By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.3 cats
Director: Bo Burnham
Starring: Daniel Zolghadri | Elsie Fisher | Emily Robinson | Fred Hechinger | Imani Lewis | Jake Ryan | Josh Hamilton | Luke Prael | Missy Yager | Thomas John O'Reilly
Country: united_states
Year: 2018
Running time: 93
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7014006/reference
Chris says: “I can’t overstate how terrific Elsie Fisher is as Kayla, an awkward, average fourteen-year-old who’s quirky enough to stand apart from any other similarly-aged protagonist you’ve seen before and also recognizable to an almost painfully universal degree. Delectably cringe-funny, this would be as discomforting as WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE if not for writer/director Bo Burnham’s humanism—his affection for the minutiae of this ultra-specific world (like the boy-athlete crush who nonetheless loves to make fart noises with his arm) is omnipresent, thankfully without nostalgia’s rose-colored lenses. 4.5 cats
“(Viewed at the 2018 Independent Film Festival of Boston.)”
Diane responds: “4.5 cats from me. Great use of music. Very tense. Seems too popular for Chlotrudis, but I’d give Fisher a nom.”
Brett responds: “As we enter fall festival season, up to this point I’m not sure I’ve seen a finer film yet this year. A winner on many levels, and I’m a little sad it’s not awards eligible.”
Thom says: “While I admit to being a large fan of the coming-of-age teen drama film genre this one didn’t warrant the rave reviews it received. It’s about Kayla (a memorable Elsie Fisher) a sullen teenager on the verge of going to high school. She lives with her dad who she treats like shit. She has few friends and is off-putting to those that try to befriend her. Her one source of creativity and hope are the inspirational blogs she posts on YouTube. She’s somewhat bullied and certainly I was sympathetic towards her but I simply didn’t find her very interesting.. The ensemble cast tries hard and there is a fine verisimilitude to the story, but compared to the vastly superior LADY BIRD it doesn’t cast the same warmth of spirit.”
Michael says: “This indie darling from 2018 features a top notch performance by Elsie Fisher, as the mega-awkward Kayla Day, about to graduate from middle school, and doing her best to improve herself and help others by recording little-viewed YouTube videos on such topics as “How to be confident!” While the film is tough to watch, in a cringe-inducing way, it’s not as harsh as Dawn Weiner’s travails in WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE. Kayla’s dorky dad is really as sweet as can be. Kudos to Josh Hamilton for a role light years from his creepy thug in TAKE ME TO THE RIVER. And Kayla’s optimistic attitude as she faces the onset of high school rings surprisingly true. 4 cats”