Dirty Girl (2010) User Reviews (47)

Embracing the dirty girl attitude

[napierslogs · 7/10 · 18 January 2012]

I liked "Dirty Girl" because it was unabashedly fun. It was pro-gay rights, pro-female independence, and anti-religious persecution without it being about any of that. On the surface it was an '80s throwback with the teen kids embracing the "anything goes" attitude while their parents clung to their conservative values. Pack a suitcase, pop in a mixed tape and run away.

Juno Temple stars as the titular dirty girl, Danielle. She assumed the role of the rebellious daughter and the inappropriate student who relished any opportunity to be the sex symbol. The whole-heartedness with which Temple became Danielle not only made this type of person acceptable but empathetic too.

This isn't to say that the film was perfect. One of the big drawbacks was that although the lead character did evolve, she did so with incongruent leaps. My other issue was that whenever Danielle and her companion Clarke had to stop and sing, the film stopped too. That could be on purpose though since they do seem to be trying to sell the soundtrack just as much as the movie itself.

It's the movie itself, though, that I liked. It was the passion that all of the characters had for life that just danced off the screen. The societal lessons that important movies try to teach and which we all probably already know, are just silly, feel-good bonuses here since they came up with new, more realistic, and more relatable endings. Wait for Clarke's reaction to his final circumstances if at any point you fear the monotonous drone of melodrama.

"Dirty Girl" does bring to mind similar better movies which walked parallel paths, most notably "Jolene". And although after watching this, I immediately came home and bought the latter, it should still be able to find its place among accepting fans. It moves along at a quick pace, keeping the lead characters delightful even when they're depressed, and keeping the tone light even when the supporting characters commit some pretty heinous acts. I've never had a problem enjoying those types of conflicting scenes, but it does account for the movie's poor reception.

Keep in mind that this is writer and director Abe Sylvia's first film and that the archetypal characters can actually belong to any decade then you should have no problem enjoying, and secretly wanting to be, the dirty girl.

Don't let the title fool you.

[cyrus_im · 7/10 · 27 April 2012]

When I first came across the movie name I thought this is another stupid nude movie with dirty jokes, but when i saw everyone in the internet recommending people to watch it, I decided to give me a shot. To my surprise, the title didn't match the plot at all. The whole story is about true friendship and family relationships, and though it did have a lot of swears and strip dances, it is quite touching to me and it has a great meaning behind this movie.

Although my English sucks and the movie is shown two years before, and I expect no one to see my comment, I just hope that people who loves comedies won't miss this one out.

not funny enough

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 11 October 2015]

It's 1987 Oklahoma. Danielle Edmondston (Juno Temple) is a dirty girl. She has sex with the boys. She gets dropped into the special class filled with misfits. She befriends outcast Clarke Walters (Jeremy Dozier) who is coming to terms with his homosexuality. Her home life with her mother Sue-Ann (Milla Jovovich) is chaotic as she is about to marry Ray (William H. Macy). Danielle and Clarke go on a road trip to search for her birth father as Clarke's parents (Dwight Yoakam, Mary Steenburgen) chase after him.

I want to root for Danielle and Clarke. The movie needs more comedy. It's not that funny. With better comedy, the buddy chemistry would take care of itself. The movie would be much improved. It also relies too much on musical interludes. The story is a bit too messy. I wish the movie and the dialog is better written.

"Dirty Girl" hurt this film.

[daryl-sarbaugh-918-898174 · 7/10 · 30 November 2021]

The title hurt the acceptance of this film. It earned $143k world wide. Juno has done 12 nude scenes in movie and TV in the past decade, that being said, nudity would detract from this movie. Itis really a pretty emotional ending.

An amazingly bad movie

[jm10701 · 9 May 2014]

This is an amazingly stupid and sloppily produced movie. I'm astonished that the Weinstein brothers put their name on it.

Every character is obnoxious (especially Clark, whose weight is the very least of his defects), every actor is terrible (even ones who have been great in other movies), the story is completely unbelievable, the dialog consistently phony and contrived, the photography extremely clunky (with light coming from impossible sources), and the direction like a very bad soap opera, with not the tiniest bit of subtlety or credibility.

This movie is about as realistic as Pee-wee's Playhouse, but a whole lot less entertaining. I can't imagine what sort of people they are who've given this piece of garbage such great reviews. I hated it.

