STANDING TALL

STANDING TALL REVIEWED

“Standing Tall” is a bizarre film. Imagine “Boyhood” if the main character grew up in halfway homes and juvenile detention centers. I’m not sure if the French meant for this film to be uplifting. What I saw was a slight starring piece for Catherine Deneuve, as she had to watch young lives go to squalor. But, guess what? Our little thug meets a girl that will change his world. After spending an hour with this depressing movie, I was never happier for a Manic Pixie Dream Girl. If you can handle that swift tonal change, then the film will work for you. Honestly, I found myself drawn to Deneuve during the film. She is the entry point for the audience and I buy her depression working with these troubled kids. I just wish that the main kid was worth all of this attention. I’d like to see an American take on this material, but it’d either end up as melodrama or a Dick Wolf TV show. Nuance is lost on modern America. Take that for what you will, but I enjoyed the movie.

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