dzerted_island_grrrl

Many, many, times. And I have to say, it gets better each time you watch it. The nuances of a Cape Breton accent (I was pleased that the writer and several of the actors came from Cape Breton, and even from New Waterford itself), the expressions on the faces (Liane Balaban's face is VERY expressive, so make sure you remember that other people are in the movie, too), and the various little relationships. For instance, take the character of Joey, who obviously follows Mooney around as much as he can (near her at the wedding; standing outside the church when she comes out, following her to a party... They don't show it in the film, but I imagine he probably stood outside her house sometimes, hoping she'd come out).

This movie is very much worth watching if you're the type who watches a movie three times over one weekend. Or if your like me, trying to transcribe less-popular movies so people who love the movie can read the transcript and remember what the dialog sounded like, and enjoy the experience of the movie again and again, even if we don't have the DVD (or the tape, if you like it like that).

Unless you already love independent films of one variety or another, this movie may not be for you. It IS a bit quirky (I've read complaints about that), but the quirkiness isn't overbearing. It's just an accurate portrayal of the freaks and psychoses that people in a small town develop over time, with lack of contact to "people from away." (Father Madden, for example, and Dr. Hogan) If you like this movie, try Lawn Dogs, or The Quiet Room, which are still more independent than Hollywood, but will get you into the Independent genre without making it too difficult.

SPOILER WARNING

This movie is definitely in my list of good made-for-tv movies. It takes you into the world of Matt Freeman. He's fifteen, on the honor roll, and has two wonderful girls for friends. Then he makes his mistake. He sleeps with one of them (Francesca) only once, and gets her pregnant. From there the movie shows all the difficult choices he has to make, like sacrificing his good grades for a teen-parent program at school, getting a full-time job at a pizza place to pay Francesca's medical bills, and signing the baby away for adoption. His family is nearly torn apart by this, but they manage to stay together, and grow even stronger when Matt, after meeting his daughter for the first time, decides to keep her. This ends up becoming the family's decision, and we are left with the feeling that this is really what goes on with a young man when this happens to him.

These comments contain spoilers to the movie. You have been warned.

I first came upon this movie while channel surfing, and at first I thought I was looking at 'The Blue Lagoon.' I mean, the lead male has curly hair and a muscular physique, and wears a loincloth, and the lead female is skimpily-clad or naked, with long hair. Not only that, but they live in a similar place, and the plot has a lot of the same points in it, right down to the progression of the plot, and specific incidents. But it's not the same movie (thank God).

This movie is no worse than The Blue Lagoon, but it's not much better. The only thing that improves it is the more-frequent nudity and the fact that the main characters are better actors. Worth the watch if you're really into "Stranded in Paradise and Falling in Love" movies. Otherwise, you may want to pass on this one.