Steve D
Dull despite the talent involved,
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
10/22/23
Full Review
Audience Member
I remember watching this 10 years ago and liked it a lot Willa Holland of 'The O.C.' stars as Davey based on the first book written by Judy Blume Amy Jo Johnson plays her mother and Cythnia Stevenson plays her aunt Davey's father is senselessly murdered and it changes her Davey then moves from New Jersey to Los Alamos, New Mexico to find a new sense of purpose dealing with her grief At first she feels alone and cut off no longer able to fit in with the crowd partying and friends Soon though she meets a Native American named Wolf, she even gives herself a new name called 'Tiger' The film is gorgeous to look at, sharp and crisp looking, has a very good soundtrack, and Willa Holland's performance is genuinely outstanding This is a young girl trying to take charge of her life but also getting past the repression of her trauma Even her mother is losing her authority causing a rift between her other relatives Director James Blume (Judy's son) manages to present a story of overcoming grief and starting a new adventure Pleasantly paced offering enough quiet moments to let the emotions sink in being cleverly acted too Strong casting builds on familiar elements showing the right amount of teen angst
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
06/07/23
Full Review
KJ P
It always upsets me when a great film is released, only to be not promoted enough or have the budget to really place itself in many theatres. Sometimes, even when a film wins best picture at a film festival, even that isn't enough to bring it into the spotlight. Not to say that Tiger Eyes was Oscar worthy by any means, but I haven't heard a single person talking about this film in the way that I believe it should be remembered by. This is a very self-contained film that only has a few locations to it, but it's all about grieving characters, so that's really all you need. While this is far from a perfect movie, here is why Tiger Eyes deserves some recognition after being left in the dust over five years ago.
Although I use word journey fairly loosely here, this film is all about the journey that young Davey Wexler goes on. After the death of her father, she joins her mother and younger brother on a trip to her aunts house, where they are to grieve a bit easier. Along the way, she meets a boy who opens up her outlook on life and many other characters pop in and out in order to make her fully discover that her life isn't quite as bad as she thought hers had become. There's much more to this movie than what the premise suggests and I loved taking this "journey" with these characters. Where the film fumbles some of these positives however, is in its dialogue.
If there's one thing a film can do to make its audience chuckle, it's deliver bad dialogue. Not to say this film had horrible dialogue, but there are several instances where characters seem to be talking completely out of character or just seem to be overdoing it. Some viewers may not see this at all, but I was taken out of this movie on multiple occasions, and not to mention the family they are staying with, which are either just completely rude or the writers were thinking of a different tone for them on paper. It's strange, because I quite enjoyed most of these characters, I just didn't always buy into what they were saying.
I may be starting to nitpick here, but the backstory to this film is truly what makes the current journey its following them on worth it. Each and every time the film flashes back to show the tragic backstory of its central family, the colourization and overly dramatic sequences that occur, felt like something out of a television film. It felt very cheap, even though the material itself still kept me engaged. Aside from some strange dialogue and overly exaggerated flashbacks, this is a very effective story as a whole. Within each of my complaints about this movie, I'm able to pull a positive out as well, while already liking the movie as a whole.
To reiterate what I mentioned in the beginning of my review, I think Tiger Eyes is a film that slipped under the radar and remained there for the past five years. I'm just discovering it now, and yes there are issues with it, but the overall film is really quite powerful and touching. There are some very well-done moments that string their way through this film and have great payoffs in the end, making this a worthwhile 90 minute journey to take. Some people may not buy into everything that these characters decide to do, but the end result is still wonderful to experience. Tiger Eyes is a very small movie that may bore some people, but I thought it was directed with care by writer/director Lawrence Blume, and I left this movie feeling moved, regardless of the few hiccups sprinkled throughout. If you are a fan of the drama genre, I highly recommend checking this little film out. Tiger Eyes is a far from perfect pleasure to watch.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
06/21/17
Full Review
Audience Member
It's usually a plus when the person who wrote the book also writes the screenplay of the movie. The movie usually ends up being very true to the book then.
I absolutely loved the book, in every way possible and I really had good hopes for the movie when I found out that Judy Blume not only wrote the book but also wrote the screenplay.
There was a lot I recognised in the movie from having read the book. Lines and scenery that were the same. But I felt that the characters and the actors weren't quite the way I imagined when reading the book.
I don't really know what was wrong with this movie. If it was the screenplay or the acting or maybe a bit of both. Because it felt like the actors were only really reading from a script, not much acting at all. And acting is something that is needed in a movie like this with a story like this. Because I couldn't feel any emotion. I needed more depth, more sadness. I needed raw emotion and I never really felt it until the last ten minutes of the movie. I needed more. The way I felt when reading the book. Maybe this movie had been better with other actors. Maybe it had been better with another script. But it definitely could have been better.
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
02/18/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Love Judy Blume so I had to see this movie. I loved everything about this movie and would definitely watch again
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/26/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Willa Holland excepted, the acting in this movie is, at best, barely passable, and at worst, as in the case of Cynthia Stevenson, is absolutely and insufferably terrible. The movie lacks direction, lacks pacing or even simple cause-effect, and frequently portrays scenes that should be touching with less care than a Hallmark movie. Holland tries her best to make the movie palatable, and she really is great, but the movie itself is not.
Rated 1/5 Stars •
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
02/10/23
Full Review
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