This warm, quirky and yet oddly endearing drama is another low-budget independent American coming of age tale that details the hardships of life in a small town high school. Terri (Jason Wysocki) is a morbidly obese, socially awkward and shy teenager who is a misfit at school. He lives with his uncle (The Office's Creed Bratton) who is suffering from early onset of dementia. Terri is always late to school and often turns up in his pyjamas. But when the school principal Mr Fitzgerald (John C Reilly) takes an interest in him, Terri's lonely and miserable life undergoes something of a change. When he reluctantly opens up he finds a couple of new friends in the beautiful but troubled Heather (Olivia Crocicchia) and the weird and troubled Chad (Bridger Zadina), who is another of Fitzgerald's special "projects". The film has a painful ring of truth to it, and director Azazel Jacobs (whose previous film Mamma's Man explored similar uncomfortable territory) maintains a low key and unsentimental approach to the material. Co-written by Jacobs and Patrick Dewitt Terri also has a semi-autobiographical feel to it, and should resonate strongly with a certain audience. The performances of the young, unknown cast are solid. In Particular, newcomer Wysocki is outstanding, and brings an honesty, vulnerability and sensitivity to his performance. Reilly also brings some welcome touches of humour to his role as the clueless but well meaning principal who is trying to prevent certain kids from falling through the cracks in a system that can't really cope with the disengaged and disconnected. The scenes that the always reliable Reilly and Wysocki share are amongst the best in the film.
