Amy George (2011)

You won't be disappointed!

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

This film is right out of the box, carried not only by candidly true-to-type female antagonists but by Yonah's continuity and direction, both assisted considerably by Gabriel's fine acting ability.Gabriel plays Jesse to a tee and Yonah and certainly the camera crew respond, but more than that Gabriel's obvious discretion, wit and intelligence add spontaneous mastery and authenticity to a pubescent role and character-type too often stylised, distorted and dismissed as such in contemporary cinema.I left primarily hoping to see a great deal more of this very talented young actor, and on short reflection many more movies like this. The world will be a better place for it.

Not completely awful but really boring. No story, looks like ad lib dialogue, poor casting, filming is terrible, half the time super dark with no reason. It doesn't know where it's going and any direction it chooses, well it doesn't begin. Is this a story about a boy with a fixation on his neighbor, nope, is it a coming of age story, nope, is it a discovery of what it means to be an artist, nope. That sappy piano and ugly music at the end is really over the top, as though they failed throughout and had to somehow try to drive home some emotion. I wish I could find something redeeming but there isn't. It's sort of like high school budget meets every major cliché, but a collection of clichés does not make a film.

I understand that there are many adults who watched this film. Great! I am a 15 year old kid, I had the good fortune of going to the Toronto International Film Festival. And fortunately my whole experience was not entirely tainted by Amy George. Some say that Amy George reminds us of a realistic teenager's life.I don't know, who the hell the directors were, but my 13 year old highlights did not consist of what I just saw. Their lives must have been pretty boring to create this film. It is SO boring! Their film making techniques can not be excused. For god sakes people, they filmed a whole 3 minute long shot of the boy saying what he saw. Film is ALL about visuals. I didn't come to here a 13 year old boy say this: I see a tree, a rock, another rock, etc. FOR 3 FREAKIN MINUTES! It took them 30 seconds to establish that a teacher had a lot of books and was walking through a hallway... doing nothing but making sure they didn't fall. I was praying that the shot would end, but it never did.MY GOD this movie doesn't even have a plot: Boy has photography assignment, boy wastes his hippie parent's money, boy attempts to be artist, boy talks too much, boy gets F because he handed in porn to his teacher, boy masturbates in washroom. What is that? Did he develop? Did he grow? Was there even a CLIMAX?! NO! These boys (director) wasted 2 hours of my life and one ticket from tiff... I could have watched Moneyball for god sakes! I am not a mainstream fan, I love artsy movies. THIS is a sorry excuse for an artsy movie!

My brother took me to this film at a Brooklyn film festival because the soundtrack features four of his compositions. Nevertheless, about halfway through the film I found myself wondering why in the world I was sitting there watching it. The film tells the story of several days in the life of Jesse, a 13-year-old boy in Toronto. The filmmakers have nothing original to say about this well-worn topic. Several events or statements by characters feel unrealistic but not in an interesting way or for an interesting purpose. For example, numerous comments about sexual orientation and alcohol ring untrue. The biggest example is what Jesse chooses to submit as his assignment in a photography class, a choice with pointless shock value and no apparent connection to his character. The acting is uneven but the cast doesn't have much to work with, given the limitations of the script. The cinematography is beyond bad, full of pointlessly quirky shots that suggest the camera-work of a first-year film student who is just fooling around.