Dave White

(2013-05-10 21:28:11)

No, it's not about you or me or anyone you probably know. But neither are movies about space aliens.

cnycitylady

(2013-05-10 14:35:18)

What an odd bunch of characters...

I had no idea what to expect when I put this movie on, but what I foundwas riotously witty and unique weirdos hanging at a college campustrying to "change the world." All of the girls have their own set of"problems" (for want of a better word), and they each have differentviews, takes and ideas about the world. They speak so eloquently andelaborately that at first you cannot keep up with them. As the moviegoes on you understand them each more, as you should with characters,but you still know that these girls are not all there in the head,(neither are the males for that matter) they need some medical help,but on the flip side of that coin they are geniuses and when they speakit is only of profound things. (I guess that's what they mean when theysay "there's a thin line between genius and insanity")I really don't know what to say about this movie, it kept my attention,it kept my intrigue but in the end their really isn't much there.

willwritereviews_formoney

(2013-05-08 05:00:10)

Very funny, but only in patches, and lacking an arcing storyline, as well as fully realised goals for the central characters

In college a new girl named Lily (Analeigh Tipton) is welcomed by agroup of intelligent but neurotic females. The leader of this group isViolet (Greta Gerwig) whose is part of the college's Suicide PreventionCentre. The group is meant to help "less intelligent" people than thegirls by getting them to realise their potential and to find happiness.But disaster strikes when she finds out that her boyfriend Frank (RyanMetcalf) has been cheating on her with someone she was trying to help.She goes into a depressive state or what she calls a 'tailspin.'Meanwhile, Lily becomes more involved with a student named Xavier andhis girlfriend and while they are out together one night a guy namedFred (Adam Brody), sends drinks over to her table. It becomes knownthat Fred is a made-up identity when he is actually a student in one ofViolet's classes. Damsels in Distress has been compared to the films of Woody Allen butit has more in common with Wes Anderson's deliberately self-consciousquirkiness and cryptic wordplay, only not as memorable. The success ofAllen's best work is that he keeps the neurosis in the characters, butthe situations are real and relatable. The comedy is grounded. WesAnderson and similar filmmakers are ambitious in trying to bring thatquirkiness into the situations to develop their themes. It's risky andsome of the characters and the story choices made by writer-directorWhit Stillman are utterly bizarre here. One of the girls' methods oftherapy in the suicide prevention centre is to teach people to tapdance. Just like Wes Anderson's films, you either buy into thiscraziness or you don't. I thought the film was very funny, but only inpatches, and lacking an arcing storyline, as well as fully realisedgoals for the central characters. Starting a new dance craze might beone of them but it's a bit too cute and sketchy to become invested intoit. The film is really more like a series of conversations than atotally fulfilling narrative. There are some very peculiarrelationships explored but even if that is the focus, like in sayManhattan (1979), a clear trajectory must still be intact. Some of thedialogue is interesting and funny but I also found it frustratinglycryptic and verbose, almost philosophical at times as well. A littlecredit is due here though: how many college films are there where thecharacters talk about 'male barbarism' or hilariously the 'decline ofdecadence'? When the film hits the right note, it successfully pokesfun of the characters' attempts to be both more intelligent andself-composed than anyone else. Finding a balance with a concept like this is tricky. These girls aremeant to sound elitist and secluded and the dialogue characterises themaccordingly. But there is the risk of also distancing the audience andat times I felt on the outside of what exactly they were talking about.The comedy is funniest when we see them as flawed people who think theyare more in control of their lives than anyone else, an ironic touchthat would make Woody proud. At the very least, the film is an exampleof straight-faced comedy. Greta Gerwig, who was inspired in Greenberg(2010), shows she has a gift for deadpan comedy, managing to keep astraight face and monotone voice all throughout this film. I'm lookingforward to seeing her in Allen's To Rome With Love soon too. We learnthat as a child, her character Violet suffered from obsessivecompulsive disorder and that this has lead her trying to find a meansof happiness that can be repeated in steps or as a cleansing ritual. Iassumed that is why she tries to give soaps to one of the colleges orbizarrely is looking to start a new dance craze. Some of the males arehysterical too, especially Frank who has a fixation with a ball he leftwith Violent when their relationship went sour and Thor who hasn'tlearnt what primary colours are. Yet also like Wes Anderson's work, itrequires a lot of guesswork amidst its kookiness. If the message is tofind happiness in simple things, rather than over thinking ourproblems, than the movie is like the girls: in spite of some laughs, itgoes about it the hard way.

