SYNOPSICS
The Wise Kids (2011) is a English movie. Stephen Cone has directed this movie. Molly Kunz,Eric Hulsebos,Tyler Ross,Frank Stennett are the starring of this movie. It was released in 2011. The Wise Kids (2011) is considered one of the best Drama movie in India and around the world.
A vivid, dynamic Southern coming-of-age drama, takes place in the transitional space between high school and college, when life seems to be all questions and no answers, and the future is scarily wide open. Set in and around a Charleston, SC Baptist church, weaving through this ensemble piece are three main characters - Brea, an introspective pastor's daughter experiencing debilitating doubt, the hyperactive Laura, Brea's best friend and a devout believer, and Tim, the open-hearted son of a single father, confronting his homosexuality for the first time. Tensions and buried feelings abound, as colleges are chosen and adults behave badly, as Brea, Laura and Tim attempt to hang onto what they have, all the while yearning to break free.
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The Wise Kids (2011) Reviews
Amazing, Wise and Authentic
I was able to see this deeply moving picture at a film festival in Australia. Rarely do films touch upon the human spirit in such a real and raw way while maintaining a gentle quality. This amazing film somehow managed to hit upon some very real issues of faith in a way that were both authentic and unique. A group of high school students who are members of a church youth group are preparing to begin their adult lives. They are in the process of figuring out who they are and why they believe what they do. Where does ones faith come from? How do parents and churches influence those who grow up in a faith community? What happens when kids observe that the real world does not always gel with everything that was taught? What happens when a person who is a dedicated Christian is also comfortable and honest about their personal discovery that they are also gay? Can a person have a crisis of faith, and that crisis lead to a new and better understanding of God? These are some of the questions that are explored in the film. I've never seen anything like the subject matter covered here. Layered upon the backdrop of the kids in the youth group are the struggles of the youth pastor and his wife -- portrayed in a way that will move anyone with a heart to tears. Their storyline is an amazing revelation of the pain and suffering that happens when a church's doctrine is not based upon the reality of the human condition. It was riveting. This movie shows that life is not one big "get out of jail free" card for Christian high school students. Their problems may be different to their secular counterparts but they are none- the-less real. This movie shows good and decent kids dealing with the real world situations that their pastors and parents would rather not discuss. They are wise because they deal with the reality of the world through logic and reason instead of through man made doctrine. The subject matter is brave. This movie pulled me into its center. By the end I cared deeply for every one of the characters -- all for different reasons. It is a profoundly humanizing movie full of believable characters. If you have been looking for something touching and rare, I would highly recommend this film.
A fantastic movie
Wow. Movies don't get much better than this little gem. The setting - a small, very close-knit, conservative Baptist Church in the American Deep South, more than one of whose members turns out to be gay - may be off-putting to some, but perhaps others will get past contemporary stereotypes and discover this wonderful little movie - because nothing in The Wise Kids is either predictable or stereotyped. None of the characters are one-dimensional villains or good guys, gays don't hate Christians and Christians don't hate gays, homos and heteros get along okay - and yet (and this is the movie's most astounding accomplishment) every person in it is real and complex and nobody gets shoehorned into a false and creepy "let's all just love one another" box. These are real people, doing what real people do in tough situations. Not ranting at each other like the morons on talk radio and in government but living together, working through their differences instead of using the differences to attack each other. Without ever being the least bit sappy or manipulative or simplistic, this movie shows what love is: Loving is hard most of the time, and it hurts - a LOT - sometimes, but it's worth every tear and every drop of blood it costs. This is a fantastic movie. The actors are great, every last one of them (although Allison Torem as Laura is electrifying, the steady, pulsing heart of the movie); the story and dialog are smart without ever seeming to be smart, interesting and entertaining without ever being mindless: just people talking to each other about things that matter to them; and the direction by Stephen Cone - pulling all of this together so beautifully and so powerfully, while writing AND producing AND acting one of the main roles - is just astounding. I cannot praise this movie highly enough or recommend it enthusiastically enough. It deserves far more recognition than it will ever get.
Could have been so much more
The Wise Kids, though a fairly good film, leaves me feeling disappointed. I did have high hopes for this and I must admit, they weren't quite met. Here's why. The film, I believe, has two (debatably three) strong and convincing characters and performances: Tim, Bree (and Austin). The rest are hampered with unconvincing acting and iffy dialogue - the guiltiest party being Laura. Austin comes to by the end, but Tim and Bree were the only consistent characters and also, I'd say, the only believable relationship. Which moves onto the next point: relationships. For a film about community, more exposition and depth was required with the full cast of characters and their respective roles within the community (Bree's father, the old woman and the atheist woman spring to the forefront of my mind but all of them, to be honest) More time should have been spent with them and explaining more about them. This applies to both lead and secondary characters - Tim and Bree are good characters, yes, but not perfect. Certainly, more was needed on the the three main characters' relationship as a whole - more focus was required with that. As a result of this lack of depth, the ending feels weak and unsatisfying; since things aren't properly secured down at the start, it's a lot more difficult for it to be at the end. This is where The Wise Kids needs to prioritise. It often focuses on less important plot points where it should be explaining more we need to know (such as their aforementioned relationships and situations, such as whenever Tim came out to his dad, and the biggest of all: Tim's absent mother - a HUGE hole in the film) So basically, it needs more depth. It isn't a shallow film by any means, I certainly think it has it's heart in the right place with regards to it's themes and the film as a whole, but it did require more depth for both to work properly. As I said, I was very much drawn into Bree and Tim. I think the film required a bit more with them but with the time they were given, they were great and what actually made the film worth watching. Certainly The Wise Kids' strongest element. Yet I can't and won't shy away from the fact that I still felt unsatisfied, as much as it disappoints me to say. The film just needed more attention and focus both from the director and in the editing room. I wish there was more discussion (I do quite crave it) but unfortunately, not many people have seen this. Maybe a few more reviews can get the ball rolling!
Wise story & kids
A very wise alternative for teens, and parents, looking for more than the standard collection of Christmas holiday cartoons and films. The title has a clear tie-in with the film, but then gets multiple meanings added to it throughout. There's no lingering or dwelling upon it. The story moves quickly along and stays adventurous. Whether you interpret it as a setup for a sequel or a seed planter, the ending is a masterpiece. It's not a simple wrap-up that lets you disregard the rest of the film. Instead, it reinforces emphasis on the story as a whole. It's main weaknesses are mostly budget related. It has the made for TV look (though the camera angles and work are still excellent), would have benefited greatly from a couple better actors/castings in the adult roles (the main 3 kids all show exceptional skill), and about 5 more minutes of plot development and scene pauses/extensions throughout the film to help reinforce critical parts that less focused people may otherwise miss.
Lovely Movie, Very True to Life
This is the best movie ever!! I grew up in South Carolina, where the movie is set (graduated from high school in 1998), and this movie felt a little like stepping into my half-forgotten past - it was so closely observed. There's something thick about the atmosphere in the South that I grew up in, like you could cut it with a knife. That's captured in the movie. I identified a lot with the three "wise kids," especially Brea. The movie's subject matter is weighty. Besides the coming-of-age theme, it takes on religious faith. One character in particular may be losing her religion, and the movie makes it clear that this will have implications not only for her personal religious faith but for her relationships with many of the important people in her life. The movie handles the subject in a way that feels honest and true to life. Another actress, Allison Torem, delivers an extremely strong and actually kind of intriguing performance as a devout teenager. This is also a very watchable movie. They don't make many like this one. I'm so glad I stumbled across it!