Dylan-Baker Movie Reviews

Spider-Man is my Faviorte super-hero I was hoping Venom and Kraven The Hunter to be the next villians but I now know it's another cool villian Doc Ock!Doctor Octopus,Lizard,Kraven The Hunter,Rhino,Scorpion and Venom are my favirote villians of all time!I can't wait to sit down and enjoy this movie July,2004!

Spidy is hitting the screen again. I was waiting for the first movie to come out with full anticipation when I was watching Tobey Macguire when he said there was going to be a trilogy. I told everybody in my house filled with excitement. I was also exicted when I heard that Doc Ock was going to be in the new movie. Tobey Macguire will probably do an other excellent job. Kristen Dunst needs to be a little happier and more energetic in order to portray the original Mary Jane from the cartoon series. July 4,2004 is a day I'm awaiting.

This picks up where the first "Spider Man" movie left off when it ended with the defeat of Norman Osborn aka The Green Goblin.

Spider Man returns to a 'normal' life as Peter Parker, a photographer and is at odds with his boss J. Jonah Jameson but the calm is ended by another storm. New York is in danger once again and Spider Man is now up against a new and more formidable enemy villain named Doctor Octavius or Doctor Octopus who was an old friend of Parker's old science teacher Dr. Connors.

Tobey McGuire who gave an excellent performance as Peter Parker returns in his role once again as our beloved hero Spider Man. Alfred Molina plays the villainous Doctor Octopus. Kirsten Dunst retuns as the stunning beauty Mary Jane Parker.

Most of the comic book movies have done well in staying faithful to their characters but "Spider Man" did the best job at maintaining the character of the classic Marvel Comics superhero Spider-Man better than any other comic book movies I've seen. I have faith in this sequel living up to the original. The second X-Men movie did just that, improving upon the greatness of the first and I hope "Spider Man II" will do just the same.

This is a very important work, dealing with the troubling and sensitive subject of sexual abuse--within the church. This was a courageous drama, and everyone involved in the making of this film is to be commended for tackling not only a disturbing subject, but the controversy which occurs when the perpetrator of sexual abuse is a trusted religious figure. Thank you, to the makers of this film. Anyone needing affirmation, who has suffered abuse themselves or is acquanted with an abuse survivor, should view this film.

THIS MOVIE IS ABOUT SARAH WHO IS NOT GOOD IN COOKING ANYTHING, BUT WHEN SHE FALL IN LOVE WITH SEAN THE STORY BECOMES INTERESTING .

Okay, so maybe most people don't think of it as a Thanksgiving classic, but my family watches it every single year. I will agree with most people that it is a funny movie, but not hilarious. Now maybe it's because I practically know it inside and out. My absolute favorite part is when John Candy and Steve Martin are so desperate to keep traveling that they actually get in the charred remains of the rental car and head down the road. Then when they get pulled over and the officer asks them, "Do you think this is safe?" and John Candy looks straight at him and replies, "Yes, yes I do" with a completely serious face. That gets me every time. The sheer audacity of it is hilarious.

If you've ever had to spend time on the road for business, you know how it feels to just want to get back home, especially for a holiday like Thanksgiving; the family's waiting for you, there'll be a fire in the fireplace and a turkey dinner with all the trimmings. All you have to do is get from here to there. But that's when Murphy's Law concerning best laid plans often comes into play, and the simplest things become obstacles of monumental proportions, which is exactly what happens in "Planes, Trains and Automobiles," a comedy of monumental proportions, written and directed by John Hughes. Neal Page (Steve Martin) is in New York on business; it's two days before Thanksgiving and he has a plane waiting to take him back home to Chicago. He has his reservation, and it's not that far to go; but it's a holiday and the weather is chancy, and beginning with the trouble Neal has just getting a cab to take him to the airport, he's about to become mired in frustration as one thing after another thwarts his attempts to get home. Not to worry, however, once on the plane he meets a guy named Del Griffith (John Candy), a showercurtain-ring salesman with all the answers and connections in seemingly every city in the country. Which comes in handy-- or maybe not-- for Neal, when the weather in Chicago forces a closure at the airport and his flight gets diverted to Wichita, Kansas. But that's only the beginning of Neal's problems, because Del Griffith is on the job, and he's the guy to know in a situation like this. Or not. And the next couple of days become a comedy of errors that takes Neal to the edge of sanity and the audience to the edge of hilarity.

