How to Deal

Rating:
Summary: Its no 'A Walk to Remember'
Review: I must start by saying that I loved A Walk to Remember. I absoulutely adored it, the love story was believable, drawn out, and well scripted. I felt like I really knew the characters and was able to see their relationship evolve. I burst out in tears at the end the first time I saw it, because I felt like I could feel Landon's pain at losing his beloved Jamie. Given this, I was very excited to see Mandy's new move, How to Deal. After having seen the movie though, I must say, it was an utter dissappointment. Within the first 20 minutes of the movie, Mandy's character Hallie has witnessed her parent's divorce, her father falling in love with a much younger woman, her best friend having sex for the first time, her sister's engagement to a man who is "all wrong for her" and then to top it all off, the death of her best friend's boyfriend from a heart defect. And tht's just the first twenty minutes. It was at this point that I turned to my friend sitting next to me, and muttered, "this movie seems a little . . . odd." Through the next hour and twenty minutes we watch Hallie deal with her sister calling off the engagement, and then announcing that its on again, her father eloping on live radio, her friend finding out that she's pregnant (with her dead boyfriends child, no less), her mother getting a new boyfriend, her pot-smoking grandma, and oh yes, falling in love with nerdy, yet sarcastic and cool Macon. Though as Hallie says, "some people fall into love, I had to crash into it" as at the pinacle point in her relationship with Macon she gets into a car crash and has to be hospitalized. I didn't think that this movie could even be classified as a romance, because there is little of it. All of the semi-romantic parts are seen in the previews, and Hallie spends the majority of the movie discussing how much she hates love, not falling into it. I felt like the audience barely got a chance to know the characters - a 20 second segment of them in various "hang out locales" at the beginning of their relationship does not cut it. I thought that Mandy, and Trent as well, did an excellent job acting in this movie, but even they could not save this movie which was plagued from the start by a not-so-great script, mediocre directing, and basically bad editing. I actually burst out laughing in the scene where Hallie's best friend goes into labor on the side of the street, it was just too much! The movie could have been so much better had the director chosen not to include so much in the hour and forty minute long film. The movie wasn't even two hours, but managed to include more melodrama and "life changing events" than all six seasons of Dawson's Creek.

Rating:
Summary: Ultimately, it's hilariously melodramatic
Review: I saw this film because of its marquee star, Mandy Moore, who is one of the cutest women I have ever seen. Thankfully, at the age of 19, Mandy isn't about pushing herself as an actress, thus playing a character that allows her the right to be uncute. While it would have been fine to watch a currently unambitious actress go the ambitious route of playing someone totally unlike herself: less attractive, or (reportedly) less likeable, let's face it -- Mandy's beauty will eventually disappear. And as long as she's as cute as she is now, she has absolutely no need to play someone ordinary, or unattractive.

However, while Mandy is certainly the film's most beautiful visual, How to Deal is just too melodramatic to pass-off as a guilty-pleasure (Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle) fit the criteria, nicely). You see, one damn thing happens after another. And I guess, that as a melodrama, which makes a brief reference to one of the most famous of those, Gone With the Wind, its excess in conflicts is the point. But point or no point, its drama just ain't moving enough, which is terrible for a drama.

Belive it or not, Mandy's movie is actually an ensemble drama. And just as generously as screenwriter Neena Beber crammed every conflict from Sarah Dessen's novel into a 101 minute film, she has snatched (I think) 5 characters from Dessen's novel, and given them all a story. Unfortunately, the film is just too short for Beber to give all of the characters room to become actual people, with plights that I could genuinely be moved by (Magnolia, an ambitious film by Paul Thomas Anderson, was almost 3 hours, and every single one of its ?10? characters were humanized before the roll of credits). Ultimately, How to Deal feels like a satire on melodramas; as unintentionally hilarious in its excess as Full Throttle's action sequences were intentionally funny. Beber simply does not allow breathing room between one tragedy to another, and another, and another, and another. How the characters of this screenplay could in fact deal with all of this sh** happening here is extraordinary. But I didn't care... too busy laughing at the rediculousness of it all.

