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No, Looking For Alibrandi is a winner because it
has style and wit and treats its audience as intelligent people
who can enjoy sophistication without having it explained to
them.
It is the story of teenage love and angst but, despite touching
on the tragic, it is all about living and learning to break
free of societal chains.
Josie Alibrandi (Pia Miranda) is in her HSC year and not
only does she have that series of exams to worry about, she
is in love with a seemingly unattainable boy, hates her Italian
heritage and struggles with the fact that she doesn't know
her father.
The film begins on National Wog Day, as Josie calls the despised
day where her family gets together to make bottles of fresh
tomato sauce, and follows her battle to come to terms with
her ethnic background in a system that seems to favour wealthy,
blue-eyed Anglos.
Add to the story mix a tri-generational clash of cultures
over personal values, stir in Josie's desperate need for a
relationship with her newly discovered dad, top it off with
a dollop of nicely judged humour and you have an absolute
treat.
Pia Miranda is sensational and deserved her best actress
award. Her Josie is clever, unsure, vulnerable, fiesty, funny
and breathtakingly engaging. It is a complete performance
that has you wishing her success in whatever the character
wants to get.
The other cast members also act out of their skins.
Greta Scacchi is achingly haunted as Josie's mother, who
has brought up her daughter alone after falling pregnant to
the next door neighbour's son. Not only does she have to fulfill
her duty as a parent, but she also must continually put up
with her overbearing mother's anger at her being a solo mum.
Elena Cotta is superb as Nonna, the grandmother, and her
tale will have most women crying in the aisles when she finally
reveals it to Josie.
Anthony La Paglia lends a mature male air as the barrister
who has only just discovered he has a teenage daughter and
their burgeoning relationship is both funny and heartwarming.
The two teen males, Kick Gurry and Matthew Newton, both show
huge potential as the lads from each side of the social tracks
who compete for the attention of our heroine.
Looking For Alibrandi is an absolute delight and a
must-see, although the one niggle is that the soundtrack at
times overwhelms the characters' speech.
Conclusion: Movie 90%, Extras 70%
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