An astute student of human nature, John Hughes takes his observations and insights and translates them in this film into a story with which just about anyone is going to be able to identify. We've all been in Neal's situation at one time or another, in one way or another, and if you've lived more than a day on the planet you certainly know a Del Griffith. And Hughes has a way of bringing you into Neal and Del's world so that you are able to share their experience, while at the same time affording you the luxury of being able to observe it all at arm's length, which enables you to see the "big picture" and appreciate the inherent humor of it all. And the bottom line is, this movie is a riot. There's something of the spirit of Jack Lemmon's "The Out-of-Towners" about it, the whole idea of nature seemingly conspiring against the little guy, that keeps the laughs coming; and Hughes couldn't have had anyone better than Martin and Candy to put it across more successfully.

Martin has an inspired way with physical comedy-- he can make walking down the street funny-- and he infuses it with a subtle, underlying sense that something is always going on inside him that's just as funny as what he's showing you. It creates an air of anticipation, and he never fails to deliver on that promise. Like Lemmon, he has the ability to play the ordinary guy in an extraordinary situation in a very real way, and then take it to the limit without going over the top. And when the reserved, inner turmoil finally erupts, it has you laughing until your sides ache. It's Lemmon standing in the middle of the street railing at the city of New York, and Martin confronting a rental car clerk and spelling it out for her in no uncertain terms what he thinks of her, her cars and life in general at that particular moment in time. It's pure humor, and it works so well because there's absolutely nothing mean-spirited in the way it's delivered, which is something for which Martin-- and Lemmon before him-- deserves a nod of appreciation and acknowledgement; it's a fine art that few comic actors are, in fact, able to master.

John Candy, meanwhile, puts his own natural abilities to the test in creating a character in Del that is the antithesis of Neal. And he passes with flying colors. Del is the big, lovable goof who wears his heart on his sleeve and holds nothing back. With Del, what you see is what you get, and there's not a thought that goes through his mind, apparently, that he doesn't feel obliged to share with anyone and everyone who will listen. Everything about Del is externalized to the point of being overwhelming, and yet Candy manages to convey the feeling that even he has something locked away that is for himself alone, and it's that which makes Del a well rounded character and makes him real. Like Martin's, Candy's is a performance that is rich in detail and humanity, which makes Del believable, and a memorable character. Candy was perfect for this part, one that he was seemingly born to play. And he makes the most of it.

The supporting cast includes Laila Robins (Susan), Michael McKean (State Trooper), Dylan Baker (Owen), Edie McClurg (Car Rental Agent) and Charles Tyner (Gus), with cameos by Kevin Bacon and William Windom. More than just a funny movie, but one which exemplifies the "human comedy," "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" is a triumph for Hughes, but more especially for his stars, Martin and Candy, who demonstrate a refined understanding of human nature and behavior through their respective characters that makes this film so endearing, memorable and entertaining. This is one to watch again and again, whenever you're in need of a good laugh or just something to put a smile on your face. This is one that will definitely fill the bill. It's the magic of the movies.

A stellar performance from Steve Martin and the late, great John Candy.

I don't know where that guys doing the Editorial Reviews are coming from, this movie is great!

Steve Martin is stuffy ad executive Neil "I can take anything" Page and John Candy is the bungling but warm-hearted shower-curtain-ring guy (I know what you mean), Del "Extra set of fingers" Griffith. We follow this mismatched pair half way across the States and back again as they encounter one crisis after another. As the title says, our heros travel whatever way they can to get to Chicago- from planes to trains to cars.

One of the funniest scenes is when after Del gets his coat caught behind the driver's seat, panics and sends the car on a tailspin causing him to go the wrong way down the Interstate. We see their car get caught between two semis. During the squeeze, Neil looks and sees Del as the Devil, complete with pitchfork and horns.

In all, this movie is great! You will not be disappointed, that I can promise you because it's "filled with helium, which makes it 10% lighter."