Another flawed aspect of the film is the seemingly loveless world that Mandy's character, Halley, inhabits. After her parents divorced, she grew a presumably unshakeable cynicism towards the existance of true love. Beber even makes a reference to Casablanca, whose Humphrey Bogart character was negatively affected by the loss of first love, Ingrid Bergman. Halley's world, for some reason, seems to be devoid of characters who are in love and in long-term relationships. However, there is one couple, the parents of Mandy's sister, who seem to still care for each other after all these years, but Beber does nothing with them. Their relationship could have posed a threat to Mandy's cynical attitude.

Mandy's performance isn't that effective, either. Whether it is the fault of the screenplay (a possibility), the director, or Moore, I'm unable to say after one viewing. But while Mandy certainly has a comfortable presence in front of the camera, there's something cold about it, too. She's unable to make this naive character moving. Unfortunately, since she is the "heart" of the movie, such a flaw is major.

Rating:
Summary: Much better then I expected
Review: I was expecting to see anothersimplistic summer movie, but I was surprised how good it was. The movie has saddness, laughter, happiness all in one. Janney is great in the movie and Moore is also good.The only bad part was the Mandy Moore-ism, like poutty lips and her stares. We've seen the same in "A walk to Remember".

Rating:
Summary: How to Deal
Review: Not another teen movie? *groan* I expected to see a slightly cheesy teen flick when I walked into the private screening of How to Deal. You know the type. There's always the popular girl who's a real witch, a choreographed dance scene at the prom, and the popular guy who falls for the quirky lead girl. Well this was NOT that movie.

If I were to compare this film with any others I would say it had a little bit of Breakfast Club, For Keeps, and Sixteen Candles (classic 80's Molly Ringwald movies). How to Deal is an honest film with 3-dimensional characters and a solid story that holds your interest and is generous with the laughs.

Any generation can relate to this film through the colorful cast of characters. There is the pot-head (and I use this term loosely) grandma, played by Nina Foch, who is absolutely hilarious. There's the recently divorced cynical mom who is still bitter about losing her husband to a younger woman, yet not so unforgiving as to make her unlikable. Allison Janney is so real as this character, I felt as if I knew her. Then there's the 'classy' older sister who is marrying a nerd from an uptight southern family. Let's not forget the bad boy who has a sensitive spot when it comes to the right girl, and the idealistic best friend who tries to 'deal' with everything life throws at her with cheerful resolve but only manages to do so because of her best friend, Halley--which brings us to the lead.

Mandy Moore's natural acting talent shines through in this character. She's a disillusioned girl afraid of falling in love because she's seen how love can hurt; yet she is coming into her own and wanting to embrace it. She's the rebellious teen with a spunky style that captures the ideal 'retro' look most teens are trying for these days. Sliding comfortably into this character, Mandy Moore rises to the level of a star. Out acting some of the most famous stars of today and definitely outshining them in looks department as well.

What I didn't expect to see was so much humor and at the same time honesty which takes this film to a whole new level. I would have liked the film to be longer. It covered everything from childbirth- to dying young- to weddings- to divorce- to drugs- to love and more. At times I felt a scene should have gone on a little longer, but with so many subjects to cover sometimes saying less really communicates the most.

I've saved the best for last. The directing. Clare Kilner directs this fabulous cast of characters and tells this story with humor, honesty, and a deep poignancy that you may mistake How to Deal for an early John Hughes flick. There's a bright future in store for Ms. Kilner and How to Deal says it loud and clear. There's a new girl in town and she's taking over. And I'll be there to watch her next one because there's no way I would miss it.

Rating:
Summary: A Poor Attempt at a Teen Movie
Review: Usually I enjoy teen movies, but "How to Deal" was pretty horrible. The acting and lines were very cheesy, and everything happens so abruptly in the beginning of the movie. You never really get time to connect with any of the characters. Mandy Moore may be somewhat likeable, but her love interest in the movie, Macon, is so annoying that it makes the movie completely unwatchable. I wasn't rooting for them to get together because he just seems obnoxious. If you want good teen comedy, there's lot of other options out there. I would suggest skipping this movie.

Rating:
Summary: I might be the only one, but I adore this movie
Review: When I first heard that HOW TO DEAL was a combination of two of Sarah Dessen's books, I was skeptical. I love Dessen's books, and thought that making a movie out of one of the books would be a disaster, let alone combining two. Boy was I wrong! HOW TO DEAL is a great teen movie.

