Andie MacDowell | pinartarhan.com

daydream-nation-movie-poster — Daydream Nation starring Kat Dennings, Reece Thompson, Josh Lucas & Andie MacDowell. Written & directed by Michael Goldbach.

Caroline (Kat Dennings) has moved to a small town due her dad’s job and she is not exactly happy about it. Caroline lost her mother a short time ago, the small town life only adds to her boredom and depression: the mean school kids who already hate her on principle, the mind-numbingly dull small town with dirty air and the curfews established to protect residents from the serial killer lurking around.

Since there is not much fun to do except to get drunk and/or high, Caroline decides that she should at least deserve the slutty image and sleep with her English teacher Barry (Josh Lucas). When he insists on keeping up appearances to not to get caught, she starts hanging out with the likeable pothead Thurston (Reece Thompson). The bad thing is, he is already smitten and will not really be happy with her games. Add it to the fact that he has his own issues, things are about to get very complicated.

Can Caroline find happiness and not get killed by the serial killer in process?

Daydream Nation might be the only teen movie where the serial killer is added to the notion of drama. This is not a thriller or a teen-slasher. It is not a very romantic story or a very dramatic story. It is a weird mixture that provides some tragic comedy, and manages not to bore you. And while I would definitely not watch it again, it does provide a weirdly entertaining-enough experience for your first time.

Most of the time the characters are far too….annoying for my taste. And as far as teen movies that provide some depression and drugs, I prefer Charlie Bartlett, another Kat Dennings movie with more likeable male characters.

The 6 IMDB user-rating sounds just about right. Above average and interesting enough. But I realize I am not too fond of teen movies where I get to like the parents more than the teenagers. And here my favorite characters were Kat’s dad, and Thurston’s mom (Andie MacDowell). And be warned, the pace is slow.

My Favorite Teen Movies (Movies with High School Student Lead Characters)

– 10 Things I Hate About You starring Heath Ledger & Joseph Gordon-Levitt

– Charlie Bartlett starring Kat Dennings and Anton Yelchin

– Footloose starring Kevin Bacon

– Saved! starring Jena Malone, Mandy Moore & Macaulay Culkin

Green Card starring Andie MacDowell and Gerard Depardieu. Written and directed by Peter Weir. 1990.

George (Gerard Depardieu) is a French man wanting to stay in the States. Bronte (Andie MacDowell) is a horticulturist, who has just found her dream apartment: a roof floor with its own greenhouse. Through a mutual friend, they make a deal. George and Bronte meet, get married and go their separate ways. What they don’t know is that the number of people trying to “trick” the government for green cards has increased a lot and the immigration officers are being strict. So they realize that if they want to get what they want, they need to spend time with each other, live in Bronte’s house and learn as much as they can about each other. While George isn’t having problems hanging in Bronte’s flat, Bronte is about to have a fit. She has to lie to her friends, parents, boyfriend and to the apartment’s board. Moreover, she needs to handle George’s differences, as they couldn’t have been more opposite. George loves to eat, express his thoughts openly, loves passion, hasn’t been formally educated and is a slob. Bronte is more introverted, loves “nice guys”, has been to college, seems to love plants more than people and loves things to be in order.

But as time passes and they get on each other’s nerves, they also begin to be attracted to each other Can they finally realize they might be falling for each other? And even if they do, can they convince the officers that they are a real couple?

Green Card is a very lovely romantic comedy/drama from 1990, written and directed by Australian director Peter Weir (Gallipoli, Fearless, Master and Commander, The Year of Living Dangerously, The Truman Show).The movie is more fun than funny. It is emotional and romantic. Somehow, even though it carries some typical romantic comedy elements, everything in this film flows so naturally. It is perfect that George is not your typical heartthrob but he is so lovable, and that Bronte doesn’t spend the movie walking in sexy clothes or being perfectly made-up and immaculately dressed when she is at home. The dialogue and interactions are just lovely. Keep in mind, this movie won’t go out of its way to try and make you laugh. It tries, and succeeds in making you smile a lot. And before calling it a chick flick, do consider the fact that the writer/director is a heterosexual male.

Rated 6.0 on IMDB. I think it is too charming and real to be just a 6. Let me know what you think.

Fun note: Director Peter Weir was nominated for Best Original Screenplay with this movie.

Recommended (Similar) Movies:

French Kiss starring Kevin Kline and Meg Ryan

The Proposal starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds