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Terri

Play trailer Poster for Terri R 2011 1h 45m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
88% Tomatometer 96 Reviews 61% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Bullied and withdrawn, a large teen (Jacob Wysocki) finds a support system with other school misfits after a vice principal (John C. Reilly) brings him in for counseling.
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Terri

Terri

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Critics Consensus

Embodied with compelling sensitivity by newcomer Jacob Wysocki and supported by a wonderful John C. Reilly, Terri is an emotionally powerful character study.

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Critics Reviews

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Dan Sullivan Film Comment Magazine 11/05/2013
Whereas Jacobs pre has been most concerned for the past four decades with using cinema as an instrument for exploring the mechanics and boundaries of visual perception, Jacobs fils is less a mad scientist than a misfit bard. Go to Full Review
Alonso Duralde TheWrap 10/07/2011
Lest you think that you've already seen every possible variation on the outsider-nerd story, Terri keeps plenty of surprises up its pit-stained sleeves. Go to Full Review
Rick Groen Globe and Mail 08/19/2011
3/4
Jacob Wysocki infuses his performance in the title role with precisely that same duality, turning Terri into an oversized portrait of adolescence -- so naive yet so wise, strangely believable and believably strange. Go to Full Review
Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com 09/26/2020
3.5/4.0
Absolutely wonderful. Go to Full Review
Debbie Lynn Elias Behind The Lens 11/16/2019
Touching the heart and warming the soul, Terri is a soft-spoken story of hope and joy that makes the ordinary extraordinary. Go to Full Review
Kelly Jane Torrance Washington Examiner 01/08/2019
4/5
[Writer-director Azazel Jacobs] clearly has an eye and an ear for the confused rhythms of human life. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Robert R @RobertRiley Sep 4 A sweet, quaint, little slice-of-life tale of misfits coming of age in post-9/11 academia. In many ways, "Terri" acts as a kind of quintessential indie flick. "A young, misunderstood protagonist who can't seem to agree with his surroundings strikes up a series of unlikely friendships while dealing with a sick relative." C'mon, man, that has "quirky, IFC dramedy" written all over it. Still, this does the indie genre right in that it mitigates the typical pitfalls you'd expect in the execution (issues with likability/relatability and pacing are what can usually do me in). No, this movie actually holds the attention decently enough, has a huge heart and is pretty unequivocal in its moral leanings, championing empathy and finger-wagging at things we can all agree are morally wrong. Solid stuff here from Azazel Jacobs, who I've heard has only gotten even better in recent (similar) efforts. See more prawnda s Mar 10 it's certainly well made and acted. there are basically no real laughs in the story though, and it's pretty melancholy. the overt and subtle messages about enjoying little things and being comfortable in your own skin are nice, but i didn't leave the film feeling like there was a firm message. See more yoo M 09/29/2024 i would definitely recommend this movie! and cry while watching that ..terri is strong related to my highschool life i been bullied by others cos my unique but i dont have any Fitzgerald tell me thats not on me ..and keep going .or it’s fine to be “weird “ .but anyway all the characters so great ,beautiful and must recommend that if you are sensitive one in the world either :) See more helder f 09/22/2024 Terri - the character- will stay with us. Not because we get to know him deeply, but because we understand his sensitivity. He’s not the only character who is likable and complex enough to make an impression. The principal is a great character as well. Again, we do not know these people but we understand their movements and we have an idea of their affects. The movie does a great job at allowing us to stand by these characters; but in a narrative that moves at a pace that’s too slow and also somewhat without much direction. It’s almost as though we are looking out through the window… we are watching something that began before we arrive and will continue after we leave; but if we were to get distracted for a few seconds or even more, we wouldn’t miss much. In other words, not the most exciting movie despite great and complex characters See more Aaron S 05/01/2023 Of the two Azazel Jacobs movies I've seen (The Lovers and Terri), he very much is in tune with the awkward and atypical patterns of life that we're all a part of, but just don't talk about all that much or admit that we're okay with. A vice principal palling around with an outsider student is bordering on a crossed boundary, sure, but the way the film portrays all of Terri's relationships is like they are crossing his own personal boundaries as his insecurities and malaise seem to ooze out of him at almost every moment. In the end, his friendship with the vice principal is his most fruitful one and it begs the question of is there really any harm in that? I don't know. This movie certainly doesn't communicate that. Not all people fit into a path that society has prewritten and I think Terri is about accepting and understanding these atypical rhythms people fall into and questions how healthy or unhealthy "fitting in" really is. See more isla s 09/03/2022 I thought this was quite a touching, quirky film. The central character is someone its easy to feel sorry for, he's a real underdog type character. It's sad to see the bullying that happens but there are some amusing moments too. I thought John C Reilly gave a good performance as the principal who sees something in Terri and the friendship the two of them develops is quite nice. Its not an entirely original storyline or anything but I enjoyed watching it for the characters. I suppose it reminded me slightly of Napolean Dynamite. It is sad and touching. I would recommend this film, yes. See more Read all reviews
Terri

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Movie Info

Synopsis Bullied and withdrawn, a large teen (Jacob Wysocki) finds a support system with other school misfits after a vice principal (John C. Reilly) brings him in for counseling.
Director
Azazel Jacobs
Producer
Alison Dickey, Hunter Gray, Lynette Howell Taylor, Alex Orlovsky
Screenwriter
Patrick deWitt
Distributor
ATO Pictures
Production Co
Live Free or Die Films, Periscope Entertainment, Silverwood Films, Verisimilitude, Venture Forth, KnowMore Productions
Rating
R (Sexual Content|Language|All Involving Teens|Some Drug and Alcohol Use)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 1, 2011, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 3, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$653.6K
Runtime
1h 45m
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