Try Seventeen (2002) User Reviews (54)

Reaching the Maturity

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 11 October 2004]

The seventeen years old newcomer in town Jones Dillon (Elijah Wood) drops out the university on his first day, after a problem with his roommate, and decides to rent an apartment in an old building. Jones pays one year rental at once for the 2B apartment and his only possessions are a trunk and a typewriter that belonged to his unknown father. Jones spends his time fantasizing his life, writing never-sent-letters to his absent father and discussing by phone his childhood and family problems with his alcoholic mother (Elizabeth Perkins), who lives in Texas. He becomes friend of a painter cowboy, who lives on the first floor, and of the aspiring actress Lisa (Mandy Moore), who lives in the apartment 2A on the same floor. Jones has a crush on the temperamental photographer Jane (Franka Potente), who lives in apartment 2C. After a car accident, Jones reaches the maturity and resolves the outstanding problems of his life. 'Try Seventeen' is a kind of love-hate movie. My wife, for example, just watched half of the story and gave-up to see the second part. I liked this film, about a young man leaving adolescence and finding his own path. The viewer has to keep in mind that Jones's neighbors are indeed Lisa and Jane, otherwise it would be very hard to believe that a guy would have Mandy Moore and Franka Potente available on the same floor. There is comedy, romance and drama in this sensitive story well directed by Jeffrey Porter. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): 'Era Tudo o Que Eu Queria' ('This Was Everything That I Wanted')

Nice

[Mr_Sensitive · 6/10 · 21 February 2005]

Just like Orange County, this movie is about finding oneself at one of the most confusing and influential time of one life at seventeen at as the freshman.

A story of the boy drop out of collage on the first day to find something else in life, that is until he rent an apartment and befriend with the strange neighbors.

I say the movie will be very much enjoying by any body and some of them may even love it. Though the movie is quite slow, it is still flawless and thus did deliver pretty good amount of satisfaction. Overall, it is a good movie (though the movie lacks of some good moments to remember it by) and is recommended, especially Elijah fans.

Reason To Watch: · Just the cast alone (Elijah, Mandy and Franka.) would already sell this movie.

Reason Not To: · Weird to see Elijah and Franka together, · No Goods Kodak Moments, · Nothing much in the movie.

Rating: 6.5/10 (Grade: C+)

Pleasing

[NIXFLIX-DOT-COM · 6/10 · 6 September 2003]

TRY SEVENTEEN (aka ALL I WANT) is probably too mainstream for its own good. But thanks to an attractive cast and a decent screenplay, it hits almost all the right notes. Of course the ending is a tad predictable, and the film falls back on one cliche too many. A little more courage, and TRY SEVENTEEN might have been a memorable movie. As it stands, it's just good, and will most definitely appeal to teens who have experienced what the main character has while trapped in that 4-years (and for some, more) where we all spend our lives while making that transformation from child to adult. I'm talking about college, of course.

6 out of 10

Could not have enjoyed it more!

[countrugensmom · 8 August 2004]

I could not have enjoyed this movie more. To watch a young man of great intelligence and humor but woefully lacking in social graces find his place in the world was a joy. The coming of age angst was a trip down memory lane for me. I related to way too much of the film for my own comfort. The apartment building and it's eclectic band of residents left me wondering, "Are there any vacancies?" Seeing Jones' journey into manhood was a priceless trip. As he faces his demons and the failings in those around him he begins to discover the meaning of his life. His practicing of opening the wine bottles was hilarious. Who here hasn't practiced looking cool? Honestly? I have and his journey rang true. Elijah Wood is a truly gifted man. Once again he has become his character. Mandy Moore impressed me yet again in her fearless acceptance of roles that make her look like an idiot. The entire cast was well chosen.

Let me take this opportunity to mention that the scene where Jones loses his virginity is the hottest love scene I've witnessed since Mel Gibson and Piper Laurie's love scene in Tim. and that's saying something. I'm not sure what...but it's something. Very hot.

It could have made a great series, with all its complex characters. But we look for realism in here.

