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3/10
Privileged white kids cannot work their self-made problems
26 November 2015
Vapid narcissists Ely and Naomi maintain a toxic friendship where they are co-dependant and yet not honest to each other. An affair between their parents (which ended in a divorce and a barely-together-marriage) has not broken their bonds, even though they harbour unspoken resentment toward each other -- made worse by their ill-advised pact to never date boys they both find attractive.

Perhaps we'd feel concern for them if they weren't both so self-absorbed and actually wanted the best for each other. Nope, Naomi would rather Ely conform to her fantasy relationship with him where he is not gay and he gives her the love she lacks from her father -- and Ely would rather not call out Naomi on her disregard for her other friends and current boyfriends, or even call her out on being a bad college student for that matter.

What happens doesn't even matter -- like most kids they'll realise that they created most of these problems themselves, and that other people actually have REAL PROBLEMS and maybe they should actually get a hobby or something.

If this in any way resembles your life, SEE A THERAPIST ASAP. The characters in this movie are not real, and if they were, everyone would hate them, because they are horrible. Gain some perspective and watch the news or read a book. Just don't be Naomi or Ely. They suck.
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5/10
A visually beautiful bore
3 January 2008
Warning: Spoilers
After viewing this film, I've become interested in reading the book it was adapted from. Not because the movie struck me as a stunning masterpiece, but rather in the hopes the book will do a better job of telling a potentially good story.

Pretty cinematography, settings and music make for some nice eye and ear-candy (not dissimilar to Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette"), but don't help in communicating the plot.

The supposed "mystery" of the Lisbon sisters failed to draw me in. While the subplot ultimately leads to their punishment, too much time was devoted to Lux's relationship with Trip and the time spent locked up in their rooms was not investigated. Apart from Lux, there was no character development and I didn't care for any of the characters.

What mystery was there that plagues neighborhood boys? While the boys became scarred for life, I felt unfulfilled and bored. Honestly, I'd describe this film as a light-hearted flick rather than depressing. 5/10.
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