American Girl

"American Girl" is a wonderful movie about the girl Rena (played by Jena Malone from Donnie Darko) who lives with her family in a trailer. She has to hide when she's with her boyfriend so nobody sees him with her, and her father is in prison for life. After various attempts to kill herself, she decides to visit her father in prison to tell him the news: she is pregnant...

The film is funny in a tragic sort of way, and it takes up some serious issues in life. Very recommendable.

Jena Malone never stops amaze me. This movie have everything, including great style. It's about a girl named Rena who wants to kill herself because she thinks that her life isn't worth anything..The movie makes no sense, but oh my goddess it's great. I totally recommend it!

The needy teenager Rena Grubb (Jena Malone) lives with her dysfunctional family of losers in a trailer park. The most popular boy in her school is dating her only for sex, and does not want to be seen with her. Her brother Jay (Brad Renfro) is gay; her older half-sister Barbie (Alicia Witt) is a bitch; and her mother Madge (Michelle Forbes) works hard in several low-qualification jobs to raise money to support her family. Rena is asking her mother to go to the annual picnic with her beloved missing low-fife father John Grubb (Chris Mulkey), who is in prison sentenced to two life sentences. Rena is pregnant and collects the cards her father sends to her from the prison. When Madge decides to go with her family to the picnic, and along the day, the family finds how mean and nasty John is, shattering the dreams of Rena with her father.

"Confessions of an American Girl" is a weird movie, with a genre oscillating between a heavy drama and a very dark comedy. The cast is excellent with great performances, highlighting Jena Malone in the role of a complex needy girl that wishes to be loved and worships her father, but in the end she discovers the truth about him. Alicia Witt is extremely sexy, her character is despicable and her performance is so good that Barbie irritated me in many moments with her mean attitude. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Confissões de uma Garota Americana" ("Confessions of an American Girl")

The DVD box describes "Confessions of an American Girl" as a "quirky dark comedy". If you are going to make a "black comedy" about a dysfunctional family, it better be entertaining. In order for the film to be entertaining, it better be funny. If it's not going to be funny, it better not be depressing. Unfortunately, "Confessions of an American Girl" is not only not funny, but it is both pointless and depressing. Family goes to visit their jerk father in prison, family come away agreeing he is indeed a jerk. End of story. Throw in some incest, homosexuality, endless suicide attempts, along with the depression, and you wind up with a bad movie. Not recommended. - MERK

I enjoyed this movie. Quite a bit, actually.

Jena Malone is a great actress, and like another reviewer said, she's destined for truly great things. I think this film really showed that off. She's got a great talent that's barely been tapped, and I know that we'll be seeing her in other movies in the near future. If she's able to make a smooth transition into adult roles, I can see her as a leading lady in the not-too-distant future.

The story about a teenage girl traveling to visit her father in prison for the annual picnic seems boring and uninteresting, but a great supporting cast and excellent direction makes it well worth watching.

If you like indie films, this is one to check out.