Excellent Film

Rating: 9/10 (17 May 2008)

I have been reading a lot of comments here, and people seem way off base in most of the criticisms directed at this film. Due to the pacing and bare-bones approach, I can understand how this might not be everyone's cup of tea, but to attempting to justify disliking this film by calling it unrealistic smacks of insecurity.
To those who feel that the dialogue is unrealistic, well, you must not know many teenagers! If you did you'd know that they speak (amongst themselves especially) in a dialect all their own, and they do it effortlessly and constantly. The dialect varies due to regional, ethnic, and class differences, but Junospeak is appropriate to a certain middle class suburban/small city/large rural community in the midwestern or western US. Would every teenager drop cultural, literary and musical reference at a machine gun pace? No, but the small percentage that does actually prides itself on the ability in such a way that they secretly (and obsessively) practice and research the habit. The reason that this film is perceived as having a certain agenda is not because it has one, but because it doesn't! It is distinct because most Hollywood films DO, and the fact that this film is not in lock step makes it appear to have its own agenda.
Overall, you may or may not like this film, but I think that there is very little in the script, directing, or acting (which is extremely strong) that you can fairly say is not well-done, and therefore deserving of the praise that many have heaped upon this movie.