billyweeds

(2013-05-07 19:20:30)

One of the all-time worst

I was very much looking forward to this movie, having admired all ofWhit Stillman's previous films, especially his latest, the 1998 "TheLast Days of Disco." So I was beyond disappointed to discover that"Damsels in Distress" is virtually unwatchable. Is it pretentious? Hardto describe it that way since it doesn't seem to be trying foranything. People sit around or walk around or dance around and chatterin a kind of language that appears to be spawned on an alien planet.Greta Gerwig, whom I have liked in a couple of other movies, iscompletely lost and inept spouting the idiot dialogue she's given, andthe problem extends to the entire cast. I laughed out loud exactlyonce. Most of the time I cringed and groaned. The movie is absolutelyawful and a must to avoid unless you have been losing sleep and need tocatch up. No, scratch that. Insomnia is preferable to this debacle.

Doris Toumarkine

(2013-05-06 00:30:20)

Droll, sophisticated take on the dopey college-comedy genre, Whit Stillman's latest delivers the goods to the now more grown-up fans of his indie splash, Metropolitan.

Hellmant

(2013-05-05 09:48:27)

A quiet little piece of cinema joy if you let it be!

'DAMSELS IN DISTRESS': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five) Quirky teen comedy-drama about three college girls who run a SuicidePrevention Centre and offer words of wisdom and advice to troubled newcollege students while also trying to deal with their own issues. Itwas written and directed by Whit Stillman (who also helmed theeccentric comedies 'THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO', 'BARCELONA' and'METROPOLITAN'). It stars Greta Gerwig, Megalyn Echikunwoke, CarrieMacLemore, Analeigh Tipton and Adam Brody. The movie is pretty aimlessand slow paced but it's also always amusingly strange and whimsical.The story is set at an East Coast college named Seven Oaks where Violet(Gerwig), Rose (Echikunwoke) and Heather (MacLemore) attend. Thecollege has a mostly male dominated tone, despite becoming coed severalyears earlier, and the women feel forced in to having to deal withbrutish and dimwitted guys all the time. They run a Suicide PreventionCentre and are also constantly trying to recruit freshman girls in totheir clique to educate them on the ways of the campus (as well as theworld). This year's recruit is Lilly (Tipton). Lilly runs in to mantroubles right away and the others try to help her deal with them whilealso dealing with their own.The movie has no real direction or strong character objective. It justkind of follows these young girls around as they struggle with adaptingto life. It's slow and will bore the hell out of some viewers butothers will be quite entranced by it (and others somewhere in between).I found the dialogue to be quite witty and funny and I loved all of theperformances. I also really enjoy how quirky and in love withindividuality the film seems to be. To me that's a great message tosend young viewers (if they actually see the film, it might have missedit's target audience). The movie is a quiet little piece of cinema joyif you let it be.Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at:www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOMEqlGt6m4

napierslogs

(2013-05-02 00:39:36)

Romance, depression and intellect set to an uptempo dance beat

Three mistakenly wise-beyond-their-years damsels seek to help thoseless fortunate — socially and intellectually less fortunate thanthemselves. All three are crazy, obviously, and Violet (Greta Gerwig)is book smart with a presumed air and affected way of speaking."Damsels in Distress" is a comedy about depression, heartbreak,suicide, the education system, homelessness, linguistics, musicals,dancing and love. Every character is crazy, the film is too, but it'salso hilarious.It can be hard to get into at first as your immediate thought will be,"nobody talks like that!" It's true, nobody does, except Violet.Violet's main goal is to help people while being completely obliviousto her own arrogance. Her first "rescue" is new student Lily (AnaleighTipton) who's probably the sanest one around but Violet and her cohortswant to teach her how to talk, dress and become romantically interestedin fraternity doofi (the plural of doofus). This takes place at SevenOaks college which clearly exists in a different time and place.The colours are extreme. The opening credits are in bright pink letterson a bright blue background; bring your sunglasses. The girls areusually wearing '50s-styled sun-dresses, where as the guys (the doofi)are such morons that they haven't even learned the different coloursyet (but they are hitting the books) and go chasing after rainbows.Sound a little odd? It is but it's exactly the quirky, silly humour ona fairly high level that indie film fans crave.There was one line that made me laugh out loud that is a bitingindictment of the American education system; a handful of scenescriticize all religions (probably without them even realizing it);there are a significant amount of literary references which reinforcesthe college setting and erudite script. Filmmaker Whit Stillman isclearly well-read. I don't dare compare him to Woody Allen but I'massuming he is an influence.The soundtrack is what makes it so joyful. There are retro songs thatremind one of school-age days (think Aqua), but all have a classicromantic beat. It seems to be in direct contrast to the film's story soI was thinking something sinister was afoot. The damsels are here tohelp people, they want to find those that are depressed and make surethey don't commit suicide. There actually isn't anything more sinister,except the obvious that in fact the damsels that are in distress —romantic distress."Damsels in Distress" is a bit more silly and dance heavy than thestoryline, scholarly references and funny lines would suggest, butthat's also what makes it more unique.