The Long Walk home is a stunning tribute to the individual women and men who contributed to the stugggle for human rights in 1950's America. This film brings to life Dr. King's belief that the true heroes of the civil rights movement were the people who were willing to make sacrifices in order that all could enjoy freedom. Each year, I show this film to my students at Holy Trinity Diocesan High School, Hicksville,NY. Its portrayal of the Montgomery Bus Boycott reminds us that empowered people can, and do, make a difference and that social change never happens by itself.

I watched the long walk home in my morality class. I think that it was excellent. It was very informative and taught me a lot about the Montgomerey bus boycott. From this movie i learned just how mean people really were in the 1950's. I think that it was cruel how blacks were treated just because of their skin color. I think watching the movie gave me a good sense of something that i knew had happened but i didnt know how bad it was until i saw this movie. I think that everyone should watch it once in their life, by watching movies about racial segregation people might see how horrible it was and will make sure to be nicer to people of different races. I would highly recommend watching this movie. I deserves 5 stars not 4.6

I thought this movie was a great movie. It depicted the black struggle in the Montogomery Bus Boycott very well. It was very relasitic in showing the inequality that the black people faced in that time period and how many white people were so racist and unfair to them. It also shows how some white people were very helpful and supported the boycott (Miriam). I believe that this movie is a greta movie to make all ages aware of was really occured during the black rights movement. It teaches you alot about the different views of people and what it is like living as a black person and a white person during this era.

Radioland Murders is one of the best movies I've ever seen! I bought it, so I can watch it whenever I want, and that is at least once a month. I'm hooked, 'cause the movie is total fun and games and the lines are so witty and fast. The interaction between Benben and Masterson and perfect and their witty arguing keeps the movie going forward. The bodylanguage of Benben is another story, that makes me laught one minute and being totally charmed the next. So the cast and crew can really pat their backs for making sutch a wonderful movie. So go and see it, the irony and complications of the cast will make you laugh

This movie is very dynamic. There is no pausing or reflecting juts good drop-dead comedy. Many things ar not anticipated.

The actors have been seen before and will be again except Anita Morris (Date of death 3 March 1994) as Claudette. She was really superb in Ruthless People (1986) ASIN: 6300276570 as Carol the girlfriend that knew she was next to die.

There were a lot of great sounds in this movie including:

"Love is on the Air Tonight"

"That Old Feeling"

"What'll I Do" Written by Irving Berlin. Hear it again The Butcher's Wife (1991) ASIN: 6302289025

"Crazy People"

"Big Noise From Winnetka"

"Don't Let Your Love Go Wrong"

"I'll Be Glad When You're Dead (You Rascal You)"

"The Green Hornet Theme"

"In the Mood"

"I Miss You So"

"I Love a Mystery 'Valse Triste'"

"Java Jive"

"Back in the Saddle Again" Hear it again in Sleepless in Seattle (Special Edition) (1993) ASIN: B00003Q42R

"Tico Tico"

"Let's Face the Music and Dance"

"A Guy What Takes His Time"

"And the Angels Sing"

"That Old Black Magic"

"Sabre Dance"

"Flight of the Bumblebee"

This is a manic, crazy and fun film, largely due to the Keaton-like performance of Brian Benben. Mary Stuart Masterson is known for great dramatic talent, but this is the first comedy I've seen her in, and she's a natural. This was directed by Mel Smith; is it the same Mel Smith that had a small but hysterical part in "The Princess Bride"? I wonder if this film was given a bad rap because it came out the same year as Woody Allen's brilliant "Bullets Over Broadway" (1994). There are comparisons to be made, if only for period and music. Otherwise, this film takes on its very own character. A wonderful ensemble cast , including Ned Beatty, Michael Lerner, Jeffrey Tambor & Christopher Lloyd, must be commended. Cameo appearances from George Burns and Rosemary Clooney are wonderful. Whatever this film lacks in plot, is made up for with energetic performances, quick editing, and loads of great one-liners. There's also a lot of great period music to entertain. I DO enjoy this film a lot, and at the reasonable price and a great 2.35:1 Widescreen, the DVD is a bargain. If you like "silly", you'll love this. And Brian Benben is marvelous. Too bad the stuck-up critics didn't like it. We, the audience, know better.

