Z

Things I enjoyed: - The acting. - The dialogue. Very realistic. - The dancing scene. - The characters. Written well and relatable. - The silence was a mixed bag. It didn't feel too awkward, and it made the film a little more realistic, playing out like a theater production at some points, though it did get a little boring. - It passes the Bechdel test, surprisingly! Things I did not enjoy: - The fact that Allison ("The Basketcase") had to get a girly glowup to get with Andrew ("The Jock"). There's nothing wrong with makeup in general, but it was very "if you're pretty by society's standards than everything will work out well" if that makes sense. - *Some* of the jokes. One comment by John ("The Criminal") directed towards Claire ("The Princess") is sort of rapey, which is no surprise considering he stuck his head between her thighs without consent shortly afterwards. (And then she gets with him at the end...? 80s movies are weird.) All in all, 8.9/10. I would rewatch and recommend this. Definitely a good film to discuss.

What the hell? There has to be an explanation for why the writing was so bad. The animation was gorgeous, as expected from a Studio Ghibli movie, but the abundance of plot holes threw me off. Even the quiet, sentimental moments seemed awkward and forced. By the end of the movie, my entire family and I were left with a feeling of "that was it? What did I just watch?" If you asked me to explain the plot, I couldn't piece together what happened in the beginning and what happened in the end. A big letdown.

Cool idea, poor execution. This movie started out promising, relatable, and funny, but quickly went downhill. They tried to do too much in one movie, and I felt as though Dark wasn't helping Orion to help him get over his fears, Dark was helping him to feel better about himself. The plot derailed and lost me quickly. The protagonists were okay in the first half of the movie, but by the second half they were just annoying, cringeworthy, and hard to watch, especially by the end of the movie where it turned into a bedtime story. I don't have beef with kid's imaginations, it's just that it lasted much longer than it needed to. Although I enjoyed the night characters, I wouldn't rewatch or recommend this movie.

If you're looking for a good family movie, watch this. A film for all ages that explores growing up, the path of motherhood, and the question of "what am I made for"? The storytelling is great, the voice acting is fantastic, and the characters are loveable. The emotion is there (made me cry), and the jokes never seemed forced or awkward. The only criticism I really have is the pop songs mixed into the sentimental moments. 9.6/10.

Okay. Gonna try to make this as un-biased as possible, since I have seen this movie...a few times. I did like the music, and I still enjoy the soundtrack. I also liked the message it was trying to portray (being who you are/not being afraid to hide yourself/being true to yourself). But I'm just gonna say it--in my honest opinion, this film is cringe. The acting is overdone, and when people start singing I can feel the secondhand embarrassment. Maybe it's from the amount of times my friend has replayed this movie, but...cringe. I think if it was on Broadway first, like an actual musical instead of a movie, it would've done better.