User reviews

Being homeschooled and a christian growing up in a very humble lifestyle and household, I appreciate the message they were trying to get across in this movie. You grow up with so many restrictions and when you're out of that fearful environment it truly is a wake up call. Knowing that people have been doing what you have been forbidden to do for years and they are alright. I like seeing movies like this where I can relate somewhat to the plot. It wasn't really amazing or the best movie I've seen but it was a good message I think. I have absolutely no idea why it was rated R since it was pretty tame for what else comes out these days but maybe I'm wrong? Anyway I loved Natalia Dryer, even though she's well in her twenties, she can still pull off a teenager pretty well.

A great coming of age story. Natalia is a perfect fit for the role.

Disappointing that it's sort of just another coming of age movie, taking the tropes and side characters that you usually see in those movies and using them pretty ordinarily here. With the premise it had, I really wish it had been funnier, crazier, edgier, or just a little less predictable.

It falls into that annoying category of dramadies where it's neither particularly funny or particularly dramatic (I call it Entourage Syndrome, named after how lazy that show could be when it frequently didn't commit to either comedy or drama).

Most of the performances are okay, and the brief length keeps it from being too dull, but it was a slight disappointment, even if not bad.

Oh: and it doesn't capture the time period nearly as well as something like Ladybird. Sorry to compare it to that, but overall that was a much faster, funnier, more emotional, and far better paced movie in general.

The writer/director Karen Maine went to a Catholic school in Iowa and made this movie based on her own experiences there in the 11th grade. I didn't attend a Catholic school but grew up being taught Catechism by Priests and Nuns so I can identify with a lot of it.

The movie points out a truth about religious education in general, the use of fear to try to motivate teenagers to stay on the straight and narrow. Watch porn and you'll go to hell. Masturbate and you'll go to hell. Lose your virginity and you'll go to hell. The problem with that approach is eventually kids get to a point where they realize what is going on and all that goes for naught.

Yet somehow most of us grow up to be good, moral people. And that is sort of the punchline of this story.

I watched it at home on DVD from my public library, my wife skipped.

A really solid coming-of-age drama that portrays the transition from innocent youth to world-weary adult in stark fashion, Yes, God, Yes blends sobering drama with charming humour and charisma in a short but punchy tale of personal growth and discovery.

Combining perspectives on institutional hypocrisy and personal maturing, this is a film with a lot to say, and for the most part, it does a great job. Far from a preachy or even aggressive attack on those it discredits, it's a movie that's genuinely charming, heartfelt and tempered in its approach.

Though it might sound like a strange topic for an 'inspiring' film to focus on, our young lead's discovery of the pleasures of masturbation are used as a metaphor for her coming-of-age, and discovery that the world she has been instructed by all her life is not in fact all-knowing.

Taking this discovery as a cue for a quiet yet powerful rebellion against her strict Catholic community, she begins to open up to the wider world, as well as to the reality of how hypocritical those who seek to teach her rigid morality act.

In that, the film isn't so much of an attack on Catholicism or Catholics themselves, but rather uses the extremes of the religion to showcase how damaging and hypocritical certain practices and ideologies can be on young people.

Natalia Dyer gives a wonderful performance that sees her proving convincing both as a sheltered and innocent teenager as well as a quietly rebellious young adult, and it's through her that you really understand the hurtful effects of the hypocrisies of her elders, particularly given how free she becomes once she removes the shackles of her upbringing and begins to fight back.

Dyer is funny and charming all the way through, and brings a soft, sweet presence to what could at times have been a very heavy watch. In that, Yes, God, Yes isn't quite as intensely dramatic as The Miseducation Of Cameron Post, which also looks at the consequences of extremist education, but it is just as charismatic and enjoyable as it is hard-hitting.

Featuring a pleasant dash of '00s nostalgia too, Yes, God, Yes is a thoroughly enjoyable watch, with buckets of drama and thought-provoking themes taking centre stage over the course of a punchy 78 minutes. The lead performance from Natalia Dyer is wonderful too, and her blend of charisma and dramatic chops gives the film's sobering message an uplifting and even inspiring edge.

Ignore some of the bad user reviews. This is a short 1 hour 10 mins good be coming of age comedy. It's second theme of religious hypocrisy is gently made. A Catholic in my family found it amusing. So give it a go.

Karen Maine's Yes, God, Yes won me over for its slice of 2000s nostalgia and the way it portrayed some very relatable things in the lives of teenagers of those times. The story is a little too simplistic, and it doesn't try to bite off more than it can chew. In that sense, the film's climax probably won't seem too revolutionary when viewed in 2020 where 'sinning' is more of an innuendo than something religious.