Now, I am not saying that this film is poorly acted, or unrealistic. On the contrary, it has very good performances and things portrayed in the film are as real as life. But I am giving it one star simply because I found it to be pretty much repulsive. I did not find it funny in any way. The things that happen during the movie are the ones that we often do not like to see in real life, because they are sick. Unhealthy relationships, perverted characters, obscure aspects of life are portrayed here, and to me, it is not a pretty nor enjoyable picture to watch.

Having seen 'Storytelling', I had a fairly good idea of what I was getting myself into when I picked this movie up. It deals with adult subject matter, for sure, but it manages to present the inherent, subtle humor of strange, bizzare, or grotesque situations. One scene that sticks out in my mind is when Philip Seymour Hoffman's character is in a diner with the character played by Camryn Manheim and she just finished telling him about her being assaulted and the particularly gruesome way she dealt with the assault, and he replied, "Well, we all have our plusses and minuses." I laughed until my sides hurt. You really have to see the scene and all it's nuances to fully appreciate it. And there are a lot of scenes like this throughout the movie. This is definately a squeamish and unsettling type of movie with some pretty difficult subject matter. Given that, I wouldn't recommend this movie to just anyone. Seek it out if you must, but be warned, it's not a happy story. As far as one reviewers' statement that the scenes were presented for there shock value only, I didn't really see it that way. I saw a peeling away of the appearance that is presented by people to show the sorid underbelly of life, like turning over a big rock to see what kind of creepy crawlies are hiding underneath. That's not to say that the people in this movie are representative of people in general, but I think we all have little secrets about ourselves, our 'rocks', that we wouldn't want the rest of the world to know. I can understand why some people would be turned off by a movie like this, as I think a lot of people go to see movies to escape from this kind of material. Also, I think Dylan Baker did an excellent job in portraying his character. He played a character who seemed to have the idyllic life, a beautiful wife, a large home in the suburbs, three children, and good career...and pedoephillic tendancies towards young boys. He was so creepy, taking advantage of oppourtunities presented to him, regardless of the consequences. I didn't feel sorry for his character, but I did feel like he was a creature trapped by his own demons, acting on his primal urges. He was what he was, and that wasn't going to change. I don't understand the urges he felt, but the characterization of the monster he became was certainly interesting to watch. I enjoyed this movie, and I am looking forward to seeing 'Welcome to the Dollhouse'.

Man, this is difficult, difficult movie!! It's packed full of thoroughly unlikeable characters. And they do some awfully uncomfortable things.

The actors are all outstanding. Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays a loser (what a stretch!!) who starts making obscene phone calls to his next door neighbor (Lara Flynn Boyle), who enjoys them. What happens when they meet? That's just one sample of the kind of interactions you might see in this movie. It plays a little like MAGNOLIA, but without much of the hopeful tone that movie ends with.

But the source of all the controversy in this movie is the character played by the brave, brilliant Dylan Baker. He plays a totally milquetoast, average, middle-class father. Yet his character is also a child-molester. I wouldn't say his character is presented sympathetically, but he isn't always shown as just a monster either. There's one scene, wherein his son has just discovered his beloved father's secret and questions him in detail about his twisted desires. The scene is hands-down the most uncomfortable thing I've ever watched. I was literally squirming...it is so shocking, so obscene and so terribly, terribly sad. In two minutes, we see how several lives are shattered forever.

Baker's performance should have been nominated for an Oscar, but this would have required too much bravery on the part of the selection commmittee.

