Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (also known as Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging) is a 2008 teen romantic comedy film co-written and directed by Gurinder Chadha, based on the young adult novels Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging (1999) and It's OK, I'm Wearing Really Big Knickers (2000) by Louise Rennison. The film stars Georgia Groome, Alan Davies, Karen Taylor, Aaron Johnson and Eleanor Tomlinson. The plot follows 14-year-old Georgia Nicholson (Groome) as she tries to find a boyfriend while also organising her 15th birthday party.

Plot
Fourteen-year-old Georgia Nicolson lives in Eastbourne with her parents Connie and Bob and younger sister Libby. She is insecure about her appearance and fears she will never have a boyfriend. On the first day of the new school term, Georgia and her friends Jas, Ellen and Rosie spot fraternal twin brothers Robbie and Tom Jennings, who have recently moved to Eastbourne from London.

Georgia and Jas decide to approach the brothers in their mother's organic foodshop, where they work. Jas is quickly enamored with Tom and Georgia strikes up a conversation with Robbie. However, they soon discover that Robbie is dating Lindsay, the most popular girl in school. After learning that Robbie likes cats, Georgia pretends that her cat Angus has gone missing and asks Robbie for help finding him. Jas has Angus on a leash in the park, but he escapes and Tom rescues him just as Georgia and Robbie arrive. Robbie leaves to spend time with Lindsay and Tom asks Jas on a date, after which they become a couple.

Bob moves to New Zealand after receiving a promotion, while the rest of the family stays in England. During his absence, Connie hires a handsome interior decorator, Jem, to redo the living room, and begins to spend increasingly longer periods of time with him, prompting Georgia to worry about the state of her parents' marriage.

Determined to impress Robbie, Georgia takes "snogging lessons" from a classmate, Peter, who becomes infatuated with her. When Peter tries to kiss Georgia at a party, he embarrasses her in front of Robbie (who later assumes that Georgia and Peter are a couple), Lindsay, Jas and Tom. In order to evade Peter, Georgia lies to him about being a lesbian. When Tom invites Jas to go swimming with him and Robbie, Georgia tags along. While in the pool, Robbie and Georgia kiss. Before leaving, Robbie promises to call Georgia later.

After not hearing from Robbie in a while, Georgia is heartbroken. She decides to make Robbie jealous, hoping he will realise his feelings for her. She invites Robbie's best friend, Dave, to a concert by Robbie's band, the Stiff Dylans. Seeing Georgia and Dave dancing and laughing, Robbie tries to talk to her but is stopped by Lindsay.

At school, Dave confronts Georgia about using him to make Robbie jealous. Upon learning what Georgia did to Dave, Robbie severs ties with her. Georgia discovers it was Jas who accidentally leaked this information. After Georgia kicks Jas in the shin during an argument, they vow never to speak to each other again. Shortly afterwards, Robbie tells Georgia he was considering breaking up with Lindsay before becoming involved with her, but now he is disappointed with her recent behaviour.

Devastated, Georgia decides that she would like to move to New Zealand. She stops by her father's workplace and tearfully vents to the receptionist, telling her that she does not want her family to be apart from each other. She later goes to the beach, knowing Robbie would be there, and apologises to him. Robbie reveals he ended things with Lindsay and admits he still likes Georgia.

On Georgia's 15th birthday, Connie takes her to a nightclub for the first time. The place initially seems empty, but Georgia's friends and family soon arrive to reveal a surprise birthday party, which Jas secretly organised with Connie. Georgia and Jas make amends. Bob returns from New Zealand, having accepted a new job opportunity in Eastbourne. It is revealed that Jem is gay and his boyfriend owns the club. While the Stiff Dylans are performing the song "Ultraviolet", which Robbie wrote about Georgia, Lindsay arrives from her own birthday party (which no one attended) and demands that Robbie choose between her and Georgia. He chooses Georgia, kissing her onstage. Jas pulls out Lindsay's breast pads and tosses them into the crowd, prompting Lindsay to storm off.

Ultimately, Georgia realises she does not need to change her appearance, as Robbie likes her the way she is.

Cast

Production
Chadha was originally brought into the project as a scriptwriter:

Most of the scenes were filmed on location in Brighton and Eastbourne. Others, such as the gig scene and some interiors and exteriors for Georgia's house, were filmed in and around Ealing Studios, London. Areas in nearby west London like Bishopshalt school in Hillingdon and the Liquid nightclub in Uxbridge were used as well. Other sites include locations in Teddington and Twickenham. Costumes included green blazers and kilts borrowed from St. Bede's Prep School in Eastbourne, and props included Eastbourne's signature blue bins to add to the effect and continuity when filming in multiple locations.

Release
Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging was the first film produced by Nickelodeon Movies to receive a restrictive PG-13 rating. The film was not released theatrically in the United States, and instead had its US premiere on Nick at Nite and TeenNick, and was later released on DVD on 19 January 2010.

Reception

Box office
Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging grossed $10.6 million (£6.6 million) in the United Kingdom and a worldwide total of $14.9 million. It became the 42nd highest-grossing film of 2008 in the UK.

Critical response
The film received positive reviews. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 73% based on reviews from 26 critics, with an average score of 5.9/10. The site's critics consensus states: "Based on two of British writer Louise Rennison's popular books, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging is a pleasant and funny tween comedy, comfortable for UK audiences as well as stateside crowds."

Critics noted the strong central performance of Georgia Groome, who was praised for her "super-engaging" performance.

Music

Some songs played in the film were not included on the soundtrack:
 "Out of Time" - Stiff Dylans
 "You're the Best Thing" – The Style Council
 "Agadoo" – Black Lace
 "True" – Spandau Ballet
 "I'm Your Man" – Shane Richie
 "Mr. Loverman" – Shabba Ranks
 "Dance wiv Me" – Dizzee Rascal featuring Calvin Harris and Chrome
 "Teenage Kicks" – Nouvelle Vague
 "Big Fish, Little Fish" – Nik Martin

References

External links

 
 
 Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging at the British Film Institute
 BBC Slink goes behind the scenes of Angus Thongs... A round of up videos from and about the film

2008 films
2008 romantic comedy films
2000s American films
2000s British films
2000s English-language films
2000s German films
2000s teen comedy films
2000s teen romance films
American romantic comedy films
American teen comedy films
American teen romance films
British romantic comedy films
British teen comedy films
British teen romance films
Confessions of Georgia Nicolson
English-language German films
Films about bullying
Films based on British novels
Films based on multiple works of a series
Films based on young adult literature
Films directed by Gurinder Chadha
Films produced by Lynda Obst
Films set in East Sussex
Films shot in East Sussex
Films shot in London
Films with screenplays by Paul Mayeda Berges
Films with screenplays by Gurinder Chadha
German romantic comedy films
German teen comedy films
Nickelodeon Movies films