OK film fans, another Friday night is upon us and I'm not sure what to write about tonight. The Oscars are looming and there are many new films to see and explore. And as usual when Oscar time approaches, TCM runs a month long viewing of past winners. This list always reminds me of the greats I still need to see and those I need to revisit. To be honest I'm not feeling particularly filled with wisdom or deep analytical insight so tonight we'll hold off on tackling Mt. Everest and just settle for a stroll around the block.
Just a few night ago I confessed to a Hollywood crush (one of a few) on actress Zooey Deschanel, and I'm surprised to discover that this seemed odd to more than a few of you. But as they say, the devil is in the details. Her combination of quirky nonconformist style and sensibilities joined with accessible girl next door looks puts her squarely in the category of "girls I chased in High School with limited success." Of course I blame most of that on being a jock/brain/token hybrid that even the "New Wave" kids didn't know what to make of. Throw in spending the 70s in Ames, IA and it explains my appreciation for her 60s clothing and musical influences. While I had already seen Zooey in the instant classics Almost Famous and Elf (not to mention a few other less stellar films like Mumford and The Good Girl), it wasn't until I saw her true acting chops that the crush began.
All the Real Girls, the first big budget film of rising director David Gordon Green, is a small quiet film about love in a small quiet town. Paul (Paul Schneider) is a young man in his physical prime who has been sharing himself with just about every willing young girl in her physical prime. Until his best friends' sister (not cool dude) Noel (Deschanel) comes back to their rural North Carolina town after spending six years at an all girl's boarding school. While he can't deny their mutual attraction, he wants to wait because he senses it's different, that this time it might be special. It's difficult to be on the same wavelength in a relationship, let alone when you're both young. Add in a gap in the ages and experience between the two partners and problems await. In youth emotions can change in instant and there's no experience to rely on to keep you from going astray.
Most films would have the plot revolving around the couple and their sexual syncopation, ignoring or trivializing young love and the overwhelming emotions that are created during those first new experiences. Greens skill here is not only in his loving portrayal of the supporting characters, their friends, family and the town itself, but to realize that sometimes young love is as much about confusion as it is passion. This film has a similar tone as Lost in Translation, it's fleshed out with emotional undertones that provide not only a structure for the story, but its subtext as well.
All the Real Girls is more interested in exploring the occasionally misplaced idealism of youth and the consequences that follow than creating a typical Hollywood romance. The characters are the plot and as such rely on the actors to fill in the intentions of the script. Many in the cast fill their roles so well, so acutely in tune with the repetitiveness and stillness of small town life, that they almost don't seem like actors but rather local stand-ins. Zooey brings an unexpected grace and charm to the character that now seems well within her capabilities but at the time seemed like fascinating transformation. She is natural, endearing and cruel all at once. Ever since this film I have looked forward to her performances and more often than not find the experience uniquely rewarding. The stillness I spoke of, evident in the cinematography, Zooey's performance and the editing of the film, remind us that in the quiet perhaps you are capable of seeing more beauty than you would in fast paced places or people.
I won't give away the emotional plot point that spins the film into its final act, even though I've alluded to it here, but I will end on words from the Master. "The thing about love is, if you lose it, you can also lose your ability to believe in it, and that hurts even more. Especially in a town where real love may be the only world-class thing that ever happens."
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