Do I recommend the film? Well, if you aren't afraid to have your limits tested, absolutely. It has a lot to say, not just about child molestation. It's well-acted and written, and has many very funny moments too (one character to another: "I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing with you." to which the response is: "I'm not laughing." It's from the creator of WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE, so you know it's going to be unconventional. But it is exciting filmmaking. ABSOLUTELY KEEP THE KIDS AWAY FROM IT!

they couldve gotten a better actor then Sean Patrick Flannery..he ruins the movie leaving a bad taste..hes so annoying..his character is dislikable....Gellar is beautiful and ravishing..she's purdy hot..id love to eat her food if you know what I mean..high 5

I rented this movie purely on the basis of a pretty charming little rave print review by Roger Ebert,and was glad I did (ended up even buying a copy on VHS for myself). The movie is slight and whimsical -- lots of magic, not a lot of gritty reality -- but it's sweet and strange and has a lot of charm. The characters are daffy and whimsically painted, and don't go the usual hollywood movie route. Gellar is sweet and insecure as the heroine -- a much less glamorous role than her weekly (equally fabulous) vampire slaying Buffy heroine -- while Buckley and Flanery and the fine supporting cast are all enjoyable to watch in the romantic mishaps that ensue. The wonderful Patricia Clarkson meanwhile is so much fun that she steals every scene she's in without detracting a bit from the appeal of her costars -- a pretty good trick (it's worth the price of admission to hear her say, "This is nutty. Hazel-nutty.").

I really loved this movie -- started out wondering where it was going, but by the end I didn't care -- the writing is offbeat and fun, not so by the book. The movie's not "Schindler's List" or anything, sure -- it's pretty lightweight -- but it doesn't feel as Hollywood-ish as your usual romantic comedy, and you really never know what the characters will say next. The food also looks glorious and really adds to the sense of whimsy. The soundtrack is as sweet and fun as everything else -- if you need cheering up, or convincing that there's still a bit of Astaire and Rogers in the world, this one's a great choice, where a perfect eclair can create true love, and a wonderful meal can make people weep with delight (and float in the air a time or two)...

Simply Irresistible was a great film. I have no idea why it flopped at the box office. Sarah Michelle Gellar and Sean Patrick Flannery put out great performances as two falling love in a magical way. Sarah Michelle Gellar plays Amanda Shelton, a cook who co-owns her mother's restaurant with her aunt. After buying a basket of crabs from a mysterious little man, magic begins to happen. Whatever Amanda's emotions are, the same emotions go into the food she cooks.

Simply Irresistible was full of fun dialogue and scenes which came from the actions of some pretty quirky characters. Everyone in Simply Irresistible was lovable. Even Amanda Peet's cameo, in which she played a snobby rich girl, was likable.

The best thing about Simply Irresistible has to be its score. When the score is playing, it goes right along with the actions of the characters, right down to their footsteps. It sounded a bit Mary Tyler Moore-ish, but it worked well.

Simply Irresistible is a sweet romantic comedy, and shouldn't be missed by anyone.

I must first say that maybe one reason I didn't like this movie is because I hadn't even planned on seeing it, but I still think I would have hated it.
How to Deal is a movie constantly plagued by the over-use of teenage drama cliches, unrealistic plot developments, and one-dimensional (and unbelievable) characters.
One character for example is the grandmother. We find out somewhere near the middle of the movie that the grandmother is addicted to Marijuana. Big deal? Apparently not. This part of the movie plays out almost like a parody. Moore's character walks into the bathroom to find her grandmother smoking a joint and all her mother can say is "grandma, are you smoking the reefer again?" THAT'S ALL. Every single plot development comes up and is resolved almost immediately. No development of any plot elements or characters.
As many other reviews have stated, one major problem is that the writers tried to cram every issue a teen might face into an under two-hour-long movie. Not a good idea.
Mandy Moore is all that saved this movie. If it had not been for her, I would've walked out.
If you are both a HUGE Mandy Moore fan and a big fan of sappy chick-flick-teen-drama stories, then you will probably love this movie. If you are a fan of plot development and multi-dimensional characters, save yourself the trouble and don't even bother.