Dirty Girl

[apollo_uk1965 · 6/10 · 31 January 2012]

This maybe titled Dirty Girl But the Actress is defiantly not, She is a Brilliant actress, and it shows in this other wise seemingly average film that is anything but.

Her almost undetectable English accent can not be heard at all as she plays a rather promiscuous young lady from Texas who is paired up with a shy young man, and the two of them run together for two different reason but end up together on the same road.

Jeremy Dozier plays well alongside Juno as well as Milla Jovovich as Danielle mother, and William H. Macy plays Danielle want to be Morman stepfather.

Don't judge a movie by its title.

[hemril · 7/10 · 28 February 2012]

This is for me of of the best written movies I have seen. It is touching, sweet and it drove me to tears at the end.

Almost all of us have difficult teenage years. But the circumstances of the two main characters are beyond what most of us had to go through. This search for identity, this need to belong, to know where we are from and what we are going to become.

Juno Temple and Jeremy Dozier play as the kids they are, but bring a genuine maturity to their characters. It makes me love them both. And it has to be noted that at such a young age they're able to carry the whole movie with so much grace.

I don't know if this movie has won any prize, but it sure deserves a huge round of applause. Well done Juno and Jeremy. You have proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that you have talent and that you deserve you place among the silver screen stars of today and tomorrow.

I'll watch for your next projects. Huggs and kisses to you both.

Film Festival Indie Drama

[jfgibson73 · 4/10 · 23 February 2017]

Dirty Girl is about two high schoolers going on a road trip to find the title character's biological father. It was every indie drama you've ever seen. That's about all I really want to say about this movie.

I did start to enjoy how the two characters got along after starting out disliking each other. However, the road trip portion of the movie felt too stilted--it was over before enough things happened. Pretty much everyone in it was unexceptional, but the script doesn't give them a whole lot to do. I think the marketing for this movie was misleading--if I had a better idea of what it was like, I would have skipped it. Calling it "Dirty Girl" was the major offense--the movie never gives you a reason why Danielle should be labeled as such.

A fun and quirky film... perfect for the open minded

[beaucheri33 · 8/10 · 25 February 2012]

I'm a cliché artsy girl form NYC and often i look forward to films like these.. you know the little indie gems that not many people have heard of.. Dirty Girl was like a treat for me and i can watch it again and again.It's not a perfect film and definitely not mainstream, but absolutely entertaining. Juno Temple couldn't have played this part any better as a young promiscuous teenage girl who seems confident and unafraid to conquer the world but is actually quite vulnerable and easily broken.. Clark was so lovable as the fat gay best friend and hopeless romantic, even with all their flaws , the chemistry between them was outstanding, and me and mom couldn't help but to laugh at the different emotions from the bag of flour and to adore the cool soundtrack (she's an 80's chick so it was inevitable)..

The journey was so fun to watch that i didn't want it to end, part of me had wished that Danielle and Clark could have ran away and started a new life together.. that would have been epic, but by the end of the film it was easy to admire the writers for thinking outside the box and reminding me why i love films like these so much ~

Better than most "trashy, DIRTY GIRL coming-of-age" flicks

[twilliams76 · 6/10 · 20 January 2012]

I'll go against the grain and marginally recommend this one as it has a few good messages that it wishes to convey to its audience (chances are one giving this obscure title a chance and watching it won't need to learn those "messages", though, as they'll luckily already have them).

Dirty Girl is the story of Norman, Oklahoma high school student, Danielle (Juno Temple - Atonement, Cracks, The Dark Knight Rises), who has the reputation of being the town's "dirty girl" as she puts out, smarts off, doesn't care etc. She always appears to be on the hunt for the new guy who can possibly get her out of the dreary town in which she is a bona-fide misfit.

It is 1987 rural America, and so the only person in school who is a bigger misfit than herself is the chubby and unpopular Clarke (newcomer Jeremy Dozier) -- a friendless closet-case (back in the time when the word "fa--ot" was used tirelessly/acceptably to describe homosexuals). The two are paired together for a parenting project as the class's two rejects ... and they form an unlikely bond -- one that grows throughout the film as the duo go in search of Danielle's true father in Fresno, California.

