OK, now I understand the reason why many people will dislike this movie. It deals with many taboo issues, such as underage sex/pregnancy, homosexuality in a unfavourable light, murder, profanity, mischief and illegality. Writer/director Don Roos gambled the movie's entire ideologies in order to get the important message across. Lets face it, it's not as if Roos is an inexperienced scriptwriter of this ilk. After all, he penned the screenplay to another "Anti-women's liberation" movie, 'Single White Female'. He seemed the perfect guy to translate the honesty of lower/middle class America to the screen; and the style he chose to produce the movie in needn't be mentioned at this stage. Now, onto the film itself...
Didi Truitt (Christina Ricci) is the most cynical and sarcastic of all teenage girls. She believes the world owes her favours and should pay dividends. Her step-father passes away and so she leaves her mother and goes to find her long-lost step-brother Bill Truitt (Martin Donovan) in hope that he will take her in and give her the life of Riley, which she never had at home. She takes a gun with her...
She knocks at his front door - his boyfriend answers; this shakes Didi up, but nevertheless she is in desperation, although she never lets it transcend. Her step-bother is an English teacher at the local high school: He is a pushover of a man who has no discernible masculinity whatsoever. He lost a very close ex-boyfriend to AIDS a year before which is obvious to the viewers that this wrecked his life, but to his "handsome airhead" of a boyfriend, Matt Mateo (Ivan Sergei), it is not.
Due to the close relationship he held with his ex, he has since adopted a possessive and maniacal "sister-in-law" figure, Lucia (Lisa Kudrow), who wholeheartedly disapproves of Didi right away. Lucia is a dominant presence in Bill's life and she takes the helm whenever any crisis is imminent. Many people hate Lucia - she doesn't care.
Didi and Matt have a crush on each other and basically, they end up in bed together. After months of sneaking around behind Bill's back, Didi announces that she is pregnant, and that Matt is the father. They steal Bill's $10,000 stashed in his safety deposit box and elope to Los Angeles where Matt takes up a minimum wage job to support Didi and the unborn child. Matt quits his job after running into Bill and comes home early one day to find Didi in bed with Randy (the guy with one ball). She announces to Matt that the baby is in fact Randy's. The latter has a terrible temper and he and Matt begin to rumble. Didi and Randy leave together and set up home elsewhere. He and Didi have a confrontation in which she ends up killing him.
Matt visits and they leave together to escape the law. Didi has the baby and the audience's expectations are toyed with again here. The narrator (a monotonous and cynical Didi) tries to convince the viewers that she dies during childbirth. This is held for about 15 seconds, then the truth is revealed.
At the end of the movie, Didi goes back to school - more bad-tempered than ever - and Bill is left with the child, while he becomes involved with Didi's parole officer. The final shot is where Didi shouts "Go!" to the audience. A sign of anxiety and depression, or just plain swings-and-roundabouts for a troubled teen? Anyway, I've missed out a bit involving a character called Jason and the media circus that he erupts on Bill's already sucky life. But just in case you read this before watching the movie, at least there's a couple of surprises in there for ya.
All in all, an excellent, if complicated, movie (of course, in my opinion). There are not enough honest movies like this one. In a time when the only teenagers Hollywood churned out were those from 'American Pie' and 'Cruel Intentions', it was a breath of fresh air. I am a firm believer in that people should be taught the importance of self-discipline when growing up. Knowing how to deal with certain situations, etc. I also believe that Hollywood perhaps shouldn't gloss over things as much as they do. It is really important that some people have access to a film that deals with adolescence frankly; and as far as the message goes - It leaves a deep mark that you won't soon forget.
Great Movie - ****
Didi Truitt (Christina Ricci) is the most cynical and sarcastic of all teenage girls. She believes the world owes her favours and should pay dividends. Her step-father passes away and so she leaves her mother and goes to find her long-lost step-brother Bill Truitt (Martin Donovan) in hope that he will take her in and give her the life of Riley, which she never had at home. She takes a gun with her...
She knocks at his front door - his boyfriend answers; this shakes Didi up, but nevertheless she is in desperation, although she never lets it transcend. Her step-bother is an English teacher at the local high school: He is a pushover of a man who has no discernible masculinity whatsoever. He lost a very close ex-boyfriend to AIDS a year before which is obvious to the viewers that this wrecked his life, but to his "handsome airhead" of a boyfriend, Matt Mateo (Ivan Sergei), it is not.
Due to the close relationship he held with his ex, he has since adopted a possessive and maniacal "sister-in-law" figure, Lucia (Lisa Kudrow), who wholeheartedly disapproves of Didi right away. Lucia is a dominant presence in Bill's life and she takes the helm whenever any crisis is imminent. Many people hate Lucia - she doesn't care.
Didi and Matt have a crush on each other and basically, they end up in bed together. After months of sneaking around behind Bill's back, Didi announces that she is pregnant, and that Matt is the father. They steal Bill's $10,000 stashed in his safety deposit box and elope to Los Angeles where Matt takes up a minimum wage job to support Didi and the unborn child. Matt quits his job after running into Bill and comes home early one day to find Didi in bed with Randy (the guy with one ball). She announces to Matt that the baby is in fact Randy's. The latter has a terrible temper and he and Matt begin to rumble. Didi and Randy leave together and set up home elsewhere. He and Didi have a confrontation in which she ends up killing him.
Matt visits and they leave together to escape the law. Didi has the baby and the audience's expectations are toyed with again here. The narrator (a monotonous and cynical Didi) tries to convince the viewers that she dies during childbirth. This is held for about 15 seconds, then the truth is revealed.
At the end of the movie, Didi goes back to school - more bad-tempered than ever - and Bill is left with the child, while he becomes involved with Didi's parole officer. The final shot is where Didi shouts "Go!" to the audience. A sign of anxiety and depression, or just plain swings-and-roundabouts for a troubled teen? Anyway, I've missed out a bit involving a character called Jason and the media circus that he erupts on Bill's already sucky life. But just in case you read this before watching the movie, at least there's a couple of surprises in there for ya.
All in all, an excellent, if complicated, movie (of course, in my opinion). There are not enough honest movies like this one. In a time when the only teenagers Hollywood churned out were those from 'American Pie' and 'Cruel Intentions', it was a breath of fresh air. I am a firm believer in that people should be taught the importance of self-discipline when growing up. Knowing how to deal with certain situations, etc. I also believe that Hollywood perhaps shouldn't gloss over things as much as they do. It is really important that some people have access to a film that deals with adolescence frankly; and as far as the message goes - It leaves a deep mark that you won't soon forget.
Great Movie - ****