Gimme Shelter

This movie is quite believable and Hudgens does a great job, having actually lived in a real shelter prior to playing the part. I think she gained a great deal of understanding doing that and it shows in her part. There are some folks reviewing the movie here who referred to her going through "Clinton's Village" subsidized programs, which misses the point of Clinton's Village. Her theory was not based on subsidized govt programs, rather the need for community and all of us to take an interest in helping our neighbors, our schools and to be aware of the folks around us who are either lost or having a tough time. I found that review a slap in the face of the movie and hate to see how you preach in your church as a pastor. Another review mentioned that women and girls should see this. EVERYONE, not least of all MEN should watch this movie. This Wallstreet dad might have behaved differently had he known what his daughter went through until she sought out a better life by finding him. Who knows? Sorry for the rants, but needed to call folks out on some attitudes. perhaps the mother would not have turned to prostitution to survive. Many prostitutes are so desperate to support their kids and it is the only thing they feel they can make it on because of a lack of "Village help" and support of two parents. Then they turn to drugs in order to tolerate the abuse and exploitation of prostitution. It is a vicious cycle and one that mostly affects teen moms and kids with low self-esteem. The system does not sufficiently push dad's role and if more men saw this movie, perhaps they would think twice about abandoning the needs of their children, whether planned or unplanned. I find the sexist attitude of folks so absurd. Take responsibility and stop giving the dads a pass!

I saw Gimme Shelter on Jan. 24th (opening day) and it changed me. The film is realistic. Gimme Shelter is a gritty portrayal of a true story. This film will touch you & make you feel humanity. Vanessa Hudgens plays Apple who has lived a very difficult life filled with: sadness, pain, abandonment, abuse, and misery. Growing up she went from foster home to foster home. Rosario Dawson played Apple's sinister/ evil mother. Dawson did an excellent job of portraying a drug addict mother. Brendan Fraser (The Mummy) played Apple's father who works on Wall Street. The powerful message of the film is that sometimes strangers/ friends can feel close like family while your actual family can feel like strangers.

Vanessa Hudgens should win an award for this film.

Not very often does a movie come out that is as powerful and emotional as this one. This movie reveals the pain, confusion,hopelessness and true brute reality many teens and young women live out today. But also there are organizations with the compassion from the victims to help each other survive the ordeal. The movie reveals that showing the mother a photo of the child in the womb and hearing the heartbeat can help the mother understand that life is important and any cost. This has great acting and is not to be confused with some low budget production. But the showing all angles of the family perspective is very important to understand the whole situation. Showing both parents, new children and wife in the Fathers life. Wanting more government assistance in the abusive mothers life and her physical abuse is also displayed. Don't be afraid to see this truth of life, learn and help out the situation.

My husband and I went to see Gimme Shelter on opening night. We are happy to say it was more than we were hoping for in the telling of this true story. Through so much hardship, sadness and pain, the beautiful young lady inside Agnes (Apple) emerges when love, respect and hope are offered to her. The performance by Vanessa was outstanding! I didn't know who she was before seeing the movie. The movie drew us right into it! We wanted to reach out and help her! We really like James Earl Jones and were glad to see him play the role of the Catholic priest. We are recommending this movie to everyone we know and plan to go back and see it again as well as buy it on DVD! Thanks to the producer of this excellent movie and to the theaters that are showing it around the country!

"Gimme Shelter" is not an especially easy movie to watch nor is it fun in any way. After all, the main character, Apple (Vanessa Hudgens) is a teen that's been through it all—physical abuse, sexual abuse, repeated foster homes and a mother with less maternal instincts than a rabid hamster. And, to make it even worse, she's pregnant! One thing is for sure, she cannot stay with her vicious mother (Rosario Dawson)—so the film begins with her running away in search of her father (Brendan Fraser). The problem is that her father has never met her—and his new life is very ordered and his wife isn't especially interested in becoming step-mom to a tattooed, pierced and angry young mother-to-be. So, after an abortive stay with her dad and his family, Apple feels compelled to leave—living on the streets and hoping that somehow it will all work out for the best.

Eventually, this unwanted young lady ends up coming in contact with an old priest (James Earl Jones) and he wants to help. He knows of a home for pregnant teens and convinces her to give it a try. This is no small task, as Apple has learned over her short life that you really cannot trust anyone. While the place turns out to be pretty nice, Apple just cannot accept that anyone could help her without some sort of agenda and you wonder if she'll stay put and have her baby there or, perhaps, on some street corner. Her first instinct is to just run.

I really had to admire the script for "Gimme Shelter", as it manages to seem a lot truer than most stories about troubled teens. Missing are many of the clichés you might think would be and the film can be favorably compared to another great film about a troubled teen, "Precious". And, as a retired social worker and psychotherapist, I have worked on a lot of cases that were similar to this one and it comes off as believable and compelling. It's not always pleasant viewing but it is a high quality film—one you have to see to appreciate.

In addition to a dandy script, what really impressed me was the acting. While Hudgens is in her mid-20s, she managed to pull off a convincing portrait of a scared and almost animalistic teen—and is a much meatier role than she's usually known for doing. Dawson is also a standout. While she was only in the film here and there, she managed to play an incredibly nasty character with great zest and was very convincing. For both roles, both actresses had to make themselves as non-glamorous as possible in order to be true to their characters. Additionally, Fraser's role is a lot more interesting and compelling compared to other roles he's taken such as "George of the Jungle" and "Furry Vengeance" (uggh!).

"Gimme Shelter" is not always pleasant, but it is a film well worth your time. It's also a film well worth seeing with your teen, as the film has a lot you and your kids could talk about when it's complete. Overall, there's really nothing I didn't like about this film—I just don't know if such an earthy and not always pleasant theme will attract many viewers. I sure know it deserves a chance.