Dirty Girl becomes a buddy road-pic as the pair escape his miserable home life complete with a homophobic and abusive father (Dwight Yoakam - Sling Blade, Panic Room, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada) and scared mother (Mary Steenburgen - Elf, Melvin & Howard, Back to the Future Part III). Danielle is fleeing both Norman-life and her single mother's (Milla Jovovich - The Fifth Element, Resident Evil, Zoolander) approaching marriage to an over-zealous Morman (William H. Macy - Fargo, Boogie Nights, Wild Hogs).

This is perhaps the first time I have seen Jovovich play put-upon parent and I think she was fine in the role for an actress who tends to play strong and fierce (I was able to buy her tender vulnerability here). The film's highest praise belongs to the Dirty Girl, herself, though -- Juno Temple. Temple is a British screen star but you'd never know it here with a perfectly captured and delivered Oklahoma dialect.

This is a buddy pic/road flick/coming-of-age tale that is slightly better than so many of the other same-genre films released every year. Perhaps the important sub-plot of tolerance and acceptance is what raises this above other fare but I also liked the bag of flour (!). The story isn't the most "well thought-out" and a lot of it couldn't possibly happen as presented; but I looked the other way as this was just a small picture about two small-town souls looking for acceptance in a bigger world and their dreams cannot really be faulted.

Juno does it again

[PaxtonMalloy · 3/10 · 18 August 2019]

This a not a good movie by any standard. Its tone jumps from cringeworthy over the top (un)funny to painfully corny. The final scene will give you the rest. There is a big "but" coming. But Juno Temple still delivers a performance that makes you love her and her character. When she has her big emotional scene near the end it doesn't rescue this movie but it makes you realize how good of actress she is.

It starts so badly you wonder why keep going, but do keep going. It's great!

[secondtake · 8/10 · 6 May 2013]

Dirty Girl (2010)

The movie starts with such stupidity and what seems like terrible acting and movie-making you're going to want to quit. Unless you're a high school kid looking for cheap thrills (and there ain't anything wrong with that--it's just a style thing). But hang in there. This movie gets better and better and better. By the end all the hilarity crashes down to a weepy finale--more convincing than it has any right to be after all the zany stuff prior.

It's mostly about two high school kids who don't fit in. They seem like opposites and we all know how fun opposite are in movie comedies. One is slutty girl Danielle who has a dysfunctional home life and who is wild partly because she's bored by school and is (it turns out) smarter than the cliché would have it. The other is an overweight kid Clarke who knows he's gay and who is afraid of coming out but everyone knows already anyway. He also has a dysfunctional family, and the movie eventually also clashes the two sets of parents (and accessory kin).

The plot moves fast and turns into a crisis and then a road trip. All good stuff. And it's filmed with an openminded low-budget freedom that makes it fun and doesn't always worry about verisimilitude. (The two leads are in a family planning class, for example, and are given a bag of flour they have to treat as their new baby. The bag has a face drawn on it in magic marker, and the face changes depending on what's going on around it. Her--it's a girl.)

But mostly it's the acting of Danielle (Juno Temple), and Clarke (Jeremy Dozier), that makes it all stick. Temple in particular is just oozing and exploding with energy and dramatic screen presence, whether being saucy or sassy, fun or sad. She takes over every scene and you want her to. Danielle drives a red 1965 Mustang convertible (of course--what else?). She knows what matters and who's a jerk and doesn't put up with crap. She's troubled, but all along you know she's basically right, and you end up totally on her side. And on Clarke's side, too, as he tries to make sense of his world now that someone accepts him without even blinking.

Eventually there is a deliberate Hollywood ending, complete with tears and spotlights on the stars. It's a farce, I suppose, or a silly over the top romp, and there are going to be people who never let it click. Humor is fickle. But once I was a good half hour in (and it took that long, unfortunately), but once I was, there was no going back. It's worth sticking it out. Very worth it.

Dirty Girl — A rough comedy with good values

[AvidClimber · 6/10 · 15 December 2012]

Dirty Girl is well named. That girl certainly has an uncouth attitude. I liked her right away. The scenario doesn't bring much of anything new except that liberating sensation you get when you watch a promiscuous girl be the star of a film without an undertone of she-should-change-her- ways. Everything is in the rendering, particularly the acting.

The 80s/redneck campy attitude can get on your last nerve by the end because it's heavily plastering everything, and the end itself is kind of overdone, but that's on purpose to give it a special feel. I could have lived without it.

