Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Emotional Bullying, December 28, 2005
Boys tend to be physical when they bully their peers. Girls use emotional vice. In this movie based on the book, Vanessa is bullied by her peers becasue she doesn't fit their "clique". Her friend Stacy sees this but she doesn't do anything. She stands at the sidelines watching them taunt this girl through chat lines and websites. Vanessa can't understand why she is being targeted and why her friend from childhood sits there.
From the beginning of the movie, it seemed like it was over a guy that didn't take interest in Stacy but in Vanessa. That made you wonder if what was happening to Vanessa was the reason behind it. But as the movie progressed, it is more about them, Niki's pack, that make themselves popular by terrorizing others.
An African-American girl in the movie saw these girls detrimental to her psyche and avoided them. She had a good head on her shoulders, where many teenagers, especially girls are lacking. They value themselves according to the clothes they wear, the style of their hair and who they hang out with.
Although no longer a teenager, I liked this movie because some things still haven't changed when I left high school. And I liked that the movie gave a positive role of an African-American teenager which is rare in some of these films today. The movie does go into sequences as to how Vanessa deals with the daily struggle of a student tormented and what happens when things take their toll on her. I hope that many girls, and guys that are watching this movie will get an idea of what it is liked to be the bully (Niki's crowd), the bullied (Vanessa) and the sideliner (Stacy).
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must-see movie , February 9, 2007
This movie deals with issue of female aggression, a topic aptly covered in the movie, Mean Girls. But unlike Mean Girls, this movie is devoid of humor, narrowing in on how destructive this type of behavior is (with no comic relief).
This movie heavily borrows dialogue and material from its namesake, Rachel Simmons' groundbreaking book. This movie is a great companion to the book, offering us a case study of female aggression carried to the limit. Vanessa, initially a confident, well-adjusted girl, becomes a different person after the onslaught of rumors, hateful IMs, and verbal harrassment. Her mom, Barb Snyder, is distraught when she learns Vanessa's school has no clearly delineated procedures for handling verbal abuse. If abuse is physical (like the scene between two boys in the gym in the beginning of the movie), then school policy is well established. The principal realizes that something needs to be done when Barb brings in a print-out of horrid IM messages she sees on Vanessa's computer screen. Even Vanessa's attempted suicide does not bring these girls to their knees--they have become a dangerous form of insecurity, posturing to each other and making a pathetic attempt to build themselves up at the expense of Vanessa.
Emily is a refreshing counterpoint to the "white tornados," as she calls the clique who are bullying Vanessa. She doesn't care about the clique's approval (all of their insults are like "water off a duck's back") and helps Vanessa recover after her hospitalization. She tells Vanessa the truth: the girls are threatened by Vanessa and jealous of her accomplishments. She stresses the point that Vanessa can't afford to internalize the clique's nasty and delusional projections.
This is a great message for girls and survivors of bullying. I certainly didn't have the tools to deal with it when I was experiencing it in grade school, and the teachers seemed to have been like ostriches with their heads in the sand. I'm glad that both the book and movie promote schoolwide policies to handle verbal abuse, not just the more obvious physical fighting.
I'm not trying to have a self-pitying moment here, but I remember having been a confident, spirited child before I was bullied. My personality took a turn for the worse because I internalized the bullying. This "odd-girl out" aggression can really distort the self-image of its victims. To my knowledge, teachers are now attending workshops and receiving training to prevent this type of behavior and effectively deal with it when it occurs, in conjunction with schoolwide anti-bullying policies. No one benefits from bullying. No one's sense of self-worth should be forged at another person's expense. It's pretty obvious from an adult perspective that Vanessa's harrassers felt terrible about themselves, and these girls were compensating for their unhappiness in a really pathetic way (in other words, they were going about self-esteem and happiness in such a way that a genuine sense of self-worth will continue to elude them).
I acknowledge that this movie is very didactic--but its messages are delivered through a well acted, emotionally moving reeactment of what many young people go through on a daily basis.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Survivor, December 29, 2005
I just wanted to share with the world that I am a survivor of the same torment. I truly believe that there is a bully in every generation. I absolutely dreaded going to school. By the time my Senior year of high school rolled around, I was invincible. I can't remember how many times I cut class. I hated being bullied. But I wanted to tell today's generation that bringing weapons to school is not the answer. I am now 33 years old and my life has gotten better. There is light at the end of that never ending tunnel. You are not alone! I remember every minute of the torment but I choose to forgive and forget and get on with my life. Yes, it did hurt. But it's over now. Keep your head up! You will succeed! This movie really touches me. A must see!
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