Dennis Littrell (For the most part.)Here are some things to know about this movie:Gia Coppola (Francis Ford Coppola's granddaughter) directed, her first outing. She also wrote the screenplay based on James Franco's short story collection also entitled "Palo Alto." She was 25-years- old at the time.Emma Roberts who plays April and was 22-years-old when this film was released in 2013 is Julia Roberts' niece. Her father is Eric Roberts (467 credits as an actor).Palo Alto, California is an upscale Silicon Valley community and home to Stanford University.Franco, who plays soccer coach Mr. B, is from Palo Alto. He has a degree in English with a concentration in creative writing from UCLA.There are no helicoptering parents in this movie.Initially I had a lot of trouble watching this because of all the unnecessary cigarette smoking apparently as product placements. It's sad that some producers can't get funding without taking big tobacco's money. However, I'll give that a pass since some of the smoking had relevance to the story—or "stories." The viewer can see that Coppola cleverly weaved parts of Franco's various stories and characters into a mostly coherent whole that plays as a larger story.The other problem for me was the intensity and raw teenage emotional abandonment depicted. This is life lived in the fast lane when you're still living at home and have an incredible need for experiences, sometimes regardless of the consequences.--Dennis Littrell, author of the movie review collection, "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote"

thezeal I got really excited watching the trailer for this movie for a few reasons: Gia Coppola's cinematography, the sound track, and James Franco. I was not disappointing by any of these three, but was unfortunately disappointed with this movie as a whole . Many reviewers argue that the characters in Palo Alto are all stereotypes, but I disagree- I was glad I did not see any football players or cheerleaders that always find their way in every American high school movie. The characters were not one sided either. Take April- she could have been the stereotypical good girl but she wasn't: she didn't get perfect grades, she smoked while babysitting, etc. Gia Coppola showed the self-destruction that characterizes teenagers so well that it almost hit too close to home where it was more painful to watch than entertaining.The acting was convincing in this movie. Nat Wolff's performance especially stood out. The acting almost made up for the poor dialogue. I think the dialogue was the main reason people had trouble empathizing with the characters- although the Coppola's purpose was to try to show a more real image of teenagers, they just came off as shallow and stupid. I loved how visually stunning Palo Alto is, it stimulates nostalgia and gives off a dreamy feel. It fit perfectly with the soundtrack. My main complaint is how slow this movie is. It has no plot, and is just a bunch of intimate scenes of teenagers doing teenager things strung together. Overall: would not watch again, if it were not for the cinematography, I probably would not recommend.

gracemontez It's been a long time since I watched movies and I have to say that this kind of movies has reminded me of the reason why I watch movies. The difference between books and movies is that books are so much easier; the reader could imagine and project anything they want from their own experiences onto the books. Movies, on the contrary, are often frowned upon because the screenplay is the director's vision, thus, there is much less left for fantasy for those dreamers who want to enjoy the movie in their own way. As a person getting out of high school, I fully relate to this. Even though I live in a remote part of Asia and could not experience such wild events as in the movies, somehow, I could understand the message. Despite a great many of their unreasonable actions that would seem unintelligible to older generations including self-destructive behaviors done out of self-hate, insecurities, they crave love and want to contribute something meaningful to their own life. Judging from their own circumstances, it was understandable that they were under too many pressures, both from within and without; hence, they couldn't realize what was wrong and what was right. By putting themselves out there, facing their problems, these youngsters have been courageously transforming every aspect of their life and as a result, become a better person. The process may take a long time and may not promise an easy route but I believe that with determination, these kids will succeed. Gia Coppola have done an amazing job in depicting what is happening with the young nowadays, striving to live in a world full of turmoil and struggling to find a purpose of their life.

AilinCaranci The worst movie I have ever seen... James Franco I love you, but your character was a pedophile. Nat Wolff, I love you , but... You were an idiot, I like the scene in which the girl breaks the bottle in your head. I really like your jogging suit in that part. Jack Kilmer... I never saw you in other movie, but... You are beautiful! You play the fool, and still, I admire you. Talking about the movie itself, it is a movie for teens...And I already got over this stage of my life. The film is to entangled and the problems are not really solved at the end. I hope Gia Coppola realizes that being the granddaughter of Francis Ford Coppola does not mean you are great... Rethink of what you do and leave the space to someone who really has the talent and passion.