That's What I Am

It does a good job of doing what coming-of-age stories are meant to do. I like that even though Stanley isn't the main character, the movie kind of revolves around him, in a sense. I thought it was an emotional movie, tackling the irrational fear of homosexuality, the importance of teachers, and of course, kids growing up. I didn't find it overly funny so it's more of a drama to me than a comedy. I guess since it's classified as a comedy, that's a bit of a fail, but fuck it.

"The Wonder Years" feature film down to the annoying voice over narration... The only things missing are Fred Savage and Danica McKeller..

The children of a society are a corpus delicti: its salvific or most damning condemnation. And Ed Harris as the reptilian avatar of Jebus...that's what he is.

Way too cheesy, right on and neat for my tastes but still, it got me thinking about my childhood. It's kind of sweet.

There's a final line in this movies that goes something like, "No Dad, I'll mow the lawn the way I want to mow it," that encapsulates perfectly the way that the rest of the movie simplifies prejudice and bullying in an almost demeaning manner. Homosexuals in the 60's were thrown in jail for practicing their sexuality, it's nothing like mowing the fucking lawn in a weird way.

A mostly cute story reminiscent of "A Christmas Story" in style, period and narration. It spotlights bullying and the young boys efforts to fit in with the other kids and avoid social alienation. The story touches on the awkward moments of childhood romance, the relationship between father and son, and homophobic parents. The teacher played by Ed Harris is a wonderful role model with uncompromising principles and exceptional teaching skills. Worth watching, but full of 1960's sensibilities.

One of the most compelling and powerful portraits of adolescence I've ever seen. The period setting - suburban USA, 1965 - and earnest narration prompts warranted comparisons to The Wonder Years and A Christmas Story. But tonally, for much of the movie there's more in common here with the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. That it's able to blend that warm, nostalgic comedy with a sincere tolerance message that never feels phony is a real surprise, and emotions felt honest and earned. more @ lbxd