[silver_vido_01 · 7/10 · 21 August 2006]

Looking at the DVD for the first time, I thought that it would be interesting to see how three so different actors/actresses fit in to work as a movie. Lisa(Mandy Moore), an aspiring actress that gets too overly attached to Jones(Elijah Wood) very quickly is distressed by a seeming affection and curiosity of Jones to the photographer next door, Jane(Franka Potente).

ALong with the series of mishaps, overly sexed furniture dealers and satires with Jones' typewriting, the movie isn't that bad. I can imagine how the director envisioned this coming up of age movie, but at some times things just doesn't work out well. Obviously, it was not the famed movie stardom for its celeb cast with big names, and for a Mandy MOore fan as strong as I am, I would have expected more than just an amateur part.

THe end of the story could have been dealt with further passion and facts that would affect the overall theme quite better. Touch me touch me, on Moore's character play won't just cut it well.

The DVD description and overall featurettes are horrid too. No additional scenes, commentaries whatsoever, only New Line cinema upcoming lists of independent films and a bunch more.

Overall, Mandy Moore, Franka Potente and Elijah Wood brought this movie to it's height at some point, but even the trio's star power can't save another hollwood cliché in the falling list of movie again. Too much things going on in a short end story of being 17, characters that seem to not fit at times, and Mandy's ridiculous part didn't make the movie good enough. Love is also brought part to this if I haven't told you guys, but apparently a Seventeen Year Old's life is too overly interesting for the rest of us. It just doesn't seem realistic at times.

Mildly Entertaining

[elyse358 · 6/10 · 8 October 2003]

Despite its all star cast, 'All I Want' was just not the kind of movie to expect much from. The plot could have been alot more rounded, it didn't go into alot of depth about any of the issues. Except for the one about Jones dad, which had substance.

Although, it didn't fit much in the plot or explain why Jones's character seemed so nieve. I thought the acting was good for such a drab script. Potente and Wood did a great job for what they were given to preform. Moore, however wasn't quite as convincing as the other two, and i really dont see how her character really made an impact on the other characters. This film was mildly entertaining, just don't expect to turn the VCR off and think another thought about what you just saw in the film.

very enjoyable

[nicto_05 · 7/10 · 1 January 2008]

(Sorry for my bad English) First of all, I think this movie is so underrated, it deserves at least 8 stars. Elijah Wood, Franka Potente and Mandy Moore with Chris Martin does excellent acting in this film.

I'm surprised that i haven't heard about this movie before 'cause it's very good and heartwarming It has great script very good actors and it's most original romantic comedy i've seen for years. It's kind of movie that you wouldn't want to end I don't know what to write about...you just have to see it yourself. If you like romantic comedies this is just for you. It's romantic and it has just right amount of humor in it. Like some other movies this doesn't try too hard and that makes it better than most of movies that try to be more funny that they really are

like the pairing

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 27 September 2020]

College freshman Jones Dillon (Elijah Wood) drops out after an infuriating first day. As part of his inheritance from his grandfather, he had to attend the his old alma mater. He'd rather not move in with his hard-drinking mother Blanche (Elizabeth Perkins) and he has no memories of his long gone father. He moves out of his dorm room with its annoying roommate and moves into an old house which has been subdivided into apartments. Three of his neighbors are the volatile photographer Jane (Franka Potente), aspiring actress Lisa (Mandy Moore), and gun toting painter Brad. He writes violent fantasies from real life incidents and shoves them all into his luggage trunk.

This indie is directed by Jeffrey Porter. I don't think he's any good. He's trying to be quirky but at times, he's making it annoying. I'm fine with the annoying ska roommate. In a way, he's a bit funny but the couple in the car is way too annoying. Then there are the fantasies. They are guns and sex and very seventeen as in imagined by a seventeen year old boy. It's all a high school fantasy in this movie except Wood and Potente actually achieve some chemistry. Despite the amateurish touches, their romance gets to an interesting place and the movie is worth something.

