It is a performances centric movie

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

*spoiler alert*, you have been warned. I think this movie is incredibly under rated. The acting is great and the story is well developed. It puts things on there for a reason and not for display. For instance It shows various scenes of Jessie being unclothed in some bits but only because it's her character, when I look at her nude scenes I don't think "Oh it's sexy" I think, what is wrong with her? that is convincing acting. The characters are well developed and the things like nudity, violence and drugs are not glamorized like other suburban movies. The characters don't feel like complete card board such as movies like 13 and/or step up 2. It has 3D ring to it and you feel the characters. Anyhow If I was to rate this movie I would give it a 6.5 to be fair.

Unexpected surprise with this movie. The actors are very good, first time I've seen most of them in a performance. The story wrapped very plausibly around the two main characters and very nicely portrayed each one's life. The supporting characters also proved serious in their performance. I hope to see more from Emily Abt too, as this project may have been personal, but she may have much more talent hidden inside and yet to be developed Not into "teen" movies but this was for everyone. Great depictions of family, friend and casual relationships. Not much fluff; it was a very serious look at this generation's struggle in Metro America.

I caught this movie on cable. I was pleasantly surprised how good it was given the relatively unknown actors. The teens' dialogue seemed realistic and the depiction of the home life felt authentic. It came close to being "cliche ridden" but never quite got there. I presume the director had real life experience with the subject matter. I found myself caring about the characters. However, I wish there would have been at least one positive male role model. It was great to see Gaius Charles - who was terrific in Friday Night Lights - in a different role. In addition, Leslie Uggams did a nice job. For "The Wire" fans, there was a cameo by an actor who had a meaty role in that excellent series.

I really resonated with how the family relationships or lack of support, neglect affected the behaviors. I found this a wonderful example of the power of upbringing to move you forward or leave you empty. I guess it's what I also struggle with and so that's why I really felt this movie. I'm supposed to include ten lines here to get my review posted...hmmm. So much for a little succinct clarity. I also enjoyed the way the story was told. I think the writer and directory, who of course are the same, created a heart felt story without going over the top. She developed the characters and I really empathized with them. I'm almost to ten, there.