There are some predictable turns, there are some funny moments, there's a little sexual exploration (something the film could have dwelled more on, given its theme), and there's a neat central performance from Natalia Dyer. For a 25-year-old playing a high-school teenager, I really enjoyed her adorable facial expressions for the most part. The film's only 77 minutes long, so it doesn't take up much of your time in telling a straightforward, unsurprising story.

After writing the winsome comedy "Obvious Child", Karen Maine puts her talent to work behind the cameras with this satisfying directorial debut. An irreverent satire on religious principles and hormonal behavior, the film follows the sexual awakening of a High School Catholic teen girl whose explicit online interaction with a stranger arises her curiosity towards the prohibited. Her quest for understanding herself, the pleasures of sexuality, and acceptance increase and gain shape during a Christian Camp where she witnesses some unusual, scandalously freaky encounters. Natalia Dyer is fantastic, funny and relevant as the heroine trying to figure out herself while observing and learning from the hypocrisy surrounding her. Winner of the Special Jury Award at SXSW it's a refreshing, provocative and smart little gem.

I'd heard buzz about this movie from various sources, so I decided to check it out on Netflix. It's about an awkward and shy teen girl going to Catholic school that is Hellfire and Brimstone towards sexuality of any sort outside marriage, but girl is going through a sexual awakening, so we have conflict.

Now listen, this has the potential of working out. It's an interesting idea and a challenge that many teens have, especially ones who grew up Christian. But in execution, this is all over the place.

The biggest problem is that the filmmakers seem to be more interested in the anti-Catholic sentiments than telling an effective coming of age story. I get it. There's a fine balance that needs to be had in raising teens in a confusing world and many Christian groups aren't the best with their approach. Which is why this premise isn't one that I have a problem with, even though I am a practicing Christian (although not Catholic). But every Catholic leader in their retreat felt so fake. Every time there was a sermon preached, it felt like the writers and actors hadn't ever been to a Sermon. It was super cheesy and awful. It made Christianity sound like a huge joke.

Now maybe you are laughing at me. The Christian guy doesn't like the anti-Christian movie. But I just want a good movie. And all the Catholic characters felt fake. And all the teenagers in the movie also felt fake and purposely stereotypical. The only real characters were our main teen, played brilliantly by Natalia Dyer from Stranger Things, and the ex-Catholic lady she talks to at the bar who tells her how awful the Catholic church is. The fact that they were the only two sane characters who felt real made me laugh.

So much like all those cheesy Christian movies with horrible acting and predictable storylines (I'm looking at you, PureFlix), this anti-Catholic movie just really misses the mark. I'd rather watch properly done coming of age movies like Eighth Grade where their focus is on making a good movie with real characters. So like I said in my header, conceptually interesting, but messy execution due to lack of focus on what makes these types of movies good.

I liked this film because it examined the obvious hypocrites involved in extra-curricular religious activities. And that goes across the board for all religions and all extra-curricular religious activities, such as retreats and the like. The film is quite funny, and the lead actress does a great job, as do all of the supporting actors. But the real star here is the writer and director (who obviously went to a Parochial School, as I myself did). I can relate to the onerous cloud of guilt that is perpetuated by the religious zealots of all religions. It is a common denominator. The coming (literally) of age sexually is a very commonplace occurrence, and is within the natural order of things; however religion somehow tries to deny nature at every turn. I thought the two funniest scenes were the chocolate pudding lid licking and the oven/microwave metaphor for girls and boys by the cleric. Good stuff and not to be missed.

I saw the short this was based on and it was great. This doesn't really add much of note.

The plot is bulked out with high school stereotypes and a hypocritical priest, played by the horribly miscast Timothy Simons (Veep).

The positives are that it has a great lead performance from Natalia Dyer, and it's a good looking and well shot movie. I'm not sure why they felt the need to set this in the past, but still in the era of the internet and the mobile telephone. That aspect is as well executed as it is pointless.

The film is enjoyable, but it seems like exactly what it is, a misguided attempt to stretch a short film out to almost feature length.

If you watched The Miseducation of Cameron Post, this film is almost identical, only much more about hypocrisy and no lesbianism. The Kirkos christian retreat depicted in the film actually exists, only it's called Kairos, and the story in the movie seems to be rooted at least partially in an actual experience. I was really expecting this to have been a book adaptation, just like Cameron Post, but it wasn't.