Try Seventeen Quirky But Ultimately Forgettable

[CitizenCaine · 5/10 · 5 January 2009]

This quirky, slice of life comedy/drama was never released to commercial theaters, and it's easy to see why. Nothing much happens in the film about a seventeen year old boy entering college as a freshman with inherited money. He quickly decides to leave the college dorm due to an obnoxious roommate and ends up renting a room in an old rooming-house peopled with three other eccentric characters. Eventually he learns more about life, supposedly, and himself without actually attending classes. Elijah Wood is acceptable as the seventeen year old direction-less youth more concerned with sex and finding the root cause of his troubled relationship with his mother played by Elizabeth Perkins. Franka Potente and Mandy Moore are the two odd women in adjacent rooms. Both are interesting actresses but ultimately forgettable characters as is Wood's in this film. Potente is always an interesting actress, but her character is so troubled in this film; it's hard to identify or sympathize with her. Moore is appropriately pretentious and shallow as a would be young actress looking for parts. Wood is caught up with choosing between the two, which also stretches the film's credibility quite a bit. Individual scenes are interesting at times, but the film eventually adds up to nothing much and ends in a sappy, unbelievable fashion to boot. Deborah Harry is wasted as a furniture store owner cougar. ** of 4 stars.

Try Seventeen

[sweet_angelhugs · 6/10 · 17 October 2006]

Why this movie has two titles, I have no idea. Although personally, I would stick to "Try Seventeen" since it stems from the best, most memorable line of the movie.

"Try Seventeen" focuses on seventeen-year-old Jones (Elijah Wood) who tries to start his own life away from his mother, with hopes of finding the father he doesn't really have memories of. His infatuation with finding his father is so great that he constantly types him letters and keeps them in a trunk that he brings with him wherever he goes.

He settles down in an apartment, where two beautiful ladies, a blooming actress and a frustrated photographer find themselves falling for the weird, new boy-next-door and Jones' world no longer revolves around the fantasy world that he writes about to his dad, but around the real world, the world he has been refusing to actually live in, the world that he has been running away from all of his life.

"Try Seventeen" is a witty coming-of-age movie like no other. Although it may be hard to fall in love with the movie the first time you watch it because of its quirky antics and the strange things that Jones dreams up, it does get better.

If it failed to get you the first time, give it a second chance. You will no longer be disappointed.

The movie that wouldnt end

[emilie8605 · 2/10 · 17 November 2003]

i found this movie to be a complete waste of 96 minutes. jones was a weird kid and is severly messed up! According to my memory which might be wrong, wasnt he only 16 or 17 years old? **Spoiler** why did he leave college and rent an apartment with a two crazy girls who feud over boys for a pasttime? and the cowboy who lives underneath jones creeped me out too, how he knew what happened in the apartments didnt float past me for a minute. i do not understand his thinking about the girl that took pictures for fun and stayed in her room when mandy moore was always over and is was quite obvious that she wanted to be more than friends with him. i dont really find this movie funny or artsy or dramatic or anything, i found it to be stupid and a complete waste of time (D- F+)

A good movie.

[tbaa_andrea · 9/10 · 6 September 2005]

Simply put, this was a good movie. It wasn't over the top, it wasn't over stated, there wasn't anything major motion picture about this movie. It was an independent film for crying out loud. Basically it was a wonderfully simplistic movie.

When I first went to buy it, the store I was at told me they didn't have it in stock, but to rent it before buying it anyway because they heard it was bad. So I rented it, and to my amazement, I found myself giggling at the characters and feeling for them at the same time. I'm 28 years old, yet I could still picture how I felt at 17. I was able to connect with the movie, and it was able to keep my attention. (unlike certain "Blockbuster MUST SEE thrillers" that I pay $9.00 to fall asleep at)

this film had a lot of flaws, yes. But none of them really underscored the enjoyment I got from watching the movie. Elijah Wood did a wonderful job in his role as the doe eyed young adult wannabe. Mandy Moore did a great job as the seductive woman, although she didn't LOOK old enough to fit the part in my opinion. Franka Potente was OK as Jane, although I felt she lacked a bit of emotion and chemistry with Elijah. I think she and Mandy Moore would have been better suited to switching roles. I think Mandy would have been a better Jane and Franka a better Lisa. Just my opinion.

