Sobieski reaches for that dramatic depth we all knew she had in her.
My First Mister (2001)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:79
Fresh:42
Rotten:37
Average Rating:5.6/10
Consensus: Though well-acted, My First Mister succumbs to contrived sentimentality in its last half.
Runtime: 1 hr 49 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: A rebellious teenage girl (Leilee Sobieski) who dresses in Gothic garb and wears harsh metal jewelry in the piercings that cover her face, finds a friend in a conservative middle-aged man (Albert... A rebellious teenage girl (Leilee Sobieski) who dresses in Gothic garb and wears harsh metal jewelry in the piercings that cover her face, finds a friend in a conservative middle-aged man (Albert Brooks) working in a men's clothing store. While the pair initially seem like total opposites, they soon learn that have a lot in common and can really relate to each other. Using a first-person narrative that is reminiscent of Wynona Ryder's unhappy teenagers in HEATHERS and GIRL INTERRUPTED, this film gives its full, uninterrupted attention to the cryptic mutterings of its protagonist, Jennifer (Sobieski). She has a vivid imagination and the ability to see the worst in everything. Her English teacher is evil and has fangs, her classmates are buxom bimbos who have recently undergone nose jobs, and her weird mother (when not talking about the benefits of women eating blood in the form of brisket for dinner) has friends that are fatter than elephants. Jennifer's visions are illustrated by distorted camera angles that make comedy of her exaggerations. But when Jennifer meets Randall (Brooks), a boring and equally pessimistic guy, her perspective changes. She wants him to accept her. And when he reaches out to her, she accepts him. MY FIRST MISTER therefore becomes a sweet story about friendship, self-motivation, and changing your life for the better. [More]
Starring: Leelee Sobieski, Albert Brooks, Desmond Harrington, John Goodman
Starring: Leelee Sobieski, Albert Brooks, Desmond Harrington, John Goodman, Carol Kane, Michael McKean, Mary Kay Place
Director: Christine Lahti
Director: Christine Lahti
Screenwriter: Jill Franklyn
Producer: Carol Baum, Sukee Chew, Jane Goldenring, Anne Kurtzman, Mitchell Solomon
Composer: Steve Porcaro
Studio: Paramount Classics
Reviews for My First Mister
If the Hallmark Hall of Fame folks had made Ghost World, it would probably end up a lot like My First Mister.
The strength of the movie rests in the vibrant, sympathetic characters Sobieski and Brooks create.
Suddenly this enchanting tale of cross-generational friendship becomes a Lifetime movie of the week, pat ending included.
A human-scale comedy that reaches across generations to tickle, connect and embrace.
A nicely observed, well-acted tale of mismatched friendship, until it takes a dive for the easy resolutions down the stretch.
Predictable and manipulative, complete with a clichéd Hollywood tearjerker ending.
A beautiful story about finding camaraderie, and ultimate love in the infrequent of places
The sort of movie with so little faith in itself that it falls back on that most dreadful of clichés: The Fatal Development A Little More than Halfway Through.
Not one second of it is believable, not one scene looks right, not one performance salvages the growing pile of snotty Kleenex it wishes you'd cry into.
The plot ducks the obvious sexual pitfall that would make us squirm, but falls into another one: morbid uplift, out at the golden pond where dreams may come and you can sweetly pay it forward.
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