The Worst Film Ever

Instant Favorite.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

This is a pretty decent coming of age teen movie starring Hillary Duff. Nicely shot, lovely costumes and make up and a good performance from Duff as a stroppy teen who gradually learns to love and be loved. It's not her usual Disney style role, she actually exhibits a quirky character with some substance which most of us that went through adolescence should be able to relate to. Fairly bland story line but if you're looking for a feel-good movie with a bit of teen romance then you can't go wrong with Surviving Summer (or According to Greta, the original title). Overall it's about a girl finding her way and learning that if you look hard enough, you can find you have something in common with anyone and you don't have to feel alone. It's a short run time, an easy watch, it all looks good and there are some funny, some heartwarming moments.

I watched this movie with my daughter last night. Do yourself a favor and skip this one. Watch Georgia Rule instead if you like movies about growing up daughters. The character Greta is such an unsympathetic character (Is she playing herself?) that we both (young and old!) found it painful to watch. The whole story/dialog is not credible. We just kept going so we felt entitled to write this review. Painful also because we could not understand why a girl of 17 (also not credible, sorry Hillary) would consistently behave like she did and then all of a sudden turn soft on a random person. We did like the performance of the grandparents specially Ellen Burnstyn's performance. Can you imagine that you send a daughter who is like Greta to your elderly parents. That could be considered cruel, in fact it is just not credible again. We both do like serious/confronting movies but this is not one in that category.

When i picked up this DVD from the stand I thought since it was cheap I'd check it out, I didn't expect much, it being a Hilary Fluff film and all. The girl at the register said it wasn't much chop either, so when i got home and we put it on, I was surprised.Most reviews say the movie focuses on the blossoming and forbidden relationship between Greta and Julie. I don't believe this is totally true. It's about a suicidal girl who is shipped to her grandparents because her mother can't handle her. Romance plays a secondary role but does admittedly help in her ridding her suicidal tendencies, though it isn't the main focus of the movie.Something no-one has mentioned yet, it did remind me quite a bit of Miley Cyrus's The Last Song, a rebel daughter going to a relatives for summer, builds better relationships with family, and develops relationship with local boy, all of which makes her a better happier person. Agreement with others on the Juno and Georgia Rule similarities too.I also(even though i don't think the film focuses on their romance)want to know what happens between Greta and Julie. The ending lets it down, it could have been an extremely amazing movie but they bombed the ending.Props to Hilary for a mature movie that shows she can do more.

According To Greta is an absolutely delightful gem of a movie, that sends a wonderful message to movie viewers everywhere. I have read a lot of comments about how overbearing Hilary Duff's Greta really is, but I don't think they full grasp the concept of her character. Greta is hiding a lot of emotional pain deep down inside her, along with a lot of fears. She's had a lot of conflict with her mother, she feels no one understands her interests, or what she's truly about, so she acts all sassy and arrogant to hide the fact that she's hurt, and she's just waiting for someone to accept her, and a lot of people fail to really get that. Greta's obsession with death and suicide is not only sad, but quite scary in my opinion, and her looking for things to write in her journal about it, scared me even more. Watching Greta interact with her Grandparents, and the way she ordered them around to get her way, or thinking nothing of their concerns were really intense times, and I thought Ellen Burstyn especially did a tremendous job.The key plot of the movie though is when Greta crushes hard on an aspiring chef, named Julie|Evan Ross|. We slowly start to see her change, the decency come out of her, and what she's truly like when she starts to become happy, I thought it was extremely well done. He shows Greta that being all angry with them or treating them wrongfully isn't the way to go, he helped her grow up so to speak, and I thought it was a very important plot point. Hilary Duff has grown up, and now I firmly believe the sky may be the limit for her, because this movie is wonderful!.Performances. Hilary Duff is an absolute revelation here. I've always rather liked her to be honest, she's had a certain Spukyness and charisma that appealed to me, but this is a performance that I doubt nobody expected her to give. Ellen Burstyn is great as always. She is likable, and hit all the right emotional moments as the Grandmother. Melissa Leo is pretty good as Greta's kooky mother. She doesn't have a whole lot of screen time, but she will test your patience. Evan Ross plays it low-key for the most part and does a great job. His chemistry with Hilary is wonderful. Michael Murphy is very good as the Grandfather, he did well as the peacemaker.Bottom line. According To Greta is a real treat to watch. It's gone unnoticed by a lot of people, but don't let the casting of Hilary scare you off. She gives an incredible performance, and the movie is wonderful. Please give it a look, I doubt you'll regret it afterwords.8 1/2 /10