Perfect Body

I almost passed this movie as some fluff from a Power Ranger. What a mistake that would have been. Amy Jo Johnson turned in a powerful performance as a young woman so caught up in chasing perfection that she will sacrifice anything to get it. This film was a powerful statement about the pressure that is put on young athletes by themselves and others. This isn't a fluff piece and it will make you think but it's still entertaining. It's worth catching on TV.

This movie was great for a Sunday afternoon cheesy Lifetime movie, but a few things in it were so unrealistic that it just about drove me crazy.

My biggest complaint was that the gymnastics that these girls were shown doing were nowhere near the olympic level, which they claimed to be. The vaults were especially ridiculous. I mean, I did some of those vaults when I was ten years old, and I wasn't anywhere near olympic level (I was level 6, elite is level 10).

Also, Amy Jo Johnson's character's eating disorder just sort of suddenly went away when she realized it was harming her. A more realistic eating disorder movie is Sharing The Secret.

"Perfect body" suffers from being a made-for-TV movie principally in the quality of the cinematography and in the realism of the gymnastics--these girls were nowhere near Olympic level, I'm told, though I am not really one to judge. Yet what "Perfect Body" lacks in this luster it more than makes up for in the quality of the writing and acting, and considering the primitivity of the shooting equipment, the cameraman captured the essence of each scene and character emotion very well. Amy Jo Johnson is more than convincing as a perfectionist suffering from anorexia nervosa (contrary to the description, the film does not once claim that she is bulimic and in fact she is more of a gorge-and- purge type anorectic than a true bulimic). The film's portrayal of the debilitating effects of nervous anxieties--and of the extreme difficulty that sufferers tend to have in getting or accepting help even when they know they need it and even want it, and of the resulting sense of isolation and fright of the sufferer and sense of helplessness of her entourage-- strikes a powerful chord. Definitely worth a couple of hours.

This film could be used to educate young girls and their parents about deadly eating disorders.Beautiful actress Amy Jo Johnson of Power Rangers fame,brilliantly plays the role of a young girl passionate about being a gymnast,but is brainwashed into believing that unless she is dangerously thin,she'll never be successful.Johnson's character becomes obsessed with her weight and soon begins to fall into dangerous habits of throwing up everything she consumes to not eating at all.Her bulimia quickly leads to anorexia,and a frighteningly thin Johnson's health begins to fail,sparking concern for those who care about her.The film is a decent portrayal of how eating disorders orginate and could be useful for anyone who suspects someone they care about suffers from bulimia or anorexia.

Andie Bradley is a gymnast who has big dreams to perform at the Olympics. When she gets offered the chance to train with one of the best gymnast coaches she of course excepts the offer straight away. When she gets there though, the coach makes her feel fat and he asks her to go on diet. Leslie, another young girl also working with the coach, tells Andie a way where she can eat what she wants and not gain any weight. This leaves a lot of pressure on poor Andie.

Perfect Body is a good movie which portrays the things people may have to do to get where they want to be. Amy Jo Johnson plays the lead role of Andie Bradley and she gives quite a good performance.