One actor who I think will be a great star one day is Aaron Pearl (cowboy Brad) The only actor who shined in the scifi movie "Bloodsuckers", and is known to Stargate SG-1 fans as young General Hammond. That guy has some good talent. He just needs some bigger parts. (No I'm not a relative. I honestly think he's got some great talent. And he's pretty cute. Minus the handle bar mustache.) So Simple, sweet, not perfect, but not as bad as some people have been reviewing it. Definitely up there as one of my favorite movies.

Suprisingly pleasant

[ninty9 · 7/10 · 22 September 2003]

I pre-ordered this movie about a month ago only because it had Franka Potente in it. Normally, I wouldn't really touch this type of film with a 10 foot pole. The impression that before I watched it was that it was more of a movie that your girlfriend would drag you to. Although I'm sure this will happen, guys can relax in knowing this is a decent film.

The acting of the three main characters was decent. I wouldn't say any of them were outstanding. Elijah Wood did an average job, nothing special. Franka Potente was the best out of all of them, but I'm probably biased. The other actors in the film were all pretty much clichéd and horrible, although I didn't mind the cliché's too much.

They gave me something to laugh at. The attempt at humour through out the film was poor, and a monkey could have come up with half it, however I still found myself chuckling at certain points.

The plot is pretty weak. We don't really learn anything about the characters at all. All we know is they all live in the same building and that's as much background as we got.

Predictable? Well I suppose that depends on how smart you are, but yes the plot is predictable. It didn't annoy me.

I think the key to this movie is to go in expecting nothing and you'll come out happy. I had fun with this film. 7/10.

Wow! I can't believe I've wasted 90 minutes for nothing!

[zehan_isback · 1/10 · 6 March 2012]

This movie is a total disaster. Possibly the only good thing about this movie is the cast- Elijah Wood, Mandy Moore. I'm not a very big fan of Elijah or Mandy, but I've seen a couple of their movies, and they shine in their own ways. They're really great actors and even in this movie their acting is praiseworthy. The starting of the movie is... let's say a bit weird, yeah but that's okay sometimes. This evening i was watching this movie with a friend of mine. We thought why don't we stick with it a bit longer, it might get interesting later on, but we were so wrong. The script (although I doubt if there's any) is awful, the plot... well, i don't have a single clue about that! We watched the whole movie just to figure out- What the hell it's really about! It's just so boring, so annoying and kiddish with no real climax and the sudden (happy?)ending was something that you'll least expect... So terribly unrealistic!

There's many "feel good" romantic comedies out there that will leave you with a "feeling" which lingers for sometime. The only feeling i have now after watching this movie is disappointment/confusion. Some of the scenes have no connection to the main storyline at all and it seemed like i was flipping through TV channels.

There's a lot of good movies out there. Don't waste your time or money or good mood.

1 out of 10 and this is certainly going to my "worst movies ever" list.

Respect and purpose.

[Cipher-J · 14 April 2004]

This is a very sensitive and original `coming of age' film, centered around a seventeen-year-old boy seeking to find meaning in his life. His mom had been, in her youth, a self-absorbed, dope-smoking and thrill-seeking Bohemian, who fell for an equally superficial and pretentious pseudo-intellectual of the writer variety, and by the time he went out for a pack of cigarettes never to return, she had found herself pregnant. That would have been the end of her story had mom been a pauper, but her family had money, so by the time the story opens the son had been shuttled around through every prep-school in the country. He never knew his father, and what he knew about his mother was that she never grew up.

What little his mother would say about his father were myths, which he clings to desperately in this story. Had his father `really' been a writer? All he has for proof is an old typewriter, on which he tries to write letters to his father that are never mailed. The whereabouts of the father are not known. Estranged and alienated from his parents, he ends up in an apartment where he can begin to find himself through associations with others who have complicated stories of their own to share. Not surprisingly, he falls in love with an older woman who is much like his mother: self-absorbed and addicted to dysfunctional relationships. Almost as though to redeem his mother through the woman, he tries to prove himself the better man to her, in contrast to the slick and quick former boyfriend, with his leather clothes and hot guitar. He is a nice guy that wants to finish better, not last. It is a very mature and well-crafted story.

Better acting could have saved a potentially great film.

