Coming Soon (1999) User Reviews (34)

An important subject, but poorly executed.

[Bridgchick01 · 5/10 · 2 December 2008]

"Coming Soon" is a film about a clique of girls who essentially have been sold a lie. That is, the only way to be happy is to get into an Ivy League school, get your wealthy parents to give you anything you want, and be a sexual beast with your trophy boyfriend. What the girls eventually realize is that these goals are completely hollow. The Ivy League does not guarantee your a golden future, money doesn't buy you happiness, and sex without pleasure is cheap and meaningless. Therefore the girls go on a quest to discover the pleasure of life, and learn that breaking the mold is the only way to find fulfillment.

In its execution, the movie relies on "clever" but stilted dialogue, over-simplified world views, giant leaps of imagination, and a very childish way of getting a point across, i.e. ignoring logic.

I am quick to applaud the goals of this film. Women deserve to be just as satisfied as men, sexually and every other way. But the way the movie gets to this goal misses the mark by a long mile. For any serious movie connoisseur who likes movies like Shortbus, Fat Girl, well basically anything covered in IFC's "Indie Sex" documentary, it's worth a viewing. But I, like the main character after her first sexual encounter, was left unsatisfied.

Needs work

[kentatm · 3/10 · 29 January 2001]

I wanted to like this movie. It's not awful, but it's not very good either. There are some moderately funny moments that could have been enhanced by better directing and editing. In fact, that is the main problem with the film. It just seems to float along and never really get started. The dead on portrayal of private school kids and how petty they can be was lost through poor ploting. Also, characters seem to vanish and pop up randomly for no reason. To show you what I mean, I won't explain and leave you the way the movie left me feeling. The acting is OK at best but it's a teen comedy and it's not like I was expecting the best but the reactions to situations is a bit unbelievable. ***SPOILER*** This is most evident when Nell anounces she has had her first orgasm. The girls are happy for her and ask who the guy was. But no! It was a girl! Seems Nellie has a same sex attraction. How this revelation met just after Jenny has been berating the lesbian drummer as "That dike?" "Oh, it was her I did it with" "Thats great Nell!" (all smiles)and on to the next scene. But I digress. Ok for a rainy day but better directing could have really made a difference. 4/10

How can people like this movie?

[spamhammer · 3/10 · 6 October 2000]

I'm quite frankly shocked at how many positive comments there are regarding this film. There are good films, and then there are bad films that people like anyway. This movie isn't either.

This is a dumb, careless movie movie populated with vapid characters. The three girls spend most of their time obsessing about themselves and being wrong about sex. The following scene happens about three times: "OMIGOD! I've NEVER had an orgasm! I just THOUGHT I did!" This film has been compared to American Pie, which is pretty funny, because AP actually treated female orgasm more intelligently.

The dialogue is laughable. "He's the bomb, I guess." (regarding a character so scudsy you can't help but wonder if the director has it in for prep school kids.) Most of the adults are gross caricatures. The only two characters who I found remotely tolerable were Mia Farrow (a hippie joke who nonetheless has some smart dialogue.) and what-sis -face from Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza place. In fact, I actually liked his character until he started singing. Oh well.

Stay away from this movie. There are smarter, better films about teenage girls having sex.

Give it a chance

[spin_spiral_witch · 9 July 2004]

I agree this movie is cheesy, but it is has cult indie movie potential. Don't expect award winning performances or gross 'american pie' humour. It really is a movie that girls can relate to.

Three girls discover their sexuality together in a humorous manner. It is full of high school puns and unreal outfits. But you'll laugh, you'll relate on some level and you'll roll your eyes...a lot. I first saw this on cable t.v. and got hooked.

Ryan Renyolds, Mia Farrow and the soundtrack make this movie a silly 'nothing to do on Sunday' flick. Keep an open mind. You'll be happy you did.

The worst movie ever.

[dgrec3 · 1/10 · 1 August 2002]

Horrible movie. Horrible story dealing with the lives of New York's snobby rich kids. Not at all a relateable story as the tagline "American Pie for Girls" would lead you to believe. At least that movie had some things normal people could relate to. Coming soon is just a bad movie that was banking on people watching it cause it was about sex. Bottom line: horrible story, average at best acting, bad flick.

I've never wanted to stop a movie before its over, then i watched this.

