17 filles 2011

Critics score:
67 / 100

Reviews provided by RottenTomatoes

Stephen Holden, New York Times: The movie takes you inside the dreamy collective mentality of bored, mildly rebellious girls who look with horror at the lives of their mostly working-class parents. Read more

John Hartl, Seattle Times: The movie needs a tighter grip, yet the narrative detours, including a beach party and one especially liberating confrontation, can be surprisingly joyous. Read more

Noel Murray, AV Club: 17 Girls has a nice look, and strong performances, but ultimately, the Coulins fail to go deeply enough into the heads of their protagonists. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: "17 Girls" doesn't try to explain its many mysteries. That would have made for a better film, but this one does a nice job showing its effects. Read more

Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times: The film suggests a state of grace between childhood and adulthood, but the narrative feels increasingly tentative, and the characters remain opaque - "local divas," in one teacher's estimation. Read more

Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: 17 Girls is allegedly inspired by true events, but this diffident, dreamy film is so insubstantial it's hard to believe there's a speck of reality to be found in it. Read more

Ella Taylor, NPR: The film's rhythms mimic the volatile emotional life of adolescence: the violent rushes between euphoria and despair, the overconfident contempt for adults mixed with regressive dependence when things fall apart. Read more

Farran Smith Nehme, New York Post: The question is why this incident seemed worth dramatizing, especially in such a dreamily romanti-cized way - with perfect pregnancies and friendly baby daddies. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: The film captures a moment when irrationality and romantic self-delusion go viral -- and the difficulty of containing such elements. Read more

David Fear, Time Out: Plays like the most lyrical after-school special ever; it gives lip service to the teens' anxieties and euphoria while threading in the occasional swoonworthy image. Read more

Boyd van Hoeij, Variety: Impressively, the rookie scribe-helmers' sense of equilibrium is unerring and also surprisingly subtle. Read more

Thembi Ford, Village Voice: A lot of style, but not much substance. Read more