Wilbur Falls (1998) Poster

(1998)

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6/10
Nicely quirky
fiozinho2 February 2000
A lovely little film with lots of twists and turns and quirky moments to keep you on your toes. A plain Jane gets had (à la Carrie) at a prom. She secretly plans revenge. The revenge goes awry. Shanee Edwards does a good job as the protagonist - mixed up, bitter but good at heart. Danny Aiello is very believable as the loving, caring father and Sally Kirkland is nicely wacky as the mother. In fact all the characters are well drawn in this neat, gentle comedy of small town American life.
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A fun film to watch, given some silliness in the plot
minortenth1 June 2002
It may be a "teen movie" but it touched on some current themes in a tasteful manner. I disagree with the previous review that it was "terrible"; it was not. Aiello was a believable, sad and frustrated character wanting to show his daughter (Shanee Edwards) he loved her. I'm sure the topics of abortion, girl-girl loving and poor Harley the dog's death may be anathema to some but in the whole context of the film they were reasonable and well done. So it's not academy award stuff, it was fun to watch and the ending was not what I had expected.
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7/10
Check it Out
mtomlins4 November 2001
This sly thriller has originality, quirky characters and twists that make up for the occasional clunky humor. Shanee Edwards turns in a more than respectable performance as the teenage girl who accidentally kills the high school bully who humiliated her years before. If you like offbeat mystery/suspense, check it out.
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7/10
Somewhat confusing, but not bad...
pUSSEL5 December 1999
This film seems to not be able to make up it's mind whether to be comedy, drama, or both. It switches between them without clear transition. The plot is comedic, and sometimes just plain silly. Despite this however, I felt compelled to watch, without using the fast forward button. So I liked it, for that little bizarre quality it has.
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9/10
I loved it!
jjsp114 June 2003
I grew up a small town which is very similar to Wilbur Falls, and this movie was quite unique in that sense. It can be very strange, with many closets in a lot of peoples families. It's plot was good and twisting, I really had no idea how it would end. I think the humor lightened it up a bit and made it all that more interesting! It had a very good moral ending and good story line. It had a few things going on during the entire story. I can see how someone could lose it, but I think that was the way it was meant to be. It had depth and a harsh reality to it. Kids can be mean, and everything in the film related to that, from the masturbation photo to the accidental drowning. The pregnancy was a twist that showed how much this Jeff guy really cared about other people. All the actors played their characters creatively, and the way they should have been played. I look forward to seeing more of this director/writers work! It can only go up from here! By the way, this film also won another award at the Northampton, Mass film festival! Good job to the director and the actor/actresses who all played a part. The awards you have received are well deserved!
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7/10
If you liked HEATHERS, this one might be for you
VFBundy29 January 2000
I had the fortune of seeing this film at the Northampton Film Festival in the fall of 1998. The story centers around Renata, a precocious teen, whose life veers out of control after an unfortunate "incident." The dark comedy, subject matter, and general feel of the film is very reminiscent of the movie HEATHERS. Fans of that movie and genre should find this to be a most enjoyable film.
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One of the most unique heroines on film, almost the anti-heroine!
Baker-2115 March 2002
This was one of those cool movies that starts off with a simple story and then keeps layering. Shanee Edwards, who played the lead character Renata, did a great job bringing this character to life on the screen. Renata is complex and passionate, towing the line between childhood fun and adult sexuality. She wants to fit in like everyone else, but decides not to be powerless when she's subjected to humiliation. She fulfills all of our fantasies by getting back at the mean kids, but unfortunately, her plan goes awry. I would like to see a part two to see how her life turned out.
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8/10
Pretty good first time effort from this young director/writer.
noir121 May 2000
I actually enjoyed this film. Yes it's not great, and probably fair at best, but it has some really good moments and really held my interest the whole way through. Kudos to the first time director/writer. It has actually won some awards at film festivals around the world including a best drama at the Las Vegas Film Festival in 98. So you know it might actually go somewhere. I can see it on Showtime or something or at least on video. I thought the scenery was great, and so was Danny Aiello. The lead girl was quite impressive, especially for a complete unknown (at least I didn't know her). Also, look for the woman who plays her sister and the guy who plays her best friend - they add some great comic relief. The editing is kinda lousy, there are definite plot holes, and you can see it's kinda low-budget, but at least I didn't walk away feeling I had wasted my time.
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Ghost World with a twist
bookdriver4 April 2002
Yes some of the other commentaries are right that this isn't the greatest film ever made, but if you have a place in your heart for the underdog, or understand not fitting in, give it a chance. The humor is subtle and not for everyone, but is truly there. The plot twists give it a uniqueness of its own. It actually reminded me of Ghost World meets Carrie, directed by David Lynch on a really low budget.
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A very disjointed, rambling story
Rachel_J15 September 2001
So much so that it is distracting and it's very difficult to get into the story. It seemed like about ten different movies, randomly pieced together.

Were the actors and actresses making up the story as they went along?

The actress playing Renata is a beautiful and apparently gifted musician. Danny Aiello is one of the most magnificent actors ever, but I gotta wonder if he read the script before he took the part.
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Terrible Film!
Johnny-11317 October 1999
If you like to watch bad students films, this is for you. This first time director is great at confusing the audience and encouraging the actors to overact. Why Danny Aiello agreed to be in this film, I'll never understand. The screenplay is bad. The pacing is horrible. It's so unprofessional and will definitely be forgotten. If you rent it or watch it on cable, you'll regret it.
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