Standing Up (2013)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

hyped garbage

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

This movie may be OK for children as they don't have sense enough to realize how ridiculous most of this movie is. These two kids would have had to be amazingly stupid to make the decisions they made and anyone watching this without realizing this the whole time is living in fantasy land. So this girl calls her mom after being victimized with another boy in a crime. She doesn't tell her mother she was the victim of a crime. She merely whines like a kid who doesn't want to be at camp so that we can move the movie along rather than ending it there with the cops rescuing them and arresting the criminals at the camp.Her mom gets a call from the camp that her daughter is missing, she goes to the camp and finds out part of the story (they leave out the naked part) and tells the camp a crime has been committed. For the rest of the movie she does nothing about this crime. She is a lawyer and she knows the camp has been privy to this type of criminal activity for years, (which makes the camp criminally negligent) yet she doesn't do anything about it.This kid runs around the whole movie scared her mom's gonna beat her because she was the victim of a crime. Who teaches that to their kids? And who doesn't get angry when watching the kid do it?These two kids never once think to call the cops to get rescued, instead they start committing a series of unnecessary crimes to further the idiotic plot of this movie.Who in their right mind can sit through 90 minutes of incongruity without yelling at these two idiots to tell someone what happened to them?

This movie is sweet and heartfelt. The two leads are beyond adorable and charming and if they so chose they could have done nothing else, but they don't don't rely on their charm to tell you their story. They each show you how their characters are tough, scared, outcast and united; All of these things that you aren't sure children can feel so keenly. They teach the audience how kids think and they tell you that cruelty (even unintentional cruelty) can really hurt and shape how a person behaves. The starting plot is sad and makes you really feel for their characters but the two kids quickly show you that they can handle what the world throws at them and you forget the harsh melancholy that overcame you. Their independence and confidence grows as the movie goes on as does their comfort with each other.The setting is beautiful; the camp sites are full of colour and lush nature that just seems so serene and peaceful. You don't find yourself worrying for these kids as they travel through the undergrowth because they've proved that they can take care of themselves but you do root for whatever it is they want to come from this. I phrase it that way because the kids don't really seem to want anything tangible; they just want to stay together. And who can blame them? They are the only two people at camp who know what they have been through (humiliation, hunger, etc.) and before this experience they were each alone.Its really an amazing story because you see how the two grow to rely on each other and by the end of the film they have broken down the wall of just plain politeness/cold truce because they really care for each other and are very invested in each others lives. The ending wraps up the story nicely (something changed from the novel "The Goats" on which this was based) and you just know that these two kids will be all right.Overall, I was impressed with the adaptation and I would watch it again and again and again. 9/10

It's a difficult task to make a film about bullying , especially in today's world , with news on the TV of children who takes their own life after having being bullied.Bullying is , unfortunately , still very much relevant , perhaps more now then ever before.Twitter,Facebooks and the likes are new weapons used by bullies everyday. DJ Carusco tackles this difficult subject in a very subtle and intelligent way. Instead of concentrating on the pain that bullying cause , his film is more about overcoming bullying. The story is simple and to some similar to "Moonrise Kingdom" (Although I do find the comparison out of context). In the 80's (Although the film could have taken place any time , the director wisely decided not to overly use the 80's setting to avoid distracting audiences from the story itself) two kids at a camp , a boy and a girl who do not know each other , are victim of a vicious pranks by their fellow campers.They are stripped away of all their clothes and are left in the middle of an Island.The two kids eventually bond and decide to not stay for when the other campers come back to make fun of them or even worse take pictures of them as a "Trophy" , instead they run away and that is where the film and their adventures really begins. This film really feels like a journey , you see the kids slowly building confidence after each stop they take before getting back home , although at that point they are note sure what "home" will be. The two leads , Analise Basso and Chandler Canterbury (Who was also in the very good "A bag of hammers") are pitch perfect as Grace and Howie.They deliver a very true performance , they are absolutely believable , you absolutely believe this is happening to them.The dialogs also help a great deal , the kids speaks like normal kids , they don't have cheesy lines. I will spare you too much details because I do not want to risk spoiling the film for you but I must say , I rarely get teary eyed watching films but the last scene of "standing up" was an exception thanks to Analise Basso , this girl has a bright future ahead of her. I know this film was based on a very popular children book but I was not aware of this book so I cant really say how the film stand up when compared to the book. All I can say is that on it's own merit , this is a very heartfelt , sensitive , well executed , hopeful film and I urge parents to watch it with their kids or teachers to show it to their pupils because it might gives bullies a taste of what it is like on the other side of the spectrum. I am very sensitive to the subject of bullying and I feel this film , beside being really well made , is important.For theses reasons I give it a 9 out of 10 stars.

Based on Brock Cole's "The Goats", Standing up is the story of two geeky kids, a girl and a boy, who are the victims of a mean holiday camp prank. Stripped naked and left marooned on an island, the boy and girl are left to their own devices and decide to leave the camp and embark on an adventure on their own.I like that the main characters are geeks and outsiders, and they are ably played by Chandler Canderbury and Annalise Basso. They are experienced TV actors despite their young age, and the chemistry between them is good. I certainly could identify with the awkward feeling of being a lonely young outsider searching for yourself and for companionship.I like the general theme of the film, that you can learn from all your experiences, good and bad, and discover yourself as a result. I think this is a good message, especially for young adults. However, the world view is a bit too optimistic, the kids never really are in real danger despite their dangerous decision to live on their own for a few days, and the lack of any real antagonist means the film lacks an exciting edge.Nevertheless, it is a good-natured film without nudity or swearing, and works well as family entertainment. Personally, when it comes to coming-of-age movies, I prefer Stand By Me.