Geoff Berkshire

(2013-05-01 17:25:26)

Light and whimsical with enough bite to keep it interesting.

Dana Stevens

(2013-05-01 20:26:50)

Too ethereal to be a satire and too arch to be a psychologically recognizable character portrait, Damsels in Distress flits prettily by without ever finding anything to be about.

brocksilvey

(2013-05-01 05:28:19)

An Acquired Taste That You May Find to Be Delightful If You're in the Right Mood for It

"Damsels in Distress" lives in a world utterly of its own making, andyou're either going to accept that world or you're not. I was won overand found this film to be a charming, eccentric movie about a group ofcollege girls, and one in particular, who hide their insecuritiesbehind a confident desire to better their fellow students.Greta Gerwig is the leader of the pack, a somewhat annoying girl whoalso remains rather winning and appealing thanks to Gerwig's terrificperformance. The film reminded me somewhat of another movie releasedthis year, Wes Anderson's "Moonrise Kingdom" (though that's a farbetter film) in its quirky determination to stick to the rules iterects for itself, but also in its tone and its assembled cast ofcharacters who are all basically good people trying to make sense of afrequently confusing and not always very pleasant world."Damsels in Distress" is not going to be to everyone's taste, but, alsolike "Moonrise Kingdom," if it is to your taste you'll probably bedelighted by it.Grade: A-

Peter Rainer

(2013-04-25 13:41:00)

In its own superannuated preppy way, Stillman's comic universe is as singular as Woody Allen's.

Miriam Bale

(2013-04-25 07:40:34)

With Damsels in Distress, Whit Stillman takes a radical, maybe even method, approach to broad comedy.

Larry Silverstein

(2013-04-24 08:04:57)

Refreshingly Funny and Original--Yet Not Everything Works

I found this film, starring Greta Gerwig and Adam Brody, to berefreshingly funny and original yet not everything works.Various themes play out at college as Gerwig and her roommates(AnaleighTipton, Carrie MacLemore, and Megalyn Echikunwake), address theirrelationships with the opposite sex, as well as depression and theirwork at the Suicide Prevention Center, on campus.Although this may sound like a downer, much of the sharp biting dialogcan be very humorous and satirical when it stays on track. When itdoesn't it can border on pretentiousness. Considering some of the drekout in theaters it's nice to enjoy some cleverness and originality fora change.Why I even found out that there can be two plurals acceptable for theword dufus--dufii and dufusses. This is good to know in case I'll everneed that info one day.The film is wrapped up with two musical dance numbers, which seem to"come out of the blue" but are enjoyable to watch.The movie was written and directed by Whit Stillman.

dalydj-918-255175

(2013-04-23 14:39:59)