You hate the guy's father, find his mother very sweet, and finally can't help but understand the girl's real father.

If you want to watch a different comedy, with a touch of drama, it could be for you. It's entertaining.

just a tear jerker

[killercharm · 3/10 · 8 October 2021]

Way too much of a tear-jerker. A teenager who is hard to love splits from the soon-to-be-over-the-top-christian household of her mom and the new man in mom's life. She runs to her biological father only to find that mom was the only one who ever cared.

Underrated Coming of Age Gem of a Movie!

[sunshineboxi · 7/10 · 21 June 2012]

This movie was fantastic. Honestly. Aside from being a personal fan of Juno Temple- everyone, aside from Clarke's father, acted realistically and heart-felt. The sequences in the movie, especially near the end, evoked some really thought-pondering emotions for me, and it brought me to a new perspective about single-parent families and how this really impacts the child. The writing of the movie was quirky and the 1980s mise-en-scene, Jovovich was absolutely stunning and the plot wasn't dull as some people may have said (coming of age movies usually have that plot- thats what makes it a COA movie).

One thing that would have upped this movie to a 8/9 would be adding more realism. Compared to the plot of Hick or Transamerica, or other girls/boys running away from home in search of something, 'Dirty Girl', lacks the violence and realism of situations. For example; Clarke's situation could have been portrayed in a much more grim and dark manner, where we can see the damages in a much more obvious manner hence making him a more complex character whom had experience.

If you like slightly cliché lines mixed with some good writing and good acting, then give this a chance, you might just fall in love with Ms. Temple.

If I was a bit younger...

[MrGKB · 7/10 · 22 July 2013]

...I'd officially be a Juno "Atonement" Temple groupie, and "Dirty Girl" pretty much sealed that deal for me after having recently enjoyed her work in "Cracks" and "Killer Joe," wherein I first encountered her. If she keeps up the pace, she's bound to be a mega-star by her 30s, and even if she doesn't make those lofty heights, she'll still be one of the finest actors of her generation. I can't emphasize enough just how good I think this young lady is; without question, she lifts "Dirty Girl" from the ranks of the almost ho-hum into the realm of remarkably watchable.

Admittedly, the supporting cast is strong, too, ranging from the likes of Dwight "Panic Room" Yoakum, Milla "The Fifth Element" Jovovich (cast against type), and a wonderfully nuanced Mary "Ragtime" Steenburgen to brief appearances from William H. "Is there anything I can't do?" Macy and a surprisingly effective Tim "Friday Night Lights" McGraw. As well, Temple's co-star, Jeremy "This is my calling card!" Dozier really impresses as Temple's conflicted fellow traveler; I'll be looking for his next venture, "Rock, Paper, Scissors," on video release with great interest.

All that said, "Dirty Girl" will admittedly not appeal to those viewers with various hangups, mostly concerning homosexuality, promiscuity, parental malfeasance, and the ofttimes grating nature of 80s music. I do not recommend this film to those folks. But if your social mores tend toward the liberal, you could do worse than enjoy a picaresque road movie that careens merrily along, veering from modern fairy tale (pun not intended) to almost comic-booky satire, much along the lines of films like "Freeway" with Reese Witherspoon, without the darker edges. It's bawdy fun with a soft heart, and besides, how could you not like a flour-sack baby with an expressive face? This maiden effort from writer/director Abe "Nurse Jackie" Sylvia certainly ought to lead to greater things if there's any justice in the world.

Nice

[bptr-1 · 7/10 · 7 September 2012]

Nice movie with a sweet portrayal by Juno Temple (Danielle) and excellent acting all around. This movie did a really good job of making us feel what it must be like for a teen girl abandoned by her father.

I had a problem with the era. Was Oklahoma really 10 years behind? Because 1987 was much different where I lived (in Illinois) at that time. This looked exactly like 1977 to me (I clearly remember girl having that hairstyle in my High School). I watched the bonus DVD commentary with the director Abe Sylvia and he stated that the styles came from his sister's 1987 yearbook. I guess they were in some kind of weird time warp.

That aside, the movie worked for the most part. The idea of the narration coming from a sack of flour was cute and original too.

My main takeaway was the excellent work of Juno Temple.

