Although Mandy Moore enjoyed success on the pop scene a few years back, and may attract younger girls because of this, this is definitely not for them. The coming of age story is about a teenage girl learning how to deal with the ups and downs of life including divorce, a friend's boyfriend's sudden death on a soccer field, teenage pregnancy, parents dating and remarrying, a pot smoking grandmother, a horrific car accident, snobby potential in laws, and the meaning of love. The girl is afraid to let love in her life. A really good looking young man pursues her, but he's kind of a lost soul as well. He brings her to a dope smoking New Year's Eve party and tries to get her to go all the way. The movie jumps all over the place as this teenage soap opera's ending is nearly nonsensical. The saving grace to all of this are the adult actors, particularly Allison Janney, who transcend the movie.
I remember watching this movie as a teen and I loved it. It was a nice mix of the books Someone Like You and That Summer by Sarah Dessen. Sure most parents think it isn't appropriate because of the sexual context and alcohol/drug use however if you look into the lives of teens, this is something they come across and face. Not all will but a good portion will feel certain pressures and feel that this movie shows that.
For those who haven't seen it here is a film rundown:
It is about a girl named Halley whose best friend Scarlett is pregnant. Her friends boyfriend dies and leaves her a soon to be single mom. Halley herself goes through changes, finding love and losing love, having a changing relationship with her mother (Allison Janney's character) and seeing the changes in her friend as she moves through her pregnancy. She has different pressures that affect her life including the relationship with her new boyfriend Macon. She does at the end, realize she has been the same girl all along and is just filling in the colours of her life.