How To Deal tries to "deal" with too much in too little time, making for one crowded and not fully satisfying teen drama. It probably wasn't such a good idea to try and cram two books worth of material into one movie. But even so, I'm sure it could have worked better than it does here. There's so many characters and relationships, which would be fine but dividing the time up between them doesn't leave much time for each one. And the main one we are supposed to care about feels rushed. Although I'm actually thankful the relationship with Halley (Mandy Moore) and Macon (Trent Ford) didn't have more time, because it was a joke and the whole time I kept rolling my eyes and screaming inside "NO! Don't get together. You guys couldn't be more wrong for eachother." I never wanted them to be together. They had zero chemistry, and I never felt they really cared for eachother. It felt like a waste of time watching a so called "relationship" between these two. I'm shocked at how contrived this relationship was. I haven't seen a more contrived relationship in a teen movie in quite some time now. I don't see how anyone, even pre-teens, could not see through this. It was simply pathetic. It felt like all Macon wanted was to get in Halley's pants, and that's all she wanted too. So then later on when she says to him something to the effect that she was starting to love him, I couldn't help but think "Love? Ha! You obviously don't know what love is because there's no way you could love him when you don't even know him and haven't had a single deep conversation, unless it was shown off-screen." I never once cared about Macon, and couldn't see how it would be at all possible for Halley to either. Hmm, maybe all of the dysfunctional relationships around her blinded her and made her a bad judge of character? It would certainly seem so.

When a romance movie ends and you are left thinking that it's very likely the two could break-up the next day and don't have a chance in hell at staying together, it's not exactly a good thing. Of course in this case, I'd have been more satisfied with them breaking it off before the movie ended. Now that would have been a happy ending for me. But at least it's comforting knowing that they don't stand a chance at lasting, and Halley might eventually find real true love.

Surprisingly, the best relationship comes from Halley's best friend, Scarlett (Alexandra Holden), and her new boyfriend, Michael (John White). Sadly, they only get a few seconds of screen time, yet the two characters seemed to have the most chemistry and had me more interested than the Halley/Macon relationship. I swear anything would be more interesting than the relationship between Halley and Macon though. I'm willing to bet that a cardboard box and a rock have more chemistry.

Mandy Moore (A Walk To Remember) gives a nice, natural performance again. It's too bad it wouldn't have been in a better movie. Trent Ford, on the other hand, gives what is sure to be the worst male performance of the year. Every time he spoke I would roll my eyes. He delivers his lines so atrociously bad that it has to be seen to believe. Even the two girls sitting a few seats over from me would make fun of him every time he was on the screen. I couldn't have agreed with them more. This guy was just so awful. Him and Moore had absolutely no chemistry. I actually think with a better actor playing Macon that the relationship between Halley and Macon wouldn't have been so laughable. In fact, I think the lead role should have went to John White, who had the small part of Michael, and someone else should have played Michael. Although the only problem with that is that it might cheapen the nice relationship between Michael and Scarlett if he were played by someone else. Either way, Trent Ford should not have been in this, unless he was just an extra that walks by the camera in a scene and doesn't have to speak. I don't mean to be so harsh, but his performance was just so downright terrible. I highly suggest some acting lessons before attempting another role, that is if anyone is even going to want to hire him after this. Anyway, enough about him. A nice surprise was Alexandra Holden (The Hot Chick), who was just adorable as Halley's best friend. I really would like to see her in more roles soon. She made her character so likable that I rather would have been watching a movie about her instead. In my opinion, she stole the show from Moore. Also providing a good performance as usual was Allison Janney (Drop Dead Gorgeous, The Hours) as Halley's mom. She provides for a very welcome and somewhat shocking (considering the kind of movie) laugh in one of her first major scenes. It was probably the best scene she was in. Also worth a note is Nina Foch as Halley's pot smoking grandmother. She manages to give us a few laughs in the few scenes she's in.

In the end, How To Deal had promise but is ultimately disappointing. I give it credit for trying to be edgier, and I really did appreciate it actually throwing in a couple of sudden and unexpected shocks our way, but there's just too much going on for one movie, leaving it all cluttered and feeling somewhat phony. I couldn't help but be reminded of a much better edgier PG-13 movie involving teens, the downright superb and well acted Crazy/Beautiful (9/10 or A-). Now that's one that managed to succeed with flying colors. This one is all stale. Sure, it brings up real problems that teens face, but the way it presents most of them just doesn't ring true. Don't get me wrong, it was decent and not really boring or anything, but sadly, it doesn't live up to its full potential.

For a movie that claims to be "a lesson in love for non-believers," I sure don't see anyone learning much.