Just don't waste your time

[krirks · 1/10 · 11 December 2013]

Long story short, It's a story about a fat gay guy and a slutty with no tits and no ass (actually the fat gay guy's are bigger).They are having trouble with their own families. Both of them carrying around a bag of flour which have facial expressions from time to time (It's supposed to be funny but NO). As family's problem built up, the slutty girl is then trying to find her own biological father and runaway from the house. The fat gay guy came out of closet and his father does not like that so he is running away with her. The road trip begins and there are some troubles along the way (It's supposed to be funny but NO). In the end, it's supposed to be sentimental or something but I did not feel into it at all. I don't know what genre this movie supposed to be in. It's not funny (I had no single laugh). It's not drama. It's not romance. It's not a family flick as well. Most of actings are lousy even if there are some familiar faces. The roles somehow don't suit with some of the actors and actresses. The atmosphere is also weird. Story line is boring. Directing is bad. I just tried to watch it until the end to see if there was any interesting thing came up but it wasn't. I don't know why it has rather good reviews on IMDb despite the fact that, this is one of the worst movies I have watched lately. For your own sake,don't waste your time, go watch something else.

The dirty, pretty things films give us

[StevePulaski · 9/10 · 26 January 2012]

"Nobody likes a dirty girl," Principal Mulray (Grubbs) tells Danielle (Temple) early on. She is a promiscuous adolescent, full of life, spunk, attitude, and guts. But she comes from a background that isn't so full of life and gutsy. Her mother (Jovovich) was a tramp in high school and because of that Danielle has never heard of or met her real father. After discovering her father's real identity, she packs up and hits the road going across Oklahoma to find him. She also does it to avoid her mother's new Mormon fiancée (Macy) and his outlandish punishment of virtually abandoning one of their own to show how important family is. My guess anyone would abandon him at first chance.

Danielle takes the car of her chubby, homosexual friend from Sex Ed. class Clarke (played fantastically by Jeremy Dozier). Clarke's father (Yoakam) has been verbally and physically abusive to his son for many years and is only further outraged to find out of his sexual orientation. Thankfully, the film, mostly, doesn't play Clarke's sexuality for laughs. We have a strong sense that he can't help his feelings, and is dealing with them in the only way he knows how to. Guys and girls alike proclaim their love for the opposite sex, why can't Clarke? Danielle and Clarke also take a sack of flour (their "baby" from Sex Ed. class) along on the ride and boy does the kid get the journey of her life.

Dirty Girl is an exciting, sort of refreshing gem that mimics not only the eighties style of rebellion, but bathes in a surprisingly dramatic bath of coming of age storytelling. Going into this expecting a solid comedy with laughs and humor galore, I was stunned to see how heavy the dramatic elements are. In many ways, this is a very sad view on one's adolescence and sometimes the laughs we get are because of insecurity and stem from the fact that their true feelings are hidden.

There's also a nice blend of wit and soul in the writing. In some ways this could be an account of writer/director Abe Sylvia's life. He grew up homosexual in Oklahoma and had been working on this story since around 2004. The film's bawdy nature is fast paced and entertaining, but Dirty Girl seems to stem from a world a lot more sentimental in emotions than we could've thought.

For an independent film, it certainly packs in some credible names. Milla Jovovich is a nice addition to the cast, Temple is very convincing, Dozier is the star of the entire film, Macy is about ten miles away from his character of Frank Gallagher in Shameless, and Tim McGraw and Dwight Yoakam are delightfully unexpected.

In many ways Dirty Girl is funny, charming, delightful, and satisfying. In many ways it's dark, sad, depressing, and begging to be loved. We have two insecure characters that go about their insecurity in totally different ways. One, giving herself up to anyone and everyone, and the other just sitting by idly in high school taking the hatred from his peers and probably his classmates. It's a sad world after all.

Starring: Juno Temple, Jeremy Dozier, Milla Jovovich, William H. Macy, and Dwight Yoakam. Directed by: Abe Sylvia.

Juno Temple & the rest

[wvisser-leusden · 7/10 · 29 October 2012]

In essence 'Dirty Girl' is no more than a mediocre American family comedy, as are turned out by the dozens. Things go badly wrong and end up well, with all participants becoming a little wiser in the process. And, of course, its story increasingly covered up by a pretty strong sentimental touch.

