This won't be terribly in depth. I'll just write the major notes that made me go from an 8 to a 6.
Acting was decent. Ricky occasionally came across a bit raw in her acting, but it was also not far from how real people talk. A little more dry than the life trained and skilled actors can usually breath into characters.
At the point in the film where Ricky attends Franchesca's family yard party, I had the film up at 8. I thought the father was going to play the typical villainous role and ostracize his daughter and Ricky. I was highly impressed with the true paternal instinct that the writers and directors portrayed. So I thought the film would keep getting better.
And then the mother entered the coffee shop and I thought, oh oh, here we go again with the evil mother act. She started with being naive, but also fair to Ricky, but then quickly devolved into the Disney villain I was expecting earlier. 8 dropped to 7.
7 is still a strong score for me.
But then major misstep number 2. MAJOR SPOILER: David is revealed to have slept with Ricky. This was an almost too comical love triangle that busted all my hope previously built up. 7 dropped to 6. And then Ricky getting together with her best friend almost dropped it to 5.
If it wasn't for some strong moments with younger Ricky's video, her relationship with her family, the relationship built with her best friend up to that point, her best friend's narrative as an enlightened heterosexual man who felt comfortable being with Ricky. It's a shame they had to get them together in the end, since it polarized the characters in the film. It's like characters had to be vile with Ricky, or in a sexual relationship with Ricky. It stole the in between option of Ricky not only being a sexual being, but also capable of friendship.
As mentioned, very uneven. Some very strong themes and moments. And some very weak moments. Some 8 moments, with very strong messages, and some 5 moments pandering to Hollywood tropes . Worth the watch, but a bit frustrating to see something so promising fall short.
Acting was decent. Ricky occasionally came across a bit raw in her acting, but it was also not far from how real people talk. A little more dry than the life trained and skilled actors can usually breath into characters.
At the point in the film where Ricky attends Franchesca's family yard party, I had the film up at 8. I thought the father was going to play the typical villainous role and ostracize his daughter and Ricky. I was highly impressed with the true paternal instinct that the writers and directors portrayed. So I thought the film would keep getting better.
And then the mother entered the coffee shop and I thought, oh oh, here we go again with the evil mother act. She started with being naive, but also fair to Ricky, but then quickly devolved into the Disney villain I was expecting earlier. 8 dropped to 7.
7 is still a strong score for me.
But then major misstep number 2. MAJOR SPOILER: David is revealed to have slept with Ricky. This was an almost too comical love triangle that busted all my hope previously built up. 7 dropped to 6. And then Ricky getting together with her best friend almost dropped it to 5.
If it wasn't for some strong moments with younger Ricky's video, her relationship with her family, the relationship built with her best friend up to that point, her best friend's narrative as an enlightened heterosexual man who felt comfortable being with Ricky. It's a shame they had to get them together in the end, since it polarized the characters in the film. It's like characters had to be vile with Ricky, or in a sexual relationship with Ricky. It stole the in between option of Ricky not only being a sexual being, but also capable of friendship.
As mentioned, very uneven. Some very strong themes and moments. And some very weak moments. Some 8 moments, with very strong messages, and some 5 moments pandering to Hollywood tropes . Worth the watch, but a bit frustrating to see something so promising fall short.