7/10
Brilliantly observed, up until a stunningly contrived ending
16 September 2021
I wasn't surprised to find that "Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging" was directed by the same person who directed "Bend it Like Beckham". It has the same joyful, carefree, and amusing atmosphere, the same imperfect characters who you love for their imperfections, and puts you so easily into their world.

The plot is really nothing you haven't seen before, but that doesn't matter because it's all the hilarious details on the way, like the protag's little sister, who thinks she is part kitten, and their cat, Angus, who is always attired differently whenever we see him.

I also love the crazy vocabulary that the characters use, "fitties", "bazumas", "nunganungas", and describing everything as being "beyond the valley of the (insert whichever descriptor applies here)".

Unfortunately movies like these can stay afloat with details that distract you from the plot... but the endings always seem to shrug these off and present their clichés boldly. The ending was so desperate to please that it kind of made me sad. I could believe most everything else that happened in the flick, even the bits that strained credibility, like the girls ending up with the guys they loved, those guys being in a band and them playing songs that sound like they were written by a middle aged record exec.

What I couldn't believe, though, was the ending that was so finely attuned to absolutely everything the main character wanted out of life that it passed the realm of fantasy and ended up in delusion. If I knew a girl who told me her birthday party played out like that, I'd want her to see a psychiatrist.

Anyway. I still greatly enjoyed this movie - even with the revolting kissing scene I have neglected to describe - and recommend you check it out.
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