Product Details

• Actors: Alison Folland, Tara Subkoff, Cole Hauser, Wilson Cruz, Leisha Hailey
• Directors: Alex Sichel
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: New Line Home Video
• VHS Release Date: June 30, 1998
• Run Time: 95 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0780619544
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #19,907 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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  #66 in	Video > Drama > Love & Romance > Young Love

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
This gritty 1997 film marks the merging of several budding talents: sisters Sylvia and Alex Sichel, who serve as writer and director, and actors Alison Folland (To Die For), Tara Subkoff, and Murmurs singer Leisha Hailey. The idea behind the movie was the Sichels' awe at ever having survived being teenage girls in the big city.

All Over Me is about Claude (Folland) a shy, overweight teen who works in a pizza parlor after school and is secretly in love with her best friend Ellen (Subkoff). But Ellen is far ahead of Claude in development. She has an older boyfriend, and she harbors a bad case of destructive self-loathing that erupts frequently and with a fury. But All Over Me isn't just a teenage cautionary or coming-out tale. It's as much a story of New York and its unbearably long, hot summers as it is the downtown music scene or teenage dreams and struggles with adult issues. More than that, it's a well-made film that has its own rhythm, working slowly to give us insight into the girls' natures. It succeeds admirably in taking us back to that age when everything seemed possible despite the dangers of the city closing in. Growing up has never felt as close to home or as scarily realistic. --Paula Nechak

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Overlooked But Important Film, June 23, 2005

By	Stephanie Crawford (Las Vegas, NV) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: All Over Me (DVD)

I am really, really excited that this film has finally come to DVD- even though it contains no extra features, and this is a movie that could produce a wonderful commentary and/or DVD documentary. I first saw this film on Cinemax when I was about 14 years old and I haven't forgotten it even now that I'm in my early 20's. Alison Folland perfectly underplays Claude- a quiet, insecure girl whose relationship with her best friend Ellen (played by an inspired Tara Subkoff) becomes strained when Ellen starts spending all her time with her new boozing & druggie boyfriend- while at the same time Claude begins to have romantic feelings towards Ellen.

Folland's character soon makes friends with two very special people who encourage her to pursue her love of rock music- Luke, who just moves into the apartment building, and Lucy (Leisha Hailey, who was well-known as a member of the band The Murmurs when this film was released & also supplies some music to the film) who also gives Claude her first same-sex romantic encounter- which is done with a light, sweet & realistic touch. The film does become darker as it plays on, with Ellen's spiral into addiction and ending with a sudden and shocking hate crime takes the life of a friend, and forces Claude to grow up very quickly.

This is a wonderful film that everyone can take something meaningful from- you don't have to be a teenage girl or homosexual/bi-sexual to appreciate the characters, story, and ultimately the message. It also has a fantastic soundtrack (my copy still gets spun after a good seven years) that includes music from Sleater-Kinney, Patti Smith, Ani DiFranco, Tuscadero and many more that skillfully encapsulates both the mid-to-late 90's time period and feel of the movie.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alison Folland Alison Folland Alison Folland, August 6, 2000

By A Customer

Overall this is an amazing movie, with an amazing soundtrack. The casting was excellent, the story moving. I laughed between crying fits.

But I have to say it was beautiful and talented Alison Folland's honest and endearing portrayal of Claud the confused self-effacing yet strong young (soon-to-be) lesbian that made this movie what it is. Claud's smile at the end of the movie, probably her first smile in the move at all, just lit me up, the joy in finally being true to herself is so apparent...it still sticks with me. Actually the whole movie sticks with me, long after the first viewing, when other movies have faded into the background All Over Me still shines as one of my all time favorites. It should be a classic.

The plot has already been rehashed 20 or so times so I won't go into it again, but at the heart of this movie is the question "what are the boundaries in a friendship?" Any woman who can still remember that close best friend from girlhood, the one you didn't do anything without, can remember how insane the relationship really was...the love, the jealousy, the sexual energy. That's what is at the core of this movie and it rocks.

Buy it, watch it, love it. I promise you won't be sorry.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars TORTURED SOULS AND DIFFICULT DECISIONS, December 7, 1998

By	Shannon Graham ([e-mail]) (Houston, Texas) - See all my reviews

I had never heard of this movie until a close friend suggested that I watch it. I had little expectations going into this film but I was soon blown away by the solid plot and the exceptional acting of all the characters. All Over Me follows the friendship of Claude and Ellen, two teenage girls living in Hell's Kitchen New York. The two are exceptionally close and spend most of their time in Claude's room, practicing to become a band. Tensions rise when the friendship crosses the line and Ellen starts seeing Mark, a hostile young man who thrives on confrontation. The viewer watches as Claude deals with the new facets of her friendship with Ellen and her own sexuality. Claude soon meets up with Lucy, a sweet pink haired rocker who is completely at ease with who and what she is. The story climaxes with the death of a central figure that will rock Claude and Ellen's relationship forever. All Over Me is a powerful movie, with a solid plot and excellent acting by Allison Folland, Leisha Hailey, Pat Briggs and Wilson Cruz. Anyone who survived adolescence would appreciate this film and it's characters.