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Movies / On DVD / My First Mister
My First Mister

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My First Mister (2001)

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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

[See More Credits]

Reviews for My First Mister

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1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Sobieski reaches for that dramatic depth we all knew she had in her.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
10/12/01
E! Online
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
10/18/01
Ebert & Roeper
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
10/20/01
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Film Threat

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
02/04/02
Barrett Hooper
Barrett Hooper
eye WEEKLY

If the Hallmark Hall of Fame folks had made Ghost World, it would probably end up a lot like My First Mister.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
10/12/01
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

The strength of the movie rests in the vibrant, sympathetic characters Sobieski and Brooks create.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
10/12/01
Bruce Kirkland
Bruce Kirkland
Jam! Movies

A coming-of-age story that gets it all wrong.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
10/12/01
Carla Meyer
Carla Meyer
San Francisco Chronicle

Suddenly this enchanting tale of cross-generational friendship becomes a Lifetime movie of the week, pat ending included.

Full Review Source: AboutFilm.com | comment Comment
10/15/01
Carlo Cavagna
Carlo Cavagna
AboutFilm.com

A human-scale comedy that reaches across generations to tickle, connect and embrace.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
10/11/01
Carrie Rickey
Carrie Rickey
Philadelphia Inquirer

The schmaltz is as thick as vomit.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
10/18/01
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

A nicely observed, well-acted tale of mismatched friendship, until it takes a dive for the easy resolutions down the stretch.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
10/11/01
Chris Vognar
Chris Vognar
Dallas Morning News

Predictable and manipulative, complete with a clichéd Hollywood tearjerker ending.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
10/11/01
Claudia Puig
Claudia Puig
USA Today

A beautiful story about finding camaraderie, and ultimate love in the infrequent of places

Full Review Source: Moviehole | comment Comment
02/07/03
Clint Morris
Clint Morris
Moviehole

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.

Full Review Source: Miami Herald | comment Comment
10/19/01
Connie Ogle
Connie Ogle
Miami Herald
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Philadelphia City Paper | comment Comment
10/12/01
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
Philadelphia City Paper

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.

Full Review Source: IFilm | comment Comment
10/11/01
Dave White
Dave White
IFilm

What looked like a quirky character study suddenly congealed.

Full Review Source: Slate | comment Comment
10/12/01
David Edelstein
David Edelstein
Slate

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.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
10/12/01
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by comments; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
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Latest News for My First Mister

August 20, 2001: 'I would never make a movie about a sexual relationship between an older man and a young girl,' says actor-turned-director Christine Lahti. Opens in new window
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