Halley isn't sure what to believe...her life is incredibly messed up at the moment, and everthing keeps getting crazier. The day her parent's divorce comes through, her sister announces her engagement. Of course Halley doesn't like her future brother-in-law, and she runs to her best friend Scarlett for help. Except, Scarlett doesn't have the same opinion about love. She's fallen head over heels for Michael, a cute, athletic boy. In fact, Halley meets him when she walks in on him and Scarlett...professing their love for eachother.

Of course, tragedy strikes soon, and - once again - Halley's life has taken another turn. She meets Macon, token bad boy, and they start hanging out...Scarlett doesn't know what to think when she finds out that she's pregnant, Halley's mom thinks all men are horrible, Halley's dad's getting remarried to "The Bimbo," and Halley's sister is about to get married.

HOW TO DEAL is such a cute teen movie, I can't say enough to justify the movie. It's not realistic, it's predictable, it's cheesy - but somehow it's still fun. HOW TO DEAL is recommended to any teenage girls that loved movies like 10 Things I Hate About You, A Walk to Remember, and Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.

Overall grade - A

Rating:
Summary: i love this movie!!!!
Review: i just finished reading Someone Like You and i fell in love with it. then i found out there was going to be a movie and i immediatly went to read That Summer adn rented the movie. it was soooooo good. the characters were believable, the plot was well done, and it was soo emotional. i also prefered the ending of this movie to the books ending. i definetly reccommend watching this movie. it is well worth it

Rating:
Summary: shallow!
Review: This movie is so contrived and predictable and dull... at least the soundtrack has a few good songs!

Rating:
Summary: It's NOT a romantic comedy
Review: New Line has sold this movie short and filed it as a Romantic Comedy but I must stress it is not. It's a teen drama with some romance and humor. Think of it as a teen version of American Beauty. Though it's all rather light, How to Deal does have some seriousness and important parts.

Mandy Moore (marry me?) is Halley Martin, a teenage girl who refuses to believe that true love exists (like me). Her best pal does but is heartbroken when her boyfriend drops dead on the football field of a heart defect (err...like me). Halley's parents have split and found others, her sister is engaged to some guy and all they do is argue. It seems like the best way to deal with love is to avoid it.

All that changes when Halley meets Macon (stupid name) a geeky Star Wars nerd. He seems like a dweeb at first but his character grows on you, as he does Halley. He's played by Trent Ford and on the cover he's wearing a white vest and is marketed as a sexually neutral, non-threatening pretty boy (Orlando Bloom, Justin Timberlake etc) but that ain't him or his character at all and he never appears in a vest at any point in the movie. I expected to hate him just because of the cover but that ain't so. In the course of her steadily strengthening relationship with Macon (really, what a stupid name!) Halley learns how to deal with teen pregnancy, being a bridesmaid, her dope-smoking grandmother, car crashes, stepmoms, stepdads etc. Stuff that every kid learns. Real kids, not the kids that make love to pastries or live in mansions, which are the only 2 types of kids Hollywood thinks exist.

Taken from 2 separate novels by Sarah Dessen called 'Someone Like You' and 'That Summer' it's possible that How to Deal might have a sequel. And if it does its literary roots guarantee it will a better sequel than most.

I recommend How to Deal for anyone who is sick to death of endless American Pie clones or Harold and Kumar or Maid in Manhatten/Laws of Attraction/Two Weeks Notice/Sweet Home Alabama/blah blah blah. It's not a romantic comedy, not by a long shot. It's far more realistic than that and it doesn't insult your intelligence. Give it a go.

The DVD is in great-looking 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound. The extras are actually quite good for a change, one of them focusing on Young Adult Literature and it's definitely a good DVD for the price.

Rating:
Summary: Mostly Harmless
Review: An ultimately forgettable coming of age movie, the film tracks teenager Mandy Moore who has to deal with some of the angst-inducing problems often found in an after school special. Peter Gallagher has some interesting scenes as her pathetic radio host father, in which he tries to smooth things over between Mandy and his new young girlfriend. But, in the end, her friend's baby turns out fine, and Mandy gets the cute, sensitive guy.