As Cool as I Am (2013)

Another teen comedy-drama, precisely to say a coming-of-age theme based on the novel of the same name. It is not from the big production house, but the well known faces make it a worth a watch and their performances were too not bad. The tale of a teen tomboy girl Lucy, whose father visits home often who works in Canada and her mother is an easy going type. It's about a time for her sexual exploration and the first choice is her best buddy Kenny. But quickly the things around changes which forces her to opt the life she wants and what follows is how it all shapes up before bringing a curtain to the narration.I felt like wanting to give it a better rating, at least it deserves a decent respect, but narration had lots of up and down. That does not matter, even for how a tale begins, but the ending should have been a better one where I slightly disappointed with it. Sarah Bolger looked solid, totally one man show you could say. Maybe that is how the story was designed, but that did not stand a chance to impress me, because I thought it leaned excessively on her alone leaving other characters less developed. Anyway, it could also be said like this that it was her story which lacked the good support.It is not just a coming-of-age film, but when you look at how the story ends, that's kind of self-discovery. Maybe the girl was caught between the teenhood and adulthood, especially in the climax it leaped forward too long. The hardest part is the R rating for a teen film, though there were none nudes, even in the sex scenes, but the film topic itself highly influenced by those like experiencing and moving-on in the life. So the film is not worth going after for a watching by someone's recommendation, only when you get an opportunity without much options you could try it.5.5/10

Lucy Diamond has to deal with a very dysfunctional family. She only sees her Dad a few times per year, thanks to his lumberjack duties. Her mother does the best that she can, but she's in disarray. Her best friend is a guy, Kenny. Lucy & Kenny fall for each other during the summer. When school starts, things begin to get increasingly difficult when Lucy starts exploring sex and alcohol, while everyone she cares about seems to abandon her in time of need. Meanwhile, Lucy's mother Lainee can't cope very well with her husband's constant time away and resorts to sleeping with other guys to try to alleviate her suffering. 5.8? Are you kidding me? This is a genuine piece of film making with the best intentions in mind for everyone. Not only is it very realistic for the most part, but the strength of the character development in this film is top-notch. You are able to sympathize with everyone in this film in some shape or form. Even when I didn't agree with a character's decision or their attitude, I was still able to get into their plights. I thought it was a very good look at not only teenage angst, but parenting as well. The issues between Lainee (The Mom) , & Chuck (The Dad) is all too real. Far too often do things go awry when you have a child at such a young age. You start to pine for your glory years after a while, forgetting about the things that are most important. We all deal with things in different ways. I've heard people talk about how predictable this movie is. They're correct about that, but predictability isn't always a bad thing, now, is it? Claire Danes is terrific as the complex mother. There were times I couldn't stand her and others where I absolutely adored her, but when all is said and done, it's impossible not to feel something for her character. As good as Claire Danes is, the best performance in this movie belongs to Sarah Bolger. She is absolutely phenomenal for her age, conveying many emotions to perfection. She has a lot of screen time and she is easily up to the task. I was very impressed by her. James Mardsen is excellent as the father with pent-up frustration and repressed anger. it isn't that easy to sympathize with him, but if you look hard enough, you should be able too. My only complaint about this movie is that the second half gets a bit convoluted. After a near perfect first half, things get a little haywire with too many loose ends. I didn't like the ending at all. It is ambitious, but it fails to make much sense and left me feeling somewhat deflated after such a powerful experience for most of the movie. Final Thoughts: This is one of the most underrated films of 2013. Sure, the second half is slightly disappointing, but nowhere near enough to hamper your overall experience. I loved it and I hope you will as well. Don't neglect it like many others have8.6/10

ah! no words for this movie. What to say, acting was perfect, direction was super perfect and the best part; the movie held my emotions till the very end. Based on the book by Pete Fromm, this movie is a very well placed movie. A story about a girl who faces problems because of her parents bad relations and a friend cum lover who is always with her but then the movie takes a turn and changes her life all the way round and it just gets worse and worse. The movie is depressing at sometimes but lets just face it that these kind of depressions are in everybody lives. This movie is really something and i would recommend every teen to specially watch this movie and learn how to be tough in worst situations. Well done Mr. Max Mayer (DIRECTOR), Mr. Pete Fromm for your beautiful novel. And Love You Sarah Bolger for your fantastic acting. I don't even touch you. I have to learn a lot from you! My acting is nothing in front of yours. Congrats! :) 9/10 :)

On the surface this seems like a simple, predictable film. It doesn't have a grand storyline nor does the plot build up to a single defining moment. Essentially, this is a film about flawed characters who make flawed choices. They don't always say the right thing or solve all of their problems. They are simply human.Danes is wonderful as the now 'grown up' teen mother, struggling with her own identity crisis as her daughter - the same age as her mother was when she was born - is too exploring her sexuality and considering her future. Bolger plays the role with enough restraint to avoid the teenager stereotype, whilst Marsden, although his scenes are brief, is so believable as the absent father.I can see where this film could be seen as shallow and it's true that there are a few stronger issues that are touched on but not really developed (consent, domestic violence to name a few). However, in a way I appreciated how the plot continued on without delving into the complexities and our characters continued to make the impulsive and flawed decisions that make them as human and realistic as you or me - shaped by these things that have happened to them, but not defined.