Grade: 6/10 (C+)

This is so much more than your typical, cliche teen movie. I didn't know what to expect before seeing it, but I was very pleasantly surprised. What's ironic is that the thing that makes this movie so good is, at the same time, what holds it back from being a more realistic, believable and better movie that it could have been. What makes this intriguing and different is the issues that it encompasses. Realistic issues such as death, injury, pregnancy, etc. But there are a series of events (tragedies) that occur that would have been better left out, for instance, the death and car accident. It was just too much to cram into one movie to make it believable. Had the death occurred beforehand and was simply mentioned; that would have smoothed out the plot a lot.

Now for what I liked about the movie. First, Mandy Moore does an excellent job portraying Halley. She has such an ease in front of the camera and is so easy to believe. The supporting cast (consisted of many prominant actors) does a great job creating the backbone of the story. The music was done almost perfectly to match the emotion of each scene. The 'small-town' feel adds a lot to the movie. It adds a warmth and character to the story. The plot of the movie is also very well written, although there were a few cheesey moments. There is a lot of depth to the story; it's very different from many teen movies in that it has many sad aspects and is quite complex. I think the thing that makes this movie is the characters. They are each intriguing, complex, and yet believable. You can relate to these characters and feel as if you know them, because you probably do. This is an honest movie about things you go through in life and have to deal with; it's reality. I'd highly recommend anyone to see it.

I must first say that maybe one reason I didn't like this movie is because I hadn't even planned on seeing it, but I still think I would have hated it.
How to Deal is a movie constantly plagued by the over-use of teenage drama cliches, unrealistic plot developments, and one-dimensional (and unbelievable) characters.
One character for example is the grandmother. We find out somewhere near the middle of the movie that the grandmother is addicted to Marijuana. Big deal? Apparently not. This part of the movie plays out almost like a parody. Moore's character walks into the bathroom to find her grandmother smoking a joint and all her mother can say is "grandma, are you smoking the reefer again?" THAT'S ALL. Every single plot development comes up and is resolved almost immediately. No development of any plot elements or characters.
As many other reviews have stated, one major problem is that the writers tried to cram every issue a teen might face into an under two-hour-long movie. Not a good idea.
Mandy Moore is all that saved this movie. If it had not been for her, I would've walked out.
If you are both a HUGE Mandy Moore fan and a big fan of sappy chick-flick-teen-drama stories, then you will probably love this movie. If you are a fan of plot development and multi-dimensional characters, save yourself the trouble and don't even bother.

How To Deal tries to "deal" with too much in too little time, making for one crowded and not fully satisfying teen drama. It probably wasn't such a good idea to try and cram two books worth of material into one movie. But even so, I'm sure it could have worked better than it does here. There's so many characters and relationships, which would be fine but dividing the time up between them doesn't leave much time for each one. And the main one we are supposed to care about feels rushed. Although I'm actually thankful the relationship with Halley (Mandy Moore) and Macon (Trent Ford) didn't have more time, because it was a joke and the whole time I kept rolling my eyes and screaming inside "NO! Don't get together. You guys couldn't be more wrong for eachother." I never wanted them to be together. They had zero chemistry, and I never felt they really cared for eachother. It felt like a waste of time watching a so called "relationship" between these two. I'm shocked at how contrived this relationship was. I haven't seen a more contrived relationship in a teen movie in quite some time now. I don't see how anyone, even pre-teens, could not see through this. It was simply pathetic. It felt like all Macon wanted was to get in Halley's pants, and that's all she wanted too. So then later on when she says to him something to the effect that she was starting to love him, I couldn't help but think "Love? Ha! You obviously don't know what love is because there's no way you could love him when you don't even know him and haven't had a single deep conversation, unless it was shown off-screen." I never once cared about Macon, and couldn't see how it would be at all possible for Halley to either. Hmm, maybe all of the dysfunctional relationships around her blinded her and made her a bad judge of character? It would certainly seem so.

When a romance movie ends and you are left thinking that it's very likely the two could break-up the next day and don't have a chance in hell at staying together, it's not exactly a good thing. Of course in this case, I'd have been more satisfied with them breaking it off before the movie ended. Now that would have been a happy ending for me. But at least it's comforting knowing that they don't stand a chance at lasting, and Halley might eventually find real true love.

