When watching The Diary of a Teenage Girl (even though I’m sure most of my audience won’t), I want you to find the humor in film. Sure, it’s a pretty screwed up film. A 15 year old girl starts to sleep with her mother’s boyfriend, because she just wants to have sex, and then commences to make a huge deal out of it, leading to some pretty disturbing shit happening. That’s what this movie is, but I beg of you to not look at it that way. I beg of you to find the complex themes (physical beauty vs sexual beauty), but I also beg of you to find the humor in all of it. Now that may be slightly difficult, but shock value has always been a great place to draw comedy from. The angle that The Diary of a Teenage Girl decides to take is brutal honesty, and that’s actually a great way to go to get some truly fantastic drama/comedy out of it. The film’s plot details and story elements may seem dark and dingy, but it’s screenplay and execution is pretty hilarious. To give an example, (meaning spoiler, but seriously who of you guys is going to convince your parent to take you to see this so does it really matter) there’s a moment when Minnie (an exuberant, and bright Bel Powley) decides to leave the man she’s been sleeping with (a very surprisingly warm and uncreepy Alexander Skarsgard) a note about why he’s been ignoring her, and focussing on her mother. First of all the scene is fuelled with the hilarious foreknowledge that Minny is sleeping with her mother’s boyfriend. That’s quite good drama, and the unconventional way it plays out is pretty great. Then you have the note itself which seems to be bouncing back, and forth between the mind of an adult and the mind of a child which is ultimately hilarious. She’s trying to be an adult, and yet she can’t. I’m reminded of the few poor souls in my own peers who (while not to the extremes shown here) received all this very adult culture in their early teens, and don’t know what to do with it so they end up sounding, and acting like kids anyway. That makes that scene a particularly more hilarious to me, and honestly is what made the film great. However, the film isn’t really funny all the way through though. Minnie finds the whole facade of sex, and drugs, and everything in between fun at first but in true coming of age fashion, that all comes crumbling down. I think the film depends on the beginning being fun and spirited, so that when the latter half of the film comes along the more troubling side of the films brutal honesty can rear it’s ugly head. There’s a gleeful innocence to the first part, and the way it contrasts with the latter just makes the film feel more rich. I’ve seen a lot of rock bottom moments in film, and just like it does with so many other conventions of the coming of age story, The Diary of a Teenage Girl creates new twists on this scene. Actually, near that later half the film seems to really get into some crazy twists which may cause a little imbalance, but I liked it nonetheless. The actors are ready for all the crazy twists and turns the story has to offer though. Bel Powley, who I mentioned before, is perfect as Minnie. Her childlike demeanor both makes us laugh, but never forget the fact that she’s smaller. Her mother is played by Kristen Wiig expertly navigates a tough role in the few scenes she’s given. There’s a scene in a bar with a confrontation that is equal parts disturbing and hilarious, simply because Wiig plays the character. Alexander Skarsgard is the boyfriend, and I think I’ve never seen him better. He’s a tender person that you actually don’t hate by the ending. Other than that, there’s a few terrific supporting roles. Christopher Meloni is hilarious as Minnie’s stepfather who shows up for about 5 minutes, and then never comes up again. But to be honest, it may all feel too slight. I was engrossed in this film from start to finish, and yet there’s nothing to really keep you thinking about it other than the inherent themes that come up. It feels like a John Hughes film ramped up to realistic standards. It’s not bullshitting you, and that’s certainly refreshing, and I fear that some people will find themselves more disturbed by the brutal honesty than delighted. Yes, what is happening on screen is ultimately problematic, but the characters are delightful, the cuts are hilarious, and the acting is superb on all fronts. I said at the beginning of this review and begged that you let go of the content, and not be disturbed by it, and just find the funny. If you don’t, I fear you’ll lose the point of the film, and won’t be able to fully appreciate the little gem we have here. I give The Diary of a Teenage Girl a 9 out of 10.
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December 2017
CategoriesAuthorHello welcome to FilmAnalyst. My name is Stephen Tronicek, and I really like movies. This is a way to get my opinions out to people. Thank you for visiting. |