Damsels in Distress is very spread out in plot but educational as well

"Gerwig is given another off beat character in a film that is as offbeat as it wants to be when it talks about romance but also depressionand how people can deal with it" College movies have been so many timesbut I don't think I've ever come across a film about the subject suchas this. Lily (Analeigh Tipton) is taken under the wings of Lily (GretaGerwig) , Rose (Megalyn Echikunwoke) and Heather (Carrie MacLemore) whotry to teach her all the things wrong with the world but also give herin their minds helpful advice about boys but also fads in the school.We see that Lily has a voice and can question these women who seem finewith what she has to say. Also the group of four seem to work to helpother people such as people dealing with depression which also happensto Lily when a boyfriend breaks up with her.The film does very well at creating awkward comedy to watch especiallyin the extended conversations about life the group of four share. Eventhough the film is trying to make a statement I believe sometimes whilewatching the film I found some scenes seemed out of place but I guessthey were building to an ending which seemed very romantic. Throughoutthe film all the characters seem to question each other as they try tocome out the smartest. The chemistry between all the actors is strong Ibelieve as each and everyone of them play well off each otherespecially the four leads in the scenes they share in their bedroomwhich makes me laugh and also confuses me that they would be talking toeach other in this way.Greta Gerwig seems to be playing the lead character who is a strangewomen to me because the way the character is written seems quite selfrighteous but she does have moments where we see some human side to herbreakthrough. Gerwig is great at this type of roles and the way sheplayed her role to me seemed a mix between Lena Dunham and BrittanySnow. Analeigh Tipton who has not done many films I have seen alwaysproves that she is turning into a very good actress. I've known herfrom ANTM but I think she makes a better actress because she justcontains the screen presence that you cannot help but look away frombecause she lights up the screen. Megalyn Echikunwoke and CarrieMacLemore are also the other leads and while their characters seem veryone dimensional but they do have their moments where the add somecomedy to scenes they are in. The rest of the cast does not do much toimpress only because they are not as flashed out.The film is a hard one to watch because at times you are confused bywhat these characters are saying and doing but at other times thewriting is what brings you into this kinky universe. The cast is greatwith each getting at least one moment to shine. The film does deal withsome dark issues but they way they are written they are not played fordrama but more for comedy which makes the film more of quirky comedy.MOVIE GRADE: B- (MVP: Greta Gerwig)

dragokin

(2013-04-06 17:47:55)

college for mentally challenged

Damsels in Distress might be described as a romantic comedy. It'sgreatest value lays, however, in blending parody with socialcommentary. Roughly speaking, the college campus in the movie isdivided into two camps: rich-but-uneducated and poor-but-unkempt.Between them are the main protagonists with Good Samaritan attitude.And none of the above are fully likable.I guess that the parody is rather straightforward. The socialcommentary, on the other hand, might be too intellectual for theaverage viewer. This was obviously a conscious effort but apparentlyled to alienating mainstream audience. The reason I'm pointing this outis because in it's essence Damsels in Distress is in no way inferiorto, for example, Judd Apatow's Knocked Up or The 40 Years Old Virgin.This seems to be Whim Stillman's most focused effort to date: Gone areendless Woody Allen-esque dialogues better suitable for Off-Broadwaythan the big screen. The movie references some of Stillman's previouswork, the most obvious being Gretta Gerwig as a surrogate ChloëSevigny. But this is where i quit deep-diving and continued enjoyingthe movie.

Todd Jorgenson

(2013-04-06 07:38:30)

The chilly demeanor of the characters makes it tough to develop an emotional connection.

Joanna Langfield

(2013-03-20 16:30:02)

Whit Stillman's college coeds don't look as if they are distressed at all, as this sneaky little comedy begins.

Farran Smith Nehme

(2013-03-19 20:20:56)

This delicately funny and romantic film feels like an auspicious return.

Laight

(2013-03-17 02:42:57)

Disappointing. Totally disappointing

Metropolitan, Barcelona, and Last Days of Disco are three great movies.Damsels doesn't come close. What made the others work so well, besidesthe acting, direction, and sets, was the writing: Stillman managed tocreate characters who were also caricatures, cartoon figures who werealso so real it boggled the mind, how he could balance the thin linesbetween parody, satire, and life.... Damsels is basically a paleimitation. The writing is flat, the dialog doesn't pop, and all in all,the characters remain caricatures. You don't care about any of them.There's not even a semblance of a plot. And there's a terrible enforceddance ending. It's generally true in movies that aren't musicals that,at the end, if all the director/writer can do is have them get up anddance, something is very wrong. The only thing that saves it at all isGerwig's performance, which is pitch perfect. The others go nowhere,and no one cares.

Alberto Farina

(2013-03-16 16:00:14)

Monsters in the campus

Stillman's first feature in 13 years investigates the merciless socialrules within a campus: it's fun, as wittily and entertaininglydialogued as his previous efforts, but way more off-beat and darklyscrewballish. It almost plays as an intellectual version of cultfavorite "Heathers" (it might be no coincidence if it also revolvesaround a bunch of co-eds named after flowers), sparing us theB-movieish third act of Michael Lehmann's film. Lots of fun, with amusical twist around the end that might be able to improve the film'schances to cult-ness.I caught "Damsels in Distress" in Venice, where it was selected out ofcompetition as the closing film for 2011's festival. Audience was quiteappreciative, laughing out loud throughout the whole screening.