Surprisingly, the best relationship comes from Halley's best friend, Scarlett (Alexandra Holden), and her new boyfriend, Michael (John White). Sadly, they only get a few seconds of screen time, yet the two characters seemed to have the most chemistry and had me more interested than the Halley/Macon relationship. I swear anything would be more interesting than the relationship between Halley and Macon though. I'm willing to bet that a cardboard box and a rock have more chemistry.

Mandy Moore (A Walk To Remember) gives a nice, natural performance again. It's too bad it wouldn't have been in a better movie. Trent Ford, on the other hand, gives what is sure to be the worst male performance of the year. Every time he spoke I would roll my eyes. He delivers his lines so atrociously bad that it has to be seen to believe. Even the two girls sitting a few seats over from me would make fun of him every time he was on the screen. I couldn't have agreed with them more. This guy was just so awful. Him and Moore had absolutely no chemistry. I actually think with a better actor playing Macon that the relationship between Halley and Macon wouldn't have been so laughable. In fact, I think the lead role should have went to John White, who had the small part of Michael, and someone else should have played Michael. Although the only problem with that is that it might cheapen the nice relationship between Michael and Scarlett if he were played by someone else. Either way, Trent Ford should not have been in this, unless he was just an extra that walks by the camera in a scene and doesn't have to speak. I don't mean to be so harsh, but his performance was just so downright terrible. I highly suggest some acting lessons before attempting another role, that is if anyone is even going to want to hire him after this. Anyway, enough about him. A nice surprise was Alexandra Holden (The Hot Chick), who was just adorable as Halley's best friend. I really would like to see her in more roles soon. She made her character so likable that I rather would have been watching a movie about her instead. In my opinion, she stole the show from Moore. Also providing a good performance as usual was Allison Janney (Drop Dead Gorgeous, The Hours) as Halley's mom. She provides for a very welcome and somewhat shocking (considering the kind of movie) laugh in one of her first major scenes. It was probably the best scene she was in. Also worth a note is Nina Foch as Halley's pot smoking grandmother. She manages to give us a few laughs in the few scenes she's in.

In the end, How To Deal had promise but is ultimately disappointing. I give it credit for trying to be edgier, and I really did appreciate it actually throwing in a couple of sudden and unexpected shocks our way, but there's just too much going on for one movie, leaving it all cluttered and feeling somewhat phony. I couldn't help but be reminded of a much better edgier PG-13 movie involving teens, the downright superb and well acted Crazy/Beautiful (9/10 or A-). Now that's one that managed to succeed with flying colors. This one is all stale. Sure, it brings up real problems that teens face, but the way it presents most of them just doesn't ring true. Don't get me wrong, it was decent and not really boring or anything, but sadly, it doesn't live up to its full potential.

For a movie that claims to be "a lesson in love for non-believers," I sure don't see anyone learning much.

Grade: 6/10 (C+)

This is so much more than your typical, cliche teen movie. I didn't know what to expect before seeing it, but I was very pleasantly surprised. What's ironic is that the thing that makes this movie so good is, at the same time, what holds it back from being a more realistic, believable and better movie that it could have been. What makes this intriguing and different is the issues that it encompasses. Realistic issues such as death, injury, pregnancy, etc. But there are a series of events (tragedies) that occur that would have been better left out, for instance, the death and car accident. It was just too much to cram into one movie to make it believable. Had the death occurred beforehand and was simply mentioned; that would have smoothed out the plot a lot.

Now for what I liked about the movie. First, Mandy Moore does an excellent job portraying Halley. She has such an ease in front of the camera and is so easy to believe. The supporting cast (consisted of many prominant actors) does a great job creating the backbone of the story. The music was done almost perfectly to match the emotion of each scene. The 'small-town' feel adds a lot to the movie. It adds a warmth and character to the story. The plot of the movie is also very well written, although there were a few cheesey moments. There is a lot of depth to the story; it's very different from many teen movies in that it has many sad aspects and is quite complex. I think the thing that makes this movie is the characters. They are each intriguing, complex, and yet believable. You can relate to these characters and feel as if you know them, because you probably do. This is an honest movie about things you go through in life and have to deal with; it's reality. I'd highly recommend anyone to see it.