Gretchen

I picked up this movie @ a video store in Austin based on the cover. Had to know who this character was! Immediately after watching, I bought it online. My god, this is a perfect movie. The irony of adults acting out teenage insecurities, the anxiety-inducing hilarity of the pacing, jean on jean & patterned turtle necks. Some scenes reminded me of "Welcome to the Dollhouse," like when Gretchen is on the corded phone talking to a boy and her mom is in the kitchen, elated at the sweet idea of a boyfriend for her daughter, completely unsuspecting of the adult nature of the call. The mom, Becky Ann Baker, plays the SAME kind of mom she does in Freaks & Geeks. Warm, understanding, desperate to save her daughter from the pain of adulthood.

I think what this film does so well, what makes it different, is that its just as sad as it is hysterical. I hurt so badly at times in this movie for Gretchen, but that doesn't stop me from pointing & laughing. The settings are also great - the way Gretchen's mother's house feels like a comfortable cage, her father's house feels like a squatter's, the restaurant she temporarily works at is as pathetic seeming as her attempt to fit in there, the "rave" club is as elementary & hopeless as her escape, etc. The character's wardrobes are just fun. I don't know what year we're living in during this movie, but it doesn't matter.

This movie gave me a lot of feelings, more than Gretchen, probably. And it took me days to shake them. I can't wait to see Courtney Davis again in another Steve Collins flick, "You Hurt My Feelings" - I suggested it to be ordered to my local video store.