However, 'Dirty Girl' distinguishes itself by female lead Juno Temple. She is young, blond and attractive, yes, but there's more to that: Temple gets through by her strong and outspoken film-personality. She manages to leave a strong print of it on this film, even stronger than she did in her earlier 'Kaboom'.

So it's quite safe to say that 'Dirty Girl' is a Juno Temple-film. Temple's performance is even more impressive, for in this film she doesn't need to go naked to make her point.

can't believe it only got positive reviews!

[mrnitepoet · 1/10 · 28 May 2012]

I've never written a review on here before because usually I find some other reviewer that articulates more or less what I feel, so there's usually no need to add anything. But this movie only has good reviews! And I've just watched it and happen to think it's absolutely dire...

Let me qualify first of all that my dislike for this movie is not due to the gay-friendly themes etc. I love gay culture and have seen plenty of gay movies. I go to the Turin Gay Film Festival every year. So it's not that. Indeed I watched it after seeing the trailer from Mary Steenburgen's IMDb page and thinking it might be an OK, fun little road movie, and interestingly different, what with the kid being gay and all. So there was no prejudice, in fact quite the opposite. I was looking forward to a gay kid being the 'hero' for once.

But let's get to the first problem with this turkey. The movie is supposed to be set in 1987. I was already puzzled in the trailer by the fact that the hairstyles, clothes, etc, were more like 1979. And the whole film confirmed this. It just made no sense. I thought, maybe it was originally supposed to be set in '79 but then they realized they'd used a song from 1987, or a car (I'm no expert), or whatever, so they decided to change the caption at the beginning at the last minute? But then there was a photo of Reagan in the headmaster's office... So it WAS supposed to be the 80's. Well, maybe 1981 at a stretch, but not 1987, no way. Even the photos on the walls in the kids' bedrooms... OK I suppose the gay kid was supposed to be 'uncool', but still. No, it was just all wrong - never have I seen a worst reconstruction/representation of a year in a movie. And I was around at the time, I was just a little younger than the characters were supposed to be... OK maybe I wasn't living in Normal, Oklahoma, where the movie is mostly set, but you'd just need to watch the music videos from that year to see that the fashions and stuff were totally different... I mean, even accounting for it presumably being a backward place, in what parallel universe would ALL women (of all ages) have had Farrah Fawcett flicks in 1987?? The boys at the school, too, had 70's-ish hair. There were no mullets, no frizzy 80's hairstyles, etc, to be seen... It didn't feel like 1987 AT ALL. I mean, '87 was the Beastie Boys, house music, Whitney Houston, mullet-haired power ballads and stuff. Couldn't Dwight Yoakam (who plays the kid's scary father) tell 'em what it was like??

Wait a sec, I've just remembered they talk about the Shuttle tragedy happening the year before at some point! So it was really meant to be 1987!!

But that really wasn't the main problem. I could overlook this if the film was any good, but it wasn't. Not funny, not poignant, the usual unbelievable character development arc, really it was practically as bad as "I Love You Beth Cooper". So if you loved that movie, by all means check this one out. In that movie I'd sat through it all because Hayden Panettiere is nice to look at, this one I sat through because Juno Temple is nice to look at (I'm an old man... but she is hot). Only reason. But even her little outfits with the shorts - even those were completely anachronistic... who the hell wore hot pants like that in 1987?? NOBODY. Certainly not the school hottie.

The good cast had also fooled me. I don't know why William H Macy or Mary Steenburgen would attach their reputation to a film like this... I just don't get it. Maybe they wanted to be politically correct or something.

The movie is very short, thankfully. But that meant that any character development was too fast and unrealistic and totally non-moving (again, pretty much like "I Love You Beth Cooper"... which was even worse than this, though). I was so expecting the kid to turn up and sing at the end, that erased any chance of me getting moved - and I love being moved, I love cheesiness, so it wasn't that either. It was just a flat, annoying movie. The fact that it was competently shot and acted only makes it worse, in my opinion, because then you wonder why they got it all so wrong. I mean, going back to the time setting... I'm all for stratification in movies, those movies where it's all from the year they're set in are silly too, as if everything from previous years disappeared... But this was too much in the other sense. Really absurd. The tone was just all wrong, incongruously going from gross-out humour-like moments, to soppy tear-jerking ones that didn't elicit any emotion from me, and I cry at any old schmaltz. As a comparison, I'd loved Napoleon Dynamite, I think they got that just right, the tone and everything, and I was moved at that!

