coming-of-age story for two young people. Frazer is the typical earnest, adorable 14 year old boy that we all fall in love with. There's the other girl on the street who constantly picks on Frazer because she "likes" him. Phoebe is the over-achieving college student who falls for the lawnboy. Phoebe is a "late bloomer" in relationships and the Frazer is attracted to the Phoebe who is mature, fun and sincere. The story is about two people who "get each other" however the age difference comes between them. See this well-written and acted film. 8/10

+ The story itself gives an interesting view of a too ambitious girl who is not on this planet but lives in her artificial challenge-controlled life - created by herself in form of a list, containing all the 'important' things what in life a person should reach. The age-problem is also interesting, comes from real life (the boy is much too young for her...what should be done, it is reckoned as a shame, will she undertake...?)

• The above mentioned list was very exaggerated. The implementation of the main role character was also very exaggerated, anti-antipathetic. In total the antipathetic feeling and the fast-changing exaggerated scenes overwhelmed the story.

Every once in a while, you come across a film that's just... different. That really makes you feel.

I like schlock movies like most people. I'll watch Bruce Willis shoot everything that moves, and I'll watch pretty much any romantic comedy.

But those kinds of movies are what I watch while I'm waiting for something with real heart. Something that isn't just a stale carbon copy of plots that have been done to death a trillion times.

Love That Boy is that kind of special movie. It starts out with the kind of main character that you just want to slap. And then it takes you with her on an emotional ride that's really worth experiencing.

Movies like this are true in a way that even documentaries rarely are. I'm writing this immediately after watching it, and I'm so overwhelmed that I'm probably not saying everything that I want to.

Do yourself a favor. Watch this movie. Watch it by yourself, if you can. There's too much social pressure in the world to color between the lines that you're really better off watching it that way. But one way or another, watch it. You won't be sorry.

Phoebe (Nadia Litz) is a 21 year old obsessively overachieving student. Her widely divergent interests are in her exceedingly quirky list of things to do before graduation from college. Her overbearing nature drives her one and only friend away. When the friend points out that she has never even had a boyfriend, she promptly puts it on the list. However, she's way too clueless to act like a normal human being. Then he starts talking to the 14 year old neighbor boy hired to mow her lawn. Meanwhile her friend is having a horrible time backpacking with a guy she met on the plane.

It's a quirky girl indie filmed in Halifax, Canada. Nadia Litz has a bit of charm. She's appealing enough to keep the movie interesting. I think they could probably get to the boy part of the movie faster, and get a better boy to play the part. The dialog and interactions between them is kind of stiff and awkward. If there is a good movie in this, it has to come from these two characters. I just don't think they have chemistry. The one notable actor is Ellen Page. She plays a neighbor kid who keeps trying to seduce the boy.