WakenPayne If I were to say I have read the book, it would be a lie. So I am just judging this movie on it's own merits.The plot is basically a 17 year old half-Australian half-Italian girl going through her last year of High School where after that she wants to become a solicitor. She goes through things like she meets her father (who is a barrister that didn't even know she existed), falls in love for the first time and other things.But there is a problem. Most of the characters are just 2 dimensional. You have a character named John Barton that kills himself about halfway through. There is absolutely NO INDICATION to suggest that he's suicidal at any point earlier. Josephine also confesses for wanting to kill herself but again there is absolutely no indication to suggest that. Most of the other characters are just 2 dimensional.Aside from that the actors are good considering what they're given as material. That's really about it.Aside from that there isn't much to say about this movie. All this movie needed was MUCH better writing so that the characters could be a little bit more believable.

alienmusak A mediocre movie (and book) about the sorts of unexceptional people you would walk past in a suburban supermarket and never think of again.I normally find myself sharing similar views on movies to Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton, however, this movie is pure dulls-ville and I cannot understand how it got the attention it did.The main character of this movie is an uninteresting girl with no interests, no hobbies, no personality and a boring generic face. All of the characters in this film are like unconscious live stock; breathing, eating, and going through the basic motions of not being dead.Watching this movie was about as entertaining as staring at a potato. Reading the book required required more effort. It was more like chewing saw dust.

darce_man Meet 17 year old Josie Alibrandi (Pia Miranda); she's your typical Australian teenager, in search of identity, love and her driver's licence. Josie is determined to get good grades, move out of her house in 'little Sicily' and become a lawyer so that she won't ever be bothered again by her Nona (Elena Cotta) and Mama's (Greta Scacchi) irrationally tight grip on her. With such a confident attitude, her final school year should be a breeze, but it isn't. The teachers at her catholic, all-girl school disapprove of Josie's inconsistent behaviour and she risks losing her scholarship at the school. Meanwhile she struggles to win over the boy of her dreams whilst another boy, whom she had previously never acknowledged, expresses feelings for her. But these problems are overshadowed when her long lost father (Anthony LaPaglia) turns up on her doorstep… This is a gem of a movie. Kate Woods and Melina Marchetta show that it is possible to make a 'Romantic Comedy' without using that tired old Hollywood formula (Guy and girl meet – happy together – relationship is ruined when girl finds out a shocking truth about guy – guy is miserable – does something to win back girl – couple are once again happy together – credits roll). The best bit about this success story is that an Australian movie demonstrated the mould could be broken. For a 'Romantic Comedy' it is still quite realistic and covers serious issues, such as teenage suicide. In fact, to try to classify this film into a specific genre would be unreasonable as it has an entirely original plot. This film is a portrayal of a year in a person's life. Do you think that you could place a year of your own life into a single genre? Could you call your life a comedy or a drama, a film- noire or romance? I don't think so. This is the case with 'Looking for Alibrandi'. Like life, you can think that you know where it is going and then suddenly something happens and breaks the pattern of your comfortable day-to-day pattern - everything is suddenly turned upside down. This is how the story of Looking For Alibrandi is told. It does not finish with a fairytale ending and a 'happily ever after,' because real life rarely ever does, and the future is always unknown.This is a riveting film. The characters are built up beautifully and you can genuinely relate to them. This is why when the characters are emotional, you actually care about them and therefore share their emotions, unlike many films where the characters seem to be playing charades. The acting is generally good, especially by the slightly older and more experienced actors (Greta Scacchi, Anthony LaPaglia) however, some of the younger, less experienced actors gave weaker, less convincing performances. Jacob Coote (Kick Gurry) is a case in point, sometimes he looked downright embarrassed to be in front of the camera. Looking for Alibrandi was an independent production, which had limited resources and a small budget, so such minor aspects can be forgiven.Overall, this is a great film by any standards and would be appreciated by anyone who has been to high school and had to deal with the pressures and issues that arise during that time of one's life. 8/10 Stars.

flying_potato This is a great movie and Melina Marchetta is a great author. She is one of the few authors who can right teenage novels without being patronizing. The movie is more than just a boy meets girl chick flick. Its funny and sad and sooooo true about when guys come to girls schools- it happens every wednesday at my school. This is a great movie. I recommend it for everyone and give it 5 out 5 stars.