5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hurrah for the return of Keisha Castle-Hughes...and Jews, September 8, 2010
This is an absolutely lovely, quirky film clearly inspired by "Ugly Betty"...but I don't mind. This Australian offering (in partnership with Showtime) is a hilarious coming-of-age tale with a rare, classic feel to it. There is nothing negative that can be said of it.
Esther Blueburger (the gorgeous young Danielle Catanzariti) is stuck in New South Wales, Australia, at Rowan Ladies' College--a fancy term for "exclusive private high school". The "robots" in attendance are driving Esther mad, along with her crazy parents and little brother Jacob (hilarious young Christian Byers). The scene with Jacob practicing his bar mitzvah and Esther her bat mitzvah is so funny I almost threw up; butchered Hebrew should at least be funny, as it is here.
Esther, clamped in Ugly Betty braces and glasses (which she later throws off in rebellion), is too unhappy for a girl her age. She adores her pet duckling and prays to God while cleaning toilets. On the most fateful day of her life, she meets Sunni (a STUNNING Keisha Castle-Hughes, welcome back!!)--and this girl lives up to her name. Though dark and hoodlum-like at first, she takes to Esther like a sister. And that is exactly what they are under the skin. When Esther gets to meet Sunni's free spirited mother Mary (great appearance by the chameleon-like Toni Collette) she is welcomed into the small family.
The trouble here is not just Esther's rejection of the robotic girls' school: she has a complex about being Jewish, something she has absorbed from her folks. Falling in with Sunni, she flees her school to attend Yellow Hill, Sunni's regular school. What follows will wrench your heart when it isn't physically rolling you around the floor. America needs help producing girls' coming-of-age stories of this caliber.
THE SASQUATCH GANG aside, I can't say when I had more fun. From the awesome soundtrack to the pitch-perfect acting, from the subtle and sweet storyline to the location...what can one say? SEE THIS and cherish it. For me, this is the best film of 2010 by far. We don't get enough of these good Australian (or New Zealand) films.
For those who missed the news: Kiwi Keisha did get a walk-on part in the STAR WARS episode II (ATTACK OF THE CLONES) as the New Queen of Naboo. Couldn't see her in all that royal makeup. She had finished growing up once WHALE RIDER was completed, was the first kid to get an Oscar nomination (though it came late), had I think one child, brushed up on her acting and came back. God I'm so happy about it. She's just beautiful.
It will remain a classic forever. And once again: it's an honor for me to welcome back Keisha Castle-Hughes, a beautiful, shining star on the rise!
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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
What a Nifty Little FLick, July 22, 2010
This received some good reviews so I gave it a shot. The opening song sounded very "after school special-ish" and I thought I really screwed up this time, but thankfully I was wrong........way wrong. This was about as pleasant a viewing experience as I've ever had.
Set in Australia, the story is about a 'coming of age' Jewish girl in an uppity type prep school. She's more than a bit on the outside of things and just cannot get accepted by the other girls. She's quite bright but with a quirky sense of things. She meets a rocker type girl from a public school and schemes a way to go to said public school, (unbeknown to her parents) where she seems to fit in a bit better. The scheme goes south and she needs to re-evaluate where she thinks she should be.
This is a good movie. Maybe not a great movie as the story does ramble a bit, but it rests solely on the shoulders of Danielle Catanzariti as Esther Blueburger. She is outstanding. For my money she hit every note on the head. The way she delivers her lines, her facial expressions, even the way she walks is spot on. The other actors are all decent, and I'm always game to see Toni Collette, but they pale in comparison to Esther.
The production values are good enough to get you through the proceedings and the music/soundtrack is great. Seeing a 100+ girl chorus singing House of the Rising Sun is priceless.
This falls squarely into the category of films such as "Juno" or "Little Miss Sunshine", so if you liked either of those, chances are you'll adore this.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent story and great performances!, July 8, 2010
I took my two teenage daughters to a special screening of this movie and they thoroughly enjoyed it, but what most surprised me is that this seems to be a great film for the entire family (sans the kids under 12 or so).
The story was interesting from beginning until the (somewhat surprising) ending of the film and the acting was quite good from the entire cast. We're looking forward to seeing it again on DVD; the bonus features should be interesting!
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