jforgizmo Review of Suburban Girl

Suburban Girl (2007)

this is intelligent romance - whether it follows the book or not

[7/10 · 21 October 2010]

why did this movie NOT make it big? Because it bumped along like real lives do, without smarmy adolescent humor or action to depend upon. A real acting job from Sarah Michelle Gellar, with real filming instead of for the boob tube. Don't watch this movie if you want to guffaw or ooh and awwh - this one is sweet with a bit of sadness, like life really lived. It's never going to be appreciated as the kind of homage to Michele Gellar that Broken Embraces was for Penelope Cruz, but I hope that people realize that Gellar's acting chops are good enough for her to deserve such a vehicle. If not, this will do, so long as you don't compare it to the book or to the misogynist frat boy stuff out there...and Alec Baldwin is as amazingly believable as Gellar when he pops an important question and their faces register real human emotions as the import of their words sinks in. These two professionals have learned how to let deepening feelings flicker, one after the other, over their faces, portraying an internal life that is the essence of inhabiting a character. Otherwise, the movie is just lovely cinematography and music, and not much else. But the acting elevates the script. A movie for thoughtful people - probably why it went straight to video. Need more grown up Sarah Michelle Gellar like Suburban Girl gives us!