My First Mister (2001)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

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

"My First Mister" stars Leelee Sobieski as Jennifer, a suicidal teenager. She strikes up a relationship with Randall (Albert Brooks), an elderly store manager. Both characters are struggling to find their niche in contemporary society.Films in which troubled young women fall in love with, and learn life lessons from, older men are a dime a dozen. "Mister" itself eventually degenerates into clichés and contrivances. Before it does, though, it offers a number of wonderful little moments. Sobieski and Brooks are both infectious as a couple of lonely hearts, and the film, possibly because it was written (Jill Franklyn) and directed (Christine Lahti) by women, avoids the creepy, paedophillic vibes associated with the genre.7.9/10 – Despite its woeful final act, "Mister" is a strong drama featuring (the oft typecast) Sobieski in one of her best performances. See "Ghost World", "Shopgirl", "Running on Empty" and "Harold and Maude".

Jill Franklyn wrote this coming-of-age comedy-drama which never gets the nimble balance between laughs and pathos quite right. Antisocial 17-year-old girl, into Goth attire, facial piercings, and suicide notes (and, in the completely off-putting first scene, smearing her own blood across her handwritten poetry), cleans herself up and gets a job in the stockroom of a local men's clothing store; there, she befriends her middle-aged boss, who doesn't have any friends either. Christine Lahti made her feature directorial debut here, and the scenario is littered with celebrity friends and (for the most part) a good-natured air. Some of the early visual jokes do not work at all, though Lahti is very adept at setting up intimate conversational moments. Her film would seem to share a common thread with the later "Lost in Translation", but--by focusing most of the attention on the ill-tempered, foul-mouthed teenager (Leelee Sobieski, dressed like a sewer rat)--interest in the central relationship takes an awfully long time to build. Albert Brooks is rather adorable in cardigan sweaters and a natty mustache, but Brooks does more for the movie than it does for him. By the halfway mark, the picture has sunk into a vat of mushy sentiment, clichés, and scenes lifted from other (better) movies and television shows. ** from ****

What a great surprise this movie was. I sat down to watch it with no expectations. I was almost instantly hooked and when Brooks made his entrance I could not switch off. Beautifully written and played, Lahti directs with a sure touch and sensitivity not often found in modern movies. The relationship between the two leads is outstandingly portrayed and totally believable due to the way the whole thing is handled. My only criticism is the title of the movie. Together with the synopsis it seems the movie is going to be sleazy and not a little tacky. Maybe it could have been called "J & R" or almost anything else other than "My First Mister". I have not seen too many Albert Brooks movies but I will certainly search some more out. I loved him in this. A very underrated actor and an extremely underrated movie. Why has it been overlooked by the academy and critics and general public?

Leelee Sobieski is very good as displaced teenager Jennifer Benson, who is disgusted and bored with her life (like many teenagers, at some point).She is in the mall looking for a jobs while in full Goth costume. She meets Albert Brooks, a middle-aged man who owns a men's clothing store. Eventually, she gets a job, and starts to relate to him.The title is a bit odd, but basically she is a girl reading Sylvia Plath, her mother is alienating and unsympathetic, and she wants to find meaning in her life. A human story with a surprise ending.Directed by Christine Lahti and well worth viewing. 9/10.