[mine657 · 1/10 · 18 June 2009]

Ryan Reynolds is funny, i saw he was in it so i rented it, Ashton Kutchers even in it! i mean cmon! 2 funny ass guys in the same movie, it must have some potential. but no. according to this horrible atrocity of a movie, when a girl is a senior in high school she is ashamed to be one of the only virgins (this i can some what understand) but then, once they lose it and don't like sex they go on a hunt to get an orgasm and try to enjoy sex, in the proses become a super slut, putting ads in the paper to have sex to try to orgasm. THEY ARE IN HIGHSCHOOL!!! CMON!!! this movie made me feel ashamed of poor girls like this. its a sad day if you watch this, it'll ruin your day. and then the friend Jenny just completely ruined the friend aspect of the movie for me with her ugliness and bitchiness. NEVER SEE THIS MOVIE!!!!! EVER!!!!

Unlikable characters ruin it

[Floated2 · 2/10 · 13 January 2021]

Having been compared to the American Pie franchise but as a whole, Coming soon isn't near the level of American Pie in its writing, comedy, storylines and overall atmosphere.

First the lead characters in this film are seemingly unlikable and have that "rich, spoiled, snobby" aura about them. The lead character of Stream comes across as dull, clueless yet sl*tty. We see her in one scene putting an ad on a blog trying to get herself laid. Everything seems as if she/they were rushing it, considering they were only high school students. The dialogue is filled with constant sex talk which becomes irritating after a while.

The friend Jennifer is worse as she comes across as stuck up, the rebel type with her back talking, rude attitude, constant smoking and her not being supportive of Stream and the other friend Nell (a minor subplot sees Nelly getting a modelling act, while Jennifer was rather jealous and constantly putting her down).

Ryan Reynolds (in one of his earlier film roles) is the highlight. Although the events which occur with his character are rather predictable, he manages to stand out.

This film is only 90 minutes yet feels longer (which is a bad thing) as it drags on and does get quite boring, and everything that occurs is quite generic.

Coming Soon just pales in comparison to the American Pie films and it starts with the characters. In those films we have likable characters who we root for, and are put into awkward yet funny situations. The writing of the American Pie films are much more clever in terms of the gags and jokes, the storylines are intriguing and there is a "nostalgic" type atmosphere.

While in Coming Soon, these lead women characters aren't interesting, they come off as unlikable and snobby and we really don't care for what happens with them.

Very Very BAD

[zoltar55 · 1/10 · 17 March 2001]

This movie is an insult to anybody who has a brain.I saw a lot of teens movies but this one was compare to American Pie that was worse.Three girls who talk about sex for 90 minutes is bad enough but the love scenes are the worse I ever saw.They even take a Bath with their bra and panties.The girls are cute and that's about all.to think that a woman directed this movie is very sad.Please DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE.Good for the garbage only.

Unlikable characters ruin it

[Floated2 · 2/10 · 13 January 2021]

Having been compared to the American Pie franchise but as a whole, Coming soon isn't near the level of American Pie in its writing, comedy, storylines and overall atmosphere.

First the lead characters in this film are seemingly unlikable and have that "rich, spoiled, snobby" aura about them. The lead character of Stream comes across as dull, clueless yet slutty. We see her in one scene putting an ad on a blog trying to get herself laid. Everything seems as if she/they were rushing it, considering they were only high school students. The dialogue is filled with constant sex talk which becomes irritating after a while.

Ryan Reynolds (in one of his earlier film roles) is the highlight. Although the events which occur with his character are rather predictable, he manages to stand out.

nice movie, truer to life than some might believe

[widget500 · 6/10 · 12 November 2005]

I watched this movie last night on TV.

Although some of it was a little shoddy (like the ending, and the eventual fate of the two best friends) it was in general quite good.

The point a lot of people miss is that this is EXACTLY how teenage girls from that particular demographic talk and act. They're not articulate, they're pretentious, they waffle on about things they couldn't possibly understand, they're very shallow and they're deeply insecure drama queens. It was actually like being back at school again for me.

Ryan Reynolds also looks like my husband...so I found him pretty sexy (especially singing).

I agree that some of the casting would have been more appropriate if the actors were closer to their characters' ages, and that better editing would have tightened it all up, but it was a nice popcorn movie.

Think of Liv Tyler's character in "Empire Records", this is a movie about girls like that- neurotic, pressurised, rich kids.

