Pluskylang
Great Film overall
Twilightfa
Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.
Siflutter
It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.
SnoopyStyle
Ohio teen Natalie Becker (Jennifer Connelly) is home alone while her father is away for work. Her longtime friend Jeff Moran stays with her after another fight with his stepfather. Her friend Polly Franklin likes James Casey III but he starts dating Natalie. Then Polly encounters pro baseball player Zoo Knudson and she pretends to be 18. It's a lot of awkward teenage romantic attempts for the three friends.The main reason to see this is Connelly. She's a bit awkward and new at the time. It's too bad that she never got into the John Hughes teen movies until Career Opportunities. This is not the best of the high school genre. The main problem is the construction. These three best friends are rarely in the same scene together. They get scattered. They need more scenes together to build chemistry and manufacture confrontations. The situations are a little edgy sexually. The characters are compelling but the drama stutters along the way.
Johnny Utah
This is a cute little chick flick. Jennifer Connelly stars in this cute little teen chick flick of girls growing up and falling in love The film is full of cute little awkward moments from a girl's point of view I guess. But I found it a bit disturbing that they portray every male older than school level as a predator on the hunt for young girls. They don't dare go full out with it, but they imply it every time an adult come into the picture, which don't have kids. The shrink, the baseball player, the politicians, almost everyone only; with the exception for a journalist But I think Jennifer look and act really well and mature, for her young age, her character looks and acts like someone who have decided what they wanna be when they grow up, but haven't yet realized that things don't always turn out that way But I feel they could have dug deeper into the characters. *****spoilers ******** spoilersI also found it a bit stupid that in the end the Jeff character just all of a sudden got along with he's stepfather, with out any explanation as to why, considering they had been butting heads since start, they should have included a scene or two that showed what compromises they had come to, especially since Jeff's parents, in particular he's stepfather was trying to control he's life down to the smallest details. I got the impression they wore trying to tell me that your parents are always right and you should just blind obey them and accept their rules The scene where Jeff wakes up next to Jennifer's father in bed was a bit stupid and unrealistic. How would he not notice that there was another person in the bed, which was a bed he was to have all to him self? That scene seemed kind of rushed and weary little planed to fit in with the rest story line
umbacka
I originally came across Linda Feferman's Seven Minutes in Heaven when I was 14 and worked at a video store and I loved it. I recently watched the movie again and have realized that it is a lost treasure. The movie stars Jennifer Connelly, almost twenty years before she would go on to win an Oscar for Beautiful Mind, as Natalie Becker. Byron Thames plays her best friend in the world, Jeff Moran. The film is definitely a milder, cuter and softer version of the Pretty in Pink's and Some Kind of Wonderful's of the 1980's, which is exactly why it is so good. It's honest, not forced like those films, and parents will enjoy watching this movie with there kids.
When Natalie's Dad leave home on a business trip, Jeff convinces her that he should move in because his home life sucks. With support from Natalie's friend, Polly, played exquisitely by Maddie Corman, she lets him. But this movie isn't about putting kids in situations and seeing what they can get away with. The three leads are so natural and the script, surprisingly so honest, that what comes through best in their performances is heart breaking. These characters really do care about each other. It's a great film to show to kids who are reaching pre-teen adolescence.
Hermit C-2
Despite its rather salacious title, this is a light teen dramedy. Unless you're an old coot, you'll probably find it likeable. It isn't so good on developing characters or situations smoothly, though. When you view it, you get the feeling that you've been running back and forth to the kitchen even if you've been sitting down watching the whole time. This is one of those films that counts a great deal on your liking the characters, and they are appealing enough. Jennifer Connelly is the heartthrob of many, I know, but I've always liked the more obscure Maddie Corman. The teens get most of the screen time without a lot of intrusions from those pesky grown-ups. Is it just me or did most of the young males look an awful lot alike?
