Movies

Here's another movie that too many critics have jumped up and down over and that finally disappoints. There is nothing wrong with trying to bring a fresh take to the love story, but to do this, one needs characters that are truly real and worth spending nearly two hours with. This film begin well, and the two leads draw you in, but then their characters start behaving so stupidly that eventually there's little point in remaining attuned. The photography is first-class, and the acting (when the script permits) is generally good. But this is now two films from David Gordon Green that--if you listen to the critics--promise much but deliver little.

Paul (Paul Schneider) hangs out with his friends Tip (Shea Whigham), Bust-Ass (Danny McBride), and Bo (Maurice Compte) in their small town. Paul is known as the town's ladies' man. He's been with every girl but only in short flings. Tip's sister Noel (Zooey Deschanel) comes home after boarding school. Noel is a virgin and thoughtful. Paul falls for her but Tip does not approve.I don't really buy Schneider as this character. He doesn't fit but an indie can have casting problems like this sometimes. It is still very distracting. On the other hand, Zooey Deschanel is wonderful. It's a slow touching romance. The central conceit of Paul is tough to overcome. This is still a nice indie with some charms.

We chose this movie based upon a good review in local paper. I knew we were in trouble when some friends leaving the film said it was slow and very disappointing. They were right. It was the most boring movie I've ever seen. No, to be honest, Moulin Rouge was worse. If you want to suffer great pain, don't miss All the Real Girls! The lines in the script make little sense. The story isn't funny. No one in the theater laughed (maybe a chuckle here and there). When it was over there was stunned silence--"How could a movie be this bad?", I figured the audience must be thinking. The male lead seemed to have an IQ of 45 for a while, then he would sound like his IQ was 150, then back to 45, etc. Nice scenery though. Bottom line: It stunk big time!