Girl in Progress (2012)

Undescribable Perfection

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Excellent but underrated film

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Coming-of-age films are a dime-a-dozen and, surprisingly, good coming- of-age films are also a dime-a-dozen – providing they have the right hook and the right leading teenager. That's exactly why "Girl in Progress" can neatly fit itself in-line with other memorable and good, but not great, teenage girl films. Ansiedad (Cierra Ramirez) is a snarky teenager, fed up with her immature mother (for good reason) and rebels at home and at school because she's got nothing better to do.The single mother, Grace (Eva Mendes), goes from one married man to another, to a new town, and from same old waitressing and maid jobs to another. Mendes isn't great but then again her character is as selfish, immature, self-absorbed and superficial as one can get. The daughter, Ansiedad, has been described as mean, manipulative and stupid, just like how angst-ridden teenagers can be. It worked here, since in the beginning at least, her many negative attributes were presented humorously, and given her age she isn't supposed to be as mature or responsible as her mother.The hook, though, is what really elevates "Girl in Progress" to "good". In school, Ansiedad's teacher (Patricia Arquette) is educating the students on coming-of-age stories. Where, through a series of events, teenagers essentially become adults. This is exactly what Ansiedad wants, and she is fairly perceptive, so she is able to write out the various situations that the teenagers in all the stories experience in order to become adults. A manual for coming-of-age stories explained in a coming-of-age film.Ansiedad follows it to the letter, even shortening her name to Anne, but of course, the maturation process is not something that can be mapped out. The tone of the film becomes uneven when we switch from humorous to sentimental when Anne becomes frustrated when she is not yet an adult. But that's the type of frustration that audiences should relate to rather than just getting annoyed by.Grace's married man of the month is Dr. Harford (Matthew Modine). He is of course sly, unscrupulous and dishonest but the writing of the character and Modine made him worth your time. Dr. Harford is also smart, smarter than Grace, and he allows for both an unlikable character to remain unlikable and to have an unlikable character as the catalyst for change. The supporting characters, like him, and the hook make "Girl in Progress" both likable and smart. Relatively, speaking.

Girl in _Progress is actually a very simple, straightforward story about a young girl doing her best to cope with her own adolescence as well as her not-much-older mother who, in actual fact, is doing almost the same thing. Due to her history (harsh, non-understanding mother), Grace (Eva Mendes), is desperately trying to find the love that she didn't get when she was Amiestad's age - and why shouldn't she?I suspect that this movie is a lot closer to real life than a lot of viewers realise. Teenagers forget that their parents have given them the very best years of their lives form the time they were born right up to the time they think they know everything - and then some more! Fortunately Amiestad realises this a lot sooner than many kids her age but not before hurting her bet friend unforgivably (even though her best friend DOES forgive her!)In this film, mother is only about 34 or 35 and still a beautiful woman who has the very same needs as her daughter - although her daughter (initially) totally fails to recognise that fact. Like many teenagers, she thinks that the world revolves around her - but it doesn't and, at least in this movie, she finds out before it's too late.I would suggest that this should be compulsory viewing for all adolescent kids but I fear that, in a lot of cases, they would shrug their shoulders and just say, "Whatever!"As Ned Kelly said when told he was to be hanged at ten o'clock the next morning, "Such is life!"

This is a well-scripted and sincerely acted family movie, devoid of profanity. I will leave it to other parents to decide whether it is effective, but in light of the trash that we are sold as cinema, here is a sweet movie that attempts to convey the difficulties that teenagers and parents face together - or apart. I registered with IMDb.com just so that I could provide a positive review for this movie. As I watch many movies, I take notice of those that do not try to shock, but tell a simple story well. Although the story of the main character is certainly contrived, as it serves as a vehicle for her situation to have relatability, the premise is believable, as many parents can attest to the fact that children grow up all too fast in our "culture", and that children will make mistakes. It may also help children to recognize the trials that their parents face in daily life. So, this is a very decent movie for parents and teenage children to watch together, and may serve as a tool to increase common understanding in families.

Good lord, where is a Final Destination style Heath Robinson teen kill when you really need it? Generally I love meta movies in the form of "If this were an (insert genre) this would happen", in this case Bildungsroman, but this one contrived to be so utterly devoid of charm or wit that I just about wanted to slit my wrists. And the sad thing is that the ingredients available were so great - Eva Mendes + Patricia Arquette + Matthew Modine = YES PLEASE!!! The only problem was that the role given to the teen actress protagonist was absolutely unbearable. I don't mean any disrespect to the actress because she committed to the role 100% - it was the fault of the writer and director. What could have been heartwarming and cathartic (like Easy A for example) ended up being a great big nerve-grating, embarrassing snorefest. 3 out of 10 because I'm feeling generous.