Review #9: How to Deal

How to Deal

Release Date: July 18th, 2003
Writer: Sarah Dessen (novel), Neena Beber (screenplay)
Director: Clare Kilner

Logline: A teenager (Moore), disillusioned by too many examples of love gone wrong, refuses to believe that true love exists. Then this new guy (Ford) comes along... (Source: IMDb) Comedy/Drama, 101 min.
Bechdel Test: Passed all three tests


Review

I really did not want to watch this movie. At all.

Then a miracle happened. 5 minutes in and I was completely obsessed. Mandy Moore was doing yoga in an perfect early-2000s outfit while complaining about how hard life is and I loved everything about it.

Then another 5 minutes went by and I went back to hating it.  That hatred remained right until the credits rolled.

Pretty much all you need to know about this movie is that it features that Liz Phair song that was in every movie from 2003-2005. You know that one that goes "Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you..." How you feel about that song is probably how you'll feel about this entire movie.

The plot is basically 25 episodes of Degrassi crammed into 100 minutes.  There's a teenage death, a teenage pregnancy, and a teenage car crash. There are also two weddings, a New Year's party hookup, and a dramatic hair cut. It's just too much seriousness to ever be taken seriously.

I kept track of how many times I rolled my eyes - the final tally was 32 times. I mean the love interest's name is Macon. That stupid name is worth 7 eye rolls at least. (There isn't even one "You're Macon me crazy" joke, which I feel was a huge missed opportunity.)

Then there was a weird rip off of 10 Things I Hate About you at the end. Mandy More is all like, "I hate your hair and your voice and your mannerisms," and I'm all like "get out of my life Mandy Moore and only come back when you're playing Lana in The Princess Diaries."

So all in all, I was not a fan of this film.

The other issue I had was that I was never quite sure if Mandy Moore's character was Allie or Hallie. Enunciate please.

Portrayal of Women: Hallie (Moore) is your typical cool female lead. She is confident and super smart. She's independent to a fault and looks down on anyone who isn't as independent as she is. Even though she some awesome qualities, she still manages to be one dimensional and annoying.

Her best friend Scarlett is more concerned about boyfriends and her social life.  She's a little boring but it's nice to see a female friendship that is loyal and genuine.

There is no shortage of roles for women in this movie which is a bit of a redeeming factor.

Sisterhood Moment: Checking off pregnancy symptoms followed by a scene with the two besties surrounded by a ridiculous amount of pregnancy tests.

Also, the best quote of the movie: "Even Madonna eventually got married."

Rating: 2/5

IMDb - How to Deal (5.6)
Wikipedia - How to Deal
Rotten Tomatoes - How to Deal (28%)