Silly Girl

Having already seen the "big" film of the week, MI, my movie buddy and I decided to see Eighth Grade because she supervises student teachers and wanted to know if this movie was of any help with working in the middle school setting. We left the theater thinking that the film would be appropriate for middle school students to see, but they can't because (for some unknown reason) it's R-rated!

The basic story is somewhat poignant, watching an 8th grade girl struggle to be accepted and normal. She doesn't dress flashy/splashy, and she doesn't have the steady stream of cool speak ready at a moment's notice, but she's a nice girl trying really hard just to have a safe place to be in a sea of really cool classmates. She makes a weekly film blog about being strong, being courageous, putting yourself out there, but it's easier to make the blog than it is to make it happen in real life.

There is no reason for the film to be rated R, and if the target audience is teens, they cannot be admitted to the theater to see the film, and many of that demographic would benefit from seeing the film. The "tuned out" life of a teen is portrayed well, always on the phone/computer and totally removed from what's going on in front of her.  The dismay of not being popular is portrayed quite well, and the movie lets its star have lots of acne and angst, as well as being just a bit chubby. The scene at the pool party said it all:  all the cool girls have on itsy-bitsy bikinis, while our girl is wearing a one-piece with cut-outs. In my opinion, she's dressed more appropriately than the showing it off girls, but I'm out of step with today's trends.

No, I wouldn't recommend this film to an adult audience, but conversely, the entire audience viewing it with me were adults and they seemed to enjoy it.  The two men who came together to the film (for whatever reason) laughed and applauded and had a great time, but perhaps they have a fixation with young girls that got a boost from the pool scene?