[kfruen · 7/10 · 10 December 2006]

This movie is, at its heart, a great movie. The only problems that I could see with the movie were that its 2 big names, Mandy Moore and Elijah wood, gave less than stellar performances. The star here is Franka Potente. Her performance is what carries this film forward.

Everything else about this film is quite solid. It was properly produced, the script and dialog was very well realized. The camera-work was very well done.

If you've already seen this movie and blasted it in the forums, give it another shot by focusing more on how the camera moves and the words that are actually spoken, not *how* they are spoken(which is where the actor's shortcomings come in to play). You might find a different(and better) film if you can just look past Elijah and Mandy.

The person who wrote the box synopsis should have written the script--Absolutely unwatchable.

[screenhound22 · 1/10 · 18 July 2004]

There could be some SPOILERS AHEAD but I doubt it. I have no idea how the screenplay for this one made it past the shredder. It's horrible. Completely unwatchable. I hung in there for 45 minutes (about half the running time) and just couldn't stand it anymore. I was an Elijah Wood fan in the '90s (see "The War") and I learned to enjoy Mandy Moore's shifts from bubbly to serious this year (see "Chasing Liberty" which is surprisingly entertaining). I've seen bits of "Run Lola Run." So with three leads I liked this should have been fine. It wasn't. Nobody turned in a good performance. Wood's Jones was flat. For an aspiring writer he had next to no imagination (his violent fantasies looked like they were ripped off from "A Christmas Story" and his lustful ones were--huh, a cross between boring and alarming). Potente is absolutely unlikable from the first second and I'd only know that she was supposed to be "THE girl" by reading the box. Speaking of the synopsis--whoever they employed for that job made the film sound funny, quirky, romantic, and quite enjoyable. Whoever that person was, he or she should have been employed to rewrite this script. By the halfway point, I didn't care about ANY of the characters anymore. Moore's Lisa is an aspiring actress who's bubbly and a little conniving (for no apparent reason at all) but her ludicrous period play (which is supposed to be funny in presentation) is on a par with the rest of the script. There is supposedly a happy, romantic comedy ending to this turkey--given the character material they had to work with, I just can't envision it. Save your money. Warn your friends. DON'T watch this movie.

Definitely... well... special.

[got_a_penny · 5/10 · 10 February 2005]

To say the least, "Try Seventeen" or "All I want" is definitely different. Never seen a movie like it. Which, is not exactly a good thing. With this movie, I began to wonder what had ever really made me believe that Elijah Wood could even act. Loving Mandy Moore as much as I do as an actress (for I am a sap for such a movie as "A Walk to remember")I actually ended up wanting to kick the two of them for thinking that this movie would be any good... Then I also wanted to kick myself for actually paying over twenty dollars for it. Of course, there are some interesting scenes such as when Elijah wears the cowboy hat, or that scene with the wannabe twenty year old, old woman jumping Elijah on a bed he's recently had delivered from her shop. Now that is a wonder to behold, and possibly the best reason to see this movie... That, and Elijah Wood in a cowboy hat... In general, story is severely lacking, acting is not at all up to par, and of course, just... don't bother.

Beautiful, heartfelt film

[SBLOMS · 10/10 · 10 February 2005]

All I Want/Try Seventeen is a fresh, beautiful film about one young man's struggles as he travels along the bumpy path of growing up. This film was absolutely brilliant- the script, the way it was filmed, and especially the music all worked together to make it a refreshing change from the normal teen movies of today. Not to mention the acting- Elijah Wood did a wonderful job of portraying his character, Jones Dillon. He gave just the right amount of depth and feeling to his character without overacting. Hollywood could do with more young actors like Elijah Wood. He knows how to give a real, stirring, heartfelt performance and he give his all, which is apparent in this film. Equally good performances came from Mandy Moore and Franka Potente. If you remember what it's like to be around that age, on the brink of adulthood but not quite there yet, you will enjoy this film!

Protrays love beautifully

[westinowich · 4/10 · 31 May 2012]

Elijah Wood does a terrific job in this movie! The only thing that shines brighter in this movie is how 'LOVE' is portrayed (i am absolutely fascinated by this part of the movie). Other than that, the movie is quite poor. Elijah Woods voice-over is a pretty decent addition, however the acting in general among the rest of the actors is not satisfying. Except from the main character this movie is pretty dull (ths might even have been on purpose, to state that the surrounding world is dull - i however don't think this is the case).

If you're not that critical with the technical details in a movie and seek a great love-film (i really dislike this concept normally - i was very surprised with this movie), then i highly recommend this movie!

Innovation: 2 - Acting: 2 - Directing: 6 - Elijah Wood: 7 - Overall: 4,25

It's Completely Understandable

[Elwood_Cooper · 7 November 2004]

Try Seventeen, or the title I bought the movie under, All I Want (I like try seventeen better) is a misunderstood story. I originally bought this movie because of Elijah Wood (he's very cute). I was seventeen at the time, and I totally understood this movie. It's about a boy trying to cope with life as he knows it. He tries to escape by pretending and lying about things, and not only to other people, but to himself. He put himself in imaginative situations where he would be the hero and everything would work out for him as he wanted it to. Oddly enough, I found myself daydreaming the same kind of scenerios, and I still often do. SO no, this movie isn't for everyone, but it is a very understandable storie if you open your mind to it. I related to it very well because I was sort of the same. So don't be close-minded about movies such as this!

'Try Seventeen' Tries too Hard, yet Not Hard Enough

[ascheland · 5/10 · 16 September 2012]

That the reach of "All I Want" (a.k.a. "Try Seventeen") exceeds its grasp wouldn't be so damning if it weren't for the fact that the movie isn't reaching that far. Elijah Wood plays 17-year-old virgin Jones Dillon, his very name sounding like an indie film contrivance. The shell-shocked Jones drops out of college on his first day and, lugging a large trunk behind him, moves into an old apartment house that is sort of a de facto artists colony. His neighbors include Brad (Aaron Pearl), a gay painter with a serious cowboy fetish (and who, it's revealed later, can restore a totaled BMW to like-new condition seemingly in a matter of hours); Jane (Franka Potente), a surly photographer getting over a bad relationship; and Lisa (Mandy Moore), an aspiring actress and least eccentric of the building's residents.

Jones has some eccentricities of his own, like writing letters to a father he never knew and slipping into sexy fantasies that come to life on screen but evaporate before things get too sexy. The letters to Dad are never mailed. Instead, they are collected in that trunk of his (real luggage for his metaphorical baggage). Lisa tries to seduce Jones, but Jones, naturally, finds the grumpy, dark-haired Jane more intriguing. Between Jones' interactions with his neighbors are frequent calls to his mother back in Texas (Elizabeth Perkins, one of the movie's high points), who wanders around her large home wearing peignoirs and belting back highballs. She nags him to come home; he nags her to tell him about his father. Hang up. Repeat.

"All I Want" is an indie comedy, but it never quite settles on the type of indie comedy it wants to be. It's mostly quirky, though there are jarring attempts at camp, like when Jones goes to a second-hand store run by Deborah Harry, done up like she's in a John Waters movie and acting accordingly. Often, though, it's just pretentious — painfully so at times, especially when Mandy Moore is speaking. Her acting is competent, but the mannered dialog sounds false coming from her pouty lips. To steal a line from critic Nathan Rabin, you can hear the writing.

"All I Want" reminded me of the indie comedies that crowded video store shelves in the 1990s, the kind that starred Keanu Reeves, Eric Stoltz, Suzy Amis and Harry Dean Stanton: movies that were too off-center for mainstream consumption, too safe to satisfy an art house audience. "All I Want" is not much worse than those movies, but it's not any better, either.

The sort of film that makes you want to kick Cameron Crowe right in the nuts

[MBunge · 5/10 · 17 April 2012]

There are some cute moments here and a talented group of actors giving their all to stretch those moments into something more. Working against that is a terribly contrived story and a director who overindulges in one of the worst modern movie clichés. The result is a film that's equal parts endearing and eye-rollingly frustrating. If I had to do a commentary track for All I Want, it would be nothing but alternating expressions of "Well, that was nice" and "Oh, come on!"