It's not going to resonate with everyone, but some of us will actually manage to identify with the whole thing, and then it's really, really funny.

Unlikeable characters ruin it

[Floated2 · 2/10 · 13 January 2021]

Having been compared to the American Pie franchise but as a whole, Coming soon isn't near the level of American Pie in its writing, comedy, storylines and overall atmosphere.

First the lead characters in this film are seemingly unlikable and have that "rich, spoiled, snobby" aura about them. The lead character of Stream comes across as dull, clueless yet slutty. We see her in one scene putting an ad on a blog trying to get herself laid. Everything seems as if she/they were rushing it, considering they were only high school students. The dialogue is filled with constant sex talk which becomes irritating after a while.

The friend Jennifer is worse as she comes across as stuck up, the rebel type with her back talking, rude attitude, constant smoking and her not being supportive of Stream and the other friend Nell (a minor subplot sees Nelly getting a modelling act, while Jennifer was rather jealous and constantly putting her down).

Ryan Reynolds (in one of his earlier film roles) is the highlight. Although the events which occur with his character are rather predictable, he manages to stand out.

While in Coming Soon, these lead women characters aren't interesting, they come off as unlikable and snobby and we really don't care for what happens with them.

Should be coming soon to a TV near you

[Pryderi · 8/10 · 2 January 2001]

Coming Soon is a sweet, though not perfect, coming of age story about teenage girls. Despite the difficulties that the director has had getting distribution, there isn't much shocking about the content of the film - only about the concept of young women who actually care about sexual satisfaction. And the ultimate message - that having sex in the context of a loving relationship is key to satisfaction - is even less of a surprise.

The original VHS version of Coming Soon - the one you're likely to find for rent in video stores - is the R-rated cut of the film. The DVD is the unrated version - the version that was shown at film festivals, and which the MPAA gave an NC-17 rating - and also includes director's commentary that reveals where the cuts were made.

I think that young women, and men, will enjoy this film, and get useful messages from it as well.

american pie, not quite. but still good

[s.hayley · 6/10 · 16 October 2000]

When i first saw this film , which wasn't long ago, i'd already seen the best this genre had. I'd seen American pie, scary movie and even road trip and of all the above this was the worst. im saying this but im over looking the fact that these films are box office smash hits and this is barely known. so for this film of this producer i'd have to say that the cast and crew achieved a good low budget film.

You really won't believe me

[den_quixote · 1/10 · 14 February 2021]

I put this on to see Gaby Hoffman as a semi-adult and as I watched I was thinking that I really feel sorry for her acting in this piece of crap and lo and behold I see this woman that looks like a middle aged woman doing a bad impersonation of Mia Farrow. Holy crap that is Mia Farrow. The we see Peter Bogdanovich trying to act and think how the mighty have fallen. At that point I had to turn it off before I saw someone I really like acting in this. I can only assume blackmail was involved in the assembling of this cast of characters.

Root is SEXY!!!!!

[Serpent-5 · 18 June 2000]

This film is really funny, a great gender twist on a old story cliche, and to top it all off, Bonnie Root is certainly a talent to keep an eye out for! She alone makes the film worth watching IMHO!!!! Her scenes are funny and great!

I've never wanted to stop a movie before its over, then i watched this.

[mine657 · 1/10 · 18 June 2009]

Ryan Reynolds is funny, i saw he was in it so i rented it, Ashton Kutchers even in it! i mean cmon! 2 funny ass guys in the same movie, it must have some potential. but no. according to this horrible atrocity of a movie, when a girl is a senior in high school she is ashamed to be one of the only virgins (this i can some what understand) but then, once they lose it and don't like sex they go on a hunt to get an orgasm and try to enjoy sex, in the proses become a super slut, putting ads in the paper to have sex to try to orgasm. THEY ARE IN HIGHSCHOOL!!! CMON!!! this movie made me feel ashamed of poor girls like this. its a sad day if you watch this, it'll ruin your day. and then the friend Jenny just completely ruined the friend aspect of the movie for me with her ugliness and bitchiness. NEVER SEE THIS MOVIE!!!!! EVER!!!! you've been warned.

