David Gordon Green is quickly becoming a director to watch. His only other film GEORGE WASHINGTON was one of the best films from 2000 and I eagerly await his version of the Pulitzer Prize award-winning novel CONFEDERACY OF THE DUNCES. Again he deals with young characters, this time in their late teens and 20s. ALL THE REAL GIRLS is a simple love story constructed with complex characters.
Paul (Paul Schneider, GEORGE WASHINGTON) is a notorious ladies man in his small working class North Carolina town. He starts dating Noel (Zooey Deschanel, ALMOST FAMOUS), the younger sister of his best friend Tip (Shea Whigham, TIGERLAND), who of course doesn't like the idea when he finds out. Noel has just returned from boarding school and Paul notice how she has grown up. They've known each other their whole lives and they approach this next step in the relationship with thought and idealism. But unlike so many other screen romances, the two lovers have other people in their lives that make a difference. The supporting cast is not just there to serve the plot.
The other key characters include: Paul’s mother Elvira (Patricia Clarkson, FAR FROM HEAVEN) who works as a professional clown; Bust-Ass (Danny McBride, film debut), Paul’s dorky friend who has the hots for Noel; Paul’s Uncle Leland (Benjamin Mouton, FLATLINERS) who is recovering from the death of his wife and who owns the garage where Paul works; Justin (John Kirkland, film debut), Noel’s little brother with Down Syndrome, and Leland’s daughter Feng Shui (Maya Ling Pruitt, film debut).
The love affair between Paul and Noel is so natural that at times you feel like you're watching a documentary. Green, who also writes his screenplays, has a keen ear for how real people talk and interact. Paul is beginning to get to the age when he understands the value in relationships. Noel is getting to the age when she feels ready to take her relationships to a more intense level. Neither of them has lost their image of ideal love. But over the course of their relationship that image will become obscured by painful realities.
The film’s cinematography is breathtakingly beautiful. The images of dilapidated buildings add a simple sadness to the whole film that is kind of like a country Western ballad – it saddens your heart but puts a smile on your face because you know how true it all is. The ending of the film is open-ended and can be interpreted various ways, but it’s a fitting poetic conclusion to this honest look at young love and growing up. This is one of the best films of 2003 – don’t miss it.
Buy "All the Real Girls" Here!
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