Jones Dillon (Elijah Wood) is a 17 year old college freshman who arrives on campus dragging a huge trunk behind him. After a few bad experiences on his first day, Jones drops out and uses his grandfather's money to rent a room in a boarding house. Once there, he's befriended by the wise gay guy who lives downstairs (Aaron Pearl) and bounces between the two women who live upstairs (Franka Portente and Mandy Moore), all the while having phone conversations with his mother in Texas (Elizabeth Perkins) that range from studied indifference to anger that she won't tell Jones the identity of his father.

This is a coming of age tale where Jones' experiences on his own transform him from aimless and silently needy virgin to…well, I'm not exactly sure what he's supposed to be at the end, other than no longer a virgin. Along the way, there are some interesting scenes watching Jones interact with Franka Portente's closed off and difficult break-up victim and Mandy Moore's self-centered and manipulative but more available aspiring actress. The script also has a neat undercurrent of the geographic and interpersonal realities of life in a boarding house. There's enough of that stuff sprinkled through the movie that I was never entirely ready to give up on it.

I came close, though, on several occasions. Jones is not a real person. He's a couple of well worn quirks and a general projection of passive cluelessness. That this 17 year with no job, no prospects, no ambition and nothing to offer would be like catnip to the two older women of the house was one of the first eye-rolling elements to All I Want. Jones' estrangement from his mother and yearning for his father feels prefabricated and inserted into the story, like a mobile home plopped into a vacant lot. Jones also has the recurring fantasies about beautiful women and at the end of the film, he shuts the door on that sort of daydreaming. The problem is that all of the fantasies but one are nothing but sight gags. They have no significance to anything else and the only meaning they could have is Oedipal, because he usually fantasizes about the women when he's on the phone with his mother. When and how he finally gives up these daydreams, however, doesn't really make sense in any oedipal fashion. It's like the fantasies where nothing but filler and then the filmmakers forgot that and thought this particular plot thread needed some resolution. It didn't.

The most irritating thing about this movie is director Jeffrey Porter's far too frequent use of a beyond tired storytelling trick. It's the one where there's a segue between scenes or a mini-montage supposed to indicate the emotions a character is going through and the soundtrack wells up with this pop or alt-rock song, depending on the genre of the movie. I'm not sure when this technique came into vogue but it was a long time ago. Like all clichés, it retains some of its original effectiveness so I can tolerate a filmmaker resorting to it once. Maybe twice. Porter does it repeatedly and it gets more annoying every time.

I liked Portente's and Moore's performances and putting them into a love triangle with a guy more believable and energetic than Jones Dillon would have produced a much better motion picture. As it is, All I want is never better than okay. You can do worse than watch this thing but you can also do better. It depends on how hard you're willing to look.

Beautiful Portrayal of Teenage Pain

[ElijahJWoodFan · 9/10 · 8 March 2005]

I loved this movie. The initial reason that I saw it was because I'm a huge Elijah Wood fan, but I would actually recommend it. The different characters and situations really mirror the pain that teenagers go through at critical times in their lives and Elijah does a great job as Jones, the main character. Not only did I enjoy Elijah Wood, but Mandy Moore and Franka Potente are great actresses. The chemistry between both Elijah and Mandy as well as Elijah and Franka makes for a great storyline. Yes, a lot of questions go unanswered, but I was very happy with the outcome of the plot. Also, Elijah does a great job in his very first on-screen sex scene. It is both beautiful and tasteful.

try17 or all i want?

[starseednaveed · 6 March 2004]

I have to admit,on first hearing about this film I wasn't too keen on it and was thinking that it was going to be one of those teenybopper films. When I actually saw this film for the first,I was amazed how it's really not how I thought.I was a good film.And the soundtrack,I must say,is pretty darn good too. The story line is easy enough to follow,even for me,and the characters are all simple and likeable. Just one thing bugs me.Why change the title to 'All I Want'?In the film,I'm pretty sure no one says the line 'All I Want',however when Jones talks to Brad,he says the line 'Try Seventeen'.It's a memorable line!Why change the title?It would be more memorable (and great) as 'Try Seventeen'. All in all,great film.See it.And hopefully,get the soundtrack!

*First ever comment