I gave it 1/10 because of Juno Temple. And I guess I must've chuckled maybe twice. Otherwise it'd be a zero... despite the professional cinematography and the acting. The soundtrack was also meh. If they were that backward in Normal, they'd have had more mainstream tastes in 80's pop music. But I guess rights to Madonna songs are more expensive.

Oh if you're a foot fetishist, you'll like a completely gratuitous scene where Juno sticks her feet up to the camera and paints her nails, a really long, pointless shot. Worse than Tarantino!

Milla Jovovich was pretty good, too, but it's depressing to me that now she plays the mother. I feel old. Note to self: stop watching teenage movies...

So Fun!!!!

[doug-james · 10/10 · 12 October 2011]

Abe Sylvia wrote and directed a wonderful movie about growing up that makes the entire audience cheer, laugh and cry. He does this trough magical chemistry between both lead characters, great plot development and really smart humor. This is one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time. I highly recommend it to anyone that has a witty sense of humor! All I can say is that this movie is for those with a high IQ!

As for those posting about the hair/makeup/costumes, clearly you have no sense of humor and have never opened a 1987 Norman High School Yearbook. The movie is set in 1987 Norman Oklahoma not Los Angeles. Everyone looked like that, even if you don't want to remember yourself that way!

Wild high school girl with soon to be Mormon daddy sets out to find her real father when she recruits the help of bullied gay classmate.

[pc-renteria · 7/10 · 24 June 2013]

So if your lying on the couch with your Kindle on a lazy rainy day this movie could be a good choice. I wasn't expecting much but it turned out to be such a good movie! I don't look to see who's in movies if I can help it but there were many surprises by some of my favorite actors. Anyway, The movie starts out with this really cute teen aged girl back 1987. She's the schools floozy..Who seems to really need the boys attention. (she has a beautiful red 1964 Mustang that even in 1987 would have cost a fortune..I can't figure that out) She acts up in class and gets sent to the "troubled, nerdy, slow class". From there her own "friends" start referring to her as the girl in "retard class" or whatever..In all this time she really wants to find her real old man. Her mother (as cute as her daughter) does not want her finding out about him..So she meets this kinda fat, gay outcast from class and they develop a friendship. This sweet kid is brow-beaten and physically abused by his old man on a regular basis. So in a nice story, these two break out and travel to find her real dad..There's good music in this movie and I was surprised by how well these two kids carried the film despite some heavy weight actors..check it out..I liked it

Boring and downright uneventful...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 14 November 2019]

Alright, well this 2010 movie titled "Dirty Girl" is labeled as a comedy drama. So where exactly did the comedy disappear off to? I sure as death and taxes weren't amused, not even in the least.

I watched maybe 30 minutes of this ordeal from writer and director Abe Sylvia and then I just called it quits. Wow, this was a horribly boring movie, with nothing of any interest to catch my attention. I mean, the storyline was so mundane and pointless that it was just despicable, and the characters had about as much appeal as wet cardboard.

Sure, the movie did have some familiar and nice actors and actresses on the cast list, which includes the likes of Gary Grubbs, Milla Jovovich, Dwight Yoakam and Mary Steenburgen, but not even these performers were able to salvage this train wreck of a movie known as "Dirty Girl".

I have zero interest in returning to finish watching the rest of the movie at any point in the future, because there just was zero appeal for me in this movie.

My rating of "Dirty Girl" is a mere three out of ten stars, based on the cast list and the production value. But these aspects were hardly sufficient to make due for a lack of proper storyline and adequate characters.

1987?

[hydearchie · 1/10 · 8 September 2016]

This could have been a witty period take on coming of age and finding your identity (a sort of Indi 'dirty' Pretty in Pink or Can't buy me love'), but I was distracted by the claim of a 1987 setting. The 1982 hair cuts and 1977 clothing made the production feel like it was run by a group of high school students without access to google! There was so much social, political and fashion change going on at the end of the 80s that failure to contextualise the story properly made this poorly written film feel flat and pointless as well as failing an otherwise great cast. Definitely, not one to recommend. I would go back to original films of the era for now, but also give some of the TV set in that era a go as well for new perspectives on the time.