Ahem...unsatisfying

[SexyActorsJunkie · 2/10 · 11 April 2019]

It would be nice if Hollywood ever made a serious or at least helpful movie about female inability to orgasm. Won't choose to hold my breath about THAT. And I shouldn't have expected a lot to begin with from what was deemed a comedy. But this comedy isn't even entertaining or funny. The main character Stream (oh my God, who names a character that ???) is annoyingly unfocused, submissive, and dull. Her friends are repellant for different reasons. Her first lover Chad is, unfortunately, all too realistic in his egotistic self-absorption. Henry played by Ryan Reynolds is cute but too precociously self-aware. This film touches lightly on the actual ways a woman can learn to orgasm or might orgasm. But it's all within the context of very superficial and overwhelmingly annoying characterizations. The oversimplified feel-good conclusion of this movie is you just have to find the right man, and it all works out. Maybe so, maybe so, but not every Mr. Right turns out to be great in the sack nor solve your sexual problems, either.

Comes soon, fades fast

[Apollo-14 · 6/10 · 22 December 2000]

It wasn't that bad really, just a little misguided.

This movie had all the earmarks of becoming a nice parody of East Coast aristocracy, but instead turned into a gumdrop chick-flick centered around a milk-toast teenage girl who falls in love with one of the gayest "rockers" I've ever seen.

Still, it's pretty insightful and clever. It deserves a better rating.

Charming and funny

[mrfrane · 8/10 · 9 August 2000]

Apparently, the subject of female orgasm is not as "funny" as some guy having sex with an apple pie -- judging by how quickly this movie disappeared (or didn't appear at all) in movie theaters. Three well-to-do high school girls are searching for satisfaction (which *guys* do all the time in Hollywood movies) and not finding it. Ohmigodwecanttalkaboutthat!! Funny and cute movie. Bonnie Root is an attractive and likeable young actress; I'd hope to see more of her in the future.

One of the best things about the movie is that it deals with sex, more or less constantly, without ever resorting to obscenity or nudity or crudity. I know that the lack of nudity will be a disappointment to some, but it would have ruined this film.

Starts with a bang, ends with a thud...

[Stefa · 7/10 · 25 July 1999]

This is a perfect case study for all you first time filmakers out there. Miss Burson, the director, has made a noble attempt at reinventing the teenage sex comedy here; the problem, as with many debuts, lies with poor production values and a general lack of joi de vive. She starts with a bang as we meet young Stream Hodsell having her virginity pounded out of her by rich kid boyfriend Chad (played by newcomer James Roday in a hilarious, scene stealing turn)and then watch as her two best friends (one is Gaby Hoffman in one of the worst wigs I've ever seen on film) cluster and superimpose their wealth of pseudo-sexual knowledge that clearly foreshadows the journeys to follow. Nice set-up. Three flowering princesses in search of the big "O". Unfortunately, the film gradually loses steam the rest of the way. Mia Farrow shows up as Stream's beatnik mother who, along with the rest of us, can't seem to make much of a connection with her daughter's daily rites of passage. The role is terribly underwritten and I couldn't help but wonder if Farrow just needed a break from her kiddie farm. A host of tacky cameos from the likes of Ryan O'Neal and Peter Bogdonovich only serves to cheapen the already thin production values (there's a scene in a night club that looks like it was shot on video) and by the time the second act rolled around I had lost track of what the film was trying to accomplish in the first place. Bonnie Root is likeable enough as Stream but is clearly much older than her character and struggles in her attempt to revisit her adolescence. Hoffman and Tricia Vessey don't really register much as the two friends and, with the exception of Roday who simply disappears after the first forty minutes, the male contingent is basically non-existent. Ryan Reynolds of TV's Two Guys,a Girl and a Pizza Place has the thankless role of the nice, sensitive guy who finally gives Stream what she's been looking for. I presume a film like this was meant to pack somewhat of a proverbial femme punch as well, but with all of the misplaced propaganda and shaky characters, it serves up more of a meow than a roar. Finally, I should say that, as a filmaker myself, I am curious to see what this director does next. She clearly has a voice and might benefit from directing someone else's material (she serves as the writer here as well). All things considered though, I think it's fair to say that Coming Soon misses the target but hits the tree...

yes, it's crap, BUT

[mesonage · 1 February 2005]

for the few who went to prep school in Manhattan, this movie is a disgustingly accurate portrayal. and that's all it really is. if you went to Dalton, you'll find it very amusing, as the fictional school is named "halton". oh yes my friends, thinly veiled, thinly veiled. this movie should be watched if 1)you want to remind yourself how glad you are that you're not 17 anymore, 2)you're friends don't believe your prep school stories, or 3)i guess if you went to a normal school and want to see what the snot is all about...you didn't miss anything. Maybe you did if you were filthy rich and you didn't go to prep school. Maybe then, your parents sent you to Putney and you spent your free time shoveling horse dookie out of tables and you're wondering if the day school kids had it easier. Trust me, you were better off shoveling.