Now the film is pretty good. I don't think they could have found a better lead than Natalia Dyer, of Stranger Things fame, as she seems to be the kind of girl that got forward in life by furrowing her brows and looking innocent. I mean, there is a scene when she claims to be 21 to get a drink in a bar and no one believes her, which I found hilarious as she's 24 in the film. Basically the whole premise of the movie is that most people are hypocritical, expecting from others what they themselves don't do. It's a whole film of people being phony, spreading lies, using terms they don't understand and then the actual "climax" is not the last scene, which was kind of pointless really, it was the bar scene, where the bar owner and the Christian schoolgirl exchange ridiculous Catholic reasons why they thought they're going to hell.

Bottom line: a film that is direct in depiction, but subtle in character emotions and development. Perfect casting choice for the lead and most acting was very good. Overall, a better than average film. I liked it better than The Miseducation of Cameron Post, to which it resembles way too much.

This film really feels like one of those festival hits that plays best in the festival setting. It addresses some interesting things around religion and sex, and the main character is likeable. It's a bit slow at times though. Worth a watch, but it's going to appeal most to fans of indie and arthouse films or perhaps someone who has left the Catholic faith and deeply relates to the topic.

The premise sounded interesting but I wanted more out of it.

Yes, God, Yes follows Alice, a Catholic teenager that discovers masturbation as an AOL chat gets sexual but feels conflicted about the act as it would be considered a sin.

With this film, director Karen Maine brings to light some interesting ideas about religion and sexual discovery. The film expressed interesting ideas in regards to sexual awakening through Alice's perspective as we learn and see the hypocritical nature of the very people that teach her the moral way to live. I did like the satirical and comedic approach Maine took with the story as it made for some funny moments. The performances are fine but Natalia Dyer really stands out here. She manages to convey the conflict between her character's innocence and someone who doesn't know how to feel about her sexual discovery really well which anchors a lot of the Yes, God, Yes' comedy. Whilst the film is very short in length, I don't think Maine explored this topic in as much detail as it could've been. It tells its story in a simplistic way which I felt hindered the possibility to delve deeper into the subject matter and by the end I didn't really get much out of it.

Yes, God, Yes had a lot of potential and there were parts to appreciate but I was left somewhat underwhelmed by the experience. Natalia Dyer was great but I found the film to be pretty forgettable.

An honest, funny & thoroughly relatable account of a young girl's sexual awakening, Yes, God, Yes is short, simple & straightforward in its approach, and is brilliantly led by Natalia Dyer's sweet & amusing performance. There is a sincerity in this coming-of-age portrayal and a proper understanding of that awkward teenage phase which makes this film both fun & evocative.

Written & directed by Karen Maine in her directorial debut, the story is adapted from her short film of the same name but the larger canvas & longer runtime offer her an incentive to spread out the plot, create new situations & explore some more themes. However, Maine decides to not venture out further which in turn makes this film look like an overly long version of the more compact & effective short.

Much of the hilarity comes from our very own relatability to the protagonist's journey after she discovers masturbation, experiences sexual urges & lustful desires for the first time and the feeling of guilt, confusion & awkwardness that comes with it and is further exacerbated by her Catholic teachings. And the authenticity with which Dyer articulates her character's temptations & inner turmoil is by all means praiseworthy.

Overall, Yes, God, Yes commences Karen Maine's directorial career on a promising note and is a fascinating depiction of a young girl trying to figure herself out through her curiosities & observations while also serving as a delightfully nostalgic trip down memory lane. Those who have already seen the short may not find anything new or refreshing about it but for the rest, this brief, breezy & brill piece of work is definitely worth a shot.

Let's be honest, high school movies are not the masterpieces of cinema, but they have their place. Or at least they used to have. Since The Breakfast Club up until Mean Girls, they were a bunch of good ones. After that? No one comes to mind. However, this one was good.

It might seem like an odd setting, catholic school, at least for non-US people, but somehow it works, because that's just a background, the movie is character focused and feels genuine.

Anyone who has went to high school can relate to a story like this, and that makes it worth watching.

Everyone is hiding something. No matter what it is, is that a good or bad thing to hide. Its just between you and God. Mind your own business. But as a humanity, we should share, engage with people. It's okay to hide it, but trying to be honest is better. Alice's speech at the camp was representing this movie in short. Loved the message! Such a simple and beautiful coming-of-age story.

Unfortunately, I didn't quite catch with the plot. I just feel like there is a lot of unnecessary scene here. Some of the scene make me wonder, what's the purpose of that thing. And there's no further explanation after some event. Why everyone did not asking her where did she go after she came back from the bar, how can she easily escape from the father's office without getting caught after she put Wade's waistband and caught father watching some sex scene. Sometimes it's fine to haven't to be full explained. But it's really bother me. This movie trying to be realistic and natural but for me its doesn't executed quite well.

