peterhoffman

I would tend to agree with creamygreen on the predictability and stock archetypes used to fulfill the writers premise. But the more interesting thing about this film is the premise itself. Can love be boiled down to just science? Can the build up of dopamine make me want to cuddle? Science is always struggling against the nature of human beings with such things as religion and human emotion. Such intangibles make the separation between what you feel and what you can prove the cornerstone of any good debate. The premise for this movie was a good one, it's the execution in the writing and scene development that fell apart. I would love to see the writer do something different with this premise and see whether or not it will draw all of us in. After all aren't we all familiar with something we just "know" but can't prove?

It's about dealing with it. Dealing with everything that comes with changing sex or even cross-dressing. And the absurdity of the Bible Belt/Midwest farm life makes for hilarious situations and tearful altercations with what "once was". I especially enjoyed the acting - a truly great ensemble. And Wilkinson has just the right amount of strength in stature to offset his emotional tenderness. The writing, too, was quite fresh for what could have been a disastrous "Movie of the Week" plot but Anderson really pulled it out. This one will make you feel good about facing change and is definitely one to watch.

The acting was quite good, but the plot felt very "after-school-special" to me. It's definitely a movie that hits home to parents of teenagers or those who can remember the children as teenagers. But without identifying with the characters situation you will get lost - suddenly not understanding why the mother never sees the drastic changes being flaunted by her daughter. It just seemed to boil down to a "child does drugs and stays out all night to get back at her mother" plot which has been done a million times. What redeems this movie and brings it back to the indie relm is the fact that it was co-written by a 14 year old - very non-hollywood.