Rating: R
Genre:
Drama
Theatrical Release: 02/14/2003(USA
Release Date: 08/19/2003
SubTitles: French/Por/Espanol
Dubbed: English
Sound: DD5.1
Run Time: 108 Minutes
Flags: Brief Nudity, Profanity, Sexual Situations
Distributor/Studio: Columbia TriStar
David Gordon Green, who in 2000 made a splash on the festival circuit with his independent debut feature,
George Washington, directed this
drama about two people entering into a mature romantic relationship -- the sort that neither has been accustomed to.
Paul (
Paul Schneider) is a guy in his mid-'20s who lives in a small Southern town, where he earn a living fixing cars for his uncle. A man with little in the way of ambition,
Paul still lives with his mother,
Elvira (
Patricia Clarkson), and still hangs out with his best friend from high school, rowdy
Tip (
Shea Whigham), and their buddies
Bo (
Maurice Compte) and
Bust-Ass (
Danny McBride). Among his friends,
Paul has a reputation as a ladies' man, but he's not at all good with long-term relationships; most of
Paul's romances last only a few weeks, and he's slept with nearly every girl in town who's worth having. Deep down inside,
Paul senses that he would like to lead a different life, and that feeling becomes all the more clear when he meets
Noel (
Zooey Deschanel),
Tip's teenage sister who has come back home after attending a boarding school.
Noel is smarter and deeper than the girls
Paul is used to, while
Noel is taken with his charm, wit, and down-to-earth nature.
Paul and
Noel soon fall in love, but for
Paul this is a different sort of relationship than he's accustomed to --
Noel is still a virgin, and her contemplative nature gives him a desire to be a better, stronger person. However,
Tip doesn't approve of
Paul dating his younger sister, which leads to a rift between these longtime friends.
All the Real Girls was awarded a Special Jury Prize at the
2003 Sundance Film Festival;
Patricia Clarkson's performance was also cited by the jury.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