Yes we like Sex, but we don't want to talk about it

[nabil-kokash · 6/10 · 6 January 2023]

This is a movie about things we don't wish to discuss, think about or even remember. Maturity from being a child to a teenager has its pressures. Some will have good memories some would rather not. The movie brings to the surface what most teenagers would like to explore. Alcohol, drugs and Sex. Boys as teenagers have one track mind. Their lack of experience leads to unsatisfactory results in their relationship with their girl friends. This what life is all about. Learning from experiences.

The choice of the girls, their backgrounds, their richness, their prettiness is to shortcut the process of "I want to be an adult and do whatever I want". Not an easy choice as one can see. Some may consider this movie vulgar, insensitive, female exploitation, & the boys selfish, inconsiderate & lacking social aptitude. This what we see being put to us. The movie concentrated on the physical side rather than the emotional side, and this is what it made less appealing to some.

However, we cannot ignore the fact that at some stage those of us went through some if not all those experiences. Good or bad, that's the fun of it.

This movie rocks

[filmdog36 · 10/10 · 11 February 2003]

Some people need to take the boot out of their ass about this movie. No, you don't see a lot of flesh. No, it wasn't earth-shattering. But when you compare it to the usual bland fare that passes for a teen movie these days -- hey, this one is pretty special. It's got a sassy point of view, which is more than I can say for 99% of them out there. It's got good acting and the director definitely knows how to make a scene funny. I laughed my ass off more than once. When you consider that the budget for this baby was probably 1/10th of what your average piece of commerical crap gets, this movie deserves a lot more attention than it got.

Enjoyed this movie when I was younger...

[katarroyo-70907 · 7/10 · 14 January 2022]

I enjoyed this movie when I saw it, I was too young to truly understand it's charm but was charmed nonetheless. In my opinion it was poorly advertised as a woman's American Pie, although there is humor here it is more satirical than American PIe's slapstick comedy.

The film involves 3 rich, yuppy high school girls as they apply to college and explore sex. Bonnie Hoffman was superb in her role as the "mean" friend, and that is a loose term. She has her moments of being mean to her friends, in the way one passive aggressively hates on a friend due to extreme insecurity. Her character portrayal is a more realistic and subtle parody of a 90's rich girl, at least at the time it was released. That being said, this film overall parodies the lifestyle of rich New York kids in the 90's, which was scandalized to the point of seeming like soap opera plots and dramatic acting in other entertainment at the time.

I did not find Ryan Reynold's character charming, just odd and a bit childish, which is unfortunate as he is the main love interest and a waste of an actor's natural charm. The character of Nell was complex, and in my opinion should have been the protagonist in a more serious coming of age version on the film. Stream was fine in her role, that being she wasn't excruciatingly annoying, but not quite complex either. This film had more of a feel like Empire Records without all the outlandish subplots and dramatic acting, than a mainstream comedy like American Pie.

I thoroughly enjoyed the performances of the established actors in the film, from Mia Farrow's spiritual, hip mom character to Peter Bogdanovich's pretentious artist.

There was also subtle focus on the overwhelming pressure of getting into Ivy League school, but making fun of how ridiculous it is kids with a higher social economic status "struggle" with it.

The main topic of this film being a young woman proactive exploration of her sexuality, which often gets labeled as boring. I enjoyed this character's outlook on her sexuality and open curiosity about it. This film handles it sensitively without debasing it and without shoving it down your eyes and earholes. Compared to its contemporaries where sexualized women were portrayed a needy or overly promiscuous, and overall objectified. I truly feel this movie was ahead of it time.

Loved it!

[laurenball23 · 9/10 · 25 July 2001]

I loved this movie! I was smiling the whole time! I think all teenage girls should see it! It was smart, witty, and funny. It's mainly focused on 3 teenage girls trying to have an orgasm. It has a great cast! Bonnie Root does a wonderful job as Stream. And they couldn't of picked a better Henry (Ryan Reynolds). Rent it tonight!