The performance was decent, Natalia Dyer did a good job as an innocent girl. I am a fan of her btw haha (main reason why I watched this, lol). Also, no complaints about visual and sound design. Everything was good.

I liked this WAY more than i had expected. the premise sounded really intriguing, but i didn't think i would be so entertained by this. right from the first until the last minute, this movie just made me laugh and i gotta say, i had a pretty great time while watching this. not too long, light-hearted and just funny. some dialogues felt awkward, which kind of made them even better (at least after i realized that it's not the writer's fault and that i probably wouldn't be any different in real life). i bought every minute of natalia dyer's performance, but some of the supporting cast's acting felt a bit unconvincing and unnecessarily exaggerated to me. all in all, a very entertaining movie though, and the perfect feel-good movie for a sunday night.

You know those "comedies" where, in retrospect, all of the funniest parts are shown (i.e.; spoiled) in the trailer? Yes, God, Yes one-ups this annoying and actually portrays (in the trailer) very unfunny parts of the movie as if it will be hilarious when you actually see it.

And that is my biggest gripe here. This is very much not a comedy. There may be a funny moment or two, but I came into the film expecting something similar to Saved! And then spent the whole film not laughing & being upset at every lost opportunity for a great funny moment. I can only guess that the writer/editor did not actually intend this to be a comedy at all.

As a sort of coming-of-age drama, this may be a decent flick, but when I was expecting a comedy, I just spent the whole movie feeling very unsatisfied. Even as a drama, the pacing is very slow/off - at one point I had to check how far into it I was. 2/3 through and it still felt like just barely the introduction.

Decent acting, but unless you feel this story speaks to you personally, skip it.

Anyone very religious already has an issue with the movie. I'm fairly certain that they are not detached from reality/this world we are living in and can puzzle together that the title of the movie is an indication that the main character is up to no good ... well according to their defintion of good that is.

Because obviously certain things feel really good. And those are the things catholic girls are not supposed to find out about. Also it is not very Christian to learn things like toss my salad - which do not take the word of the person first explaining it to our main actress. He (?) is teasing her - I put a question mark there, because we obviously don't know due to the anonymity of the internet.

Having said all that, this may be a bit spicy and racy but not to a great degree. This is more a personal journey sort of thing. Discovering, learning stuff along the way. Also peeping on other people, using certain objects in ways they were not meant to be used ... although, maybe I am wrong and a broom ... but see for yourself, if you are not easily offended or overly religious

The moral hand-wringing of Christian youth is inherently boring and trite, though it could be hilarious in the right hands. In terms of writing and direction, these are not the right hands. It's just schlock. Don't bother.

This movie is so spot-on about what it's like going to a Catholic School. I don't know if I would have enjoyed it as much as I did if I hadn't been raised Catholic and gone to a Catholic high School. The humor is subtle, but it's good. Go into this movie open-minded and I think you'll really enjoy it.

Yes, God, Yes is an entertaining coming of age comedy. Well it's a comedy for those who like to laugh at those religious imbeciles. Because that's what's it basically is, laughing with the insane strict rules they have, and the belief you will go to hell and eternal damnation if you don't march on the straight path they endoctrinated into you. I had fun watching this, but I'm not sure any religious idiot will have the same fun. There's a good message at the end what made it even better. The acting was certainly not bad and that from the whole cast. It's quite simple as a story, no major budget needed to tell this story, but it works, so no complaints here.

I never attended a Catholic school, but I have been part of the youth group and even served on retreats.



First the good stuff: Natalia Dyer. And that's it. That's it.



The film has a message. And it's a good one. But it throws it in your face and hopes you're comfortable with it. Things that are captured in the film do happen. That's totally true. But not like that. The script is based on throwing scene after scene at you where the church is being hypocritical and, as I say, it's a good thing. It's a good message, and it's something that happens. But you don't have to show it that way because the viewer quickly becomes disoriented and doesn't feel it's something real.



All of these scenes are NOT good for anything. Just get past the window scene and NOTHING. Pass the computer scene and the bracelet, and NOTHING happens. Minutes later the great speech of our protagonist is about to come, where she will finally be able to gather courage and not shut up about what she has seen... NO. The scene is ruined by a joke and everything comes to nothing.



Damn, I don't know what happens in this movie, but I feel that it has a good intention but a very bad script. If they didn't focus so much on giving everything to the viewer and trying to look superior in front of a specific type of person, it would have been something else.