Odd Girl Out (2005) Reviews

• Dead on. And a sizable minority of boys are like this, too.

  brycecox12006-03-22

  I'm a man. Previously a boy. Except for certain advances in communications technology made since 1982, I had basically the exact same experience as the girl in the movie (with all the genders reversed, of course). For people who have been through an experience as vindictive, drawn-out, thorough, and unrelenting as the experience suffered by the girl in the movie, this will be a movie-watching experience both very painful and very valuable. Perhaps even more so for those of us who didn't have a parent as ideal and understanding as the one in the film. But, for the purposes of the film and its messages, that character is well-designed and serves many useful purposes. This film covers a lot of bases in a lot of ways. It's an impressive accomplishment, seeing as it's impossible to really do justice to the subject matter in the space of a standard film. Very, very impressive. I like hard-hitting, gritty dramas like Requiem For A Dream, Bad Lieutenant, and that sort of thing (also, harsh black comedies like Shallow Grave, Bitter Moon, etc.). This film hit me harder than any of those. Girls can be as visibly and simply and physically violent as the stereotypical boys (e.g., the tormentors and killers of Reena Virk in British Columbia, Canada). And boys can be as invisibly and complexly and non-physically violent as the stereotypical girls. It's not a simple world out there. And it has a lot of barbarians in it. Male and female. And they don't all fit within the usual gender roles. There are plenty of masculine, heterosexual evil boys who behave like evil girls -- because they know it's tougher to get caught that way and that the damage done is deeper; in other words, the smarter ones use more complex and indirect methods. And everyone is far less aware of them than the big, dumb, loud, physically-violent ones -- indeed they likely never get caught because their male victims wouldn't be manly/masculine/tough/cool/honourable/etc. if they were to complain about it or admit to being bothered by it or to cry about it, would they? Just show me all the girls who lust after and fall in love with men who cry about getting bullied. Oh, that's right, there aren't any -- they're too busy fawning over the thoughtful, intelligent, emotionally-literate, understanding Alpha-male goons who are beating those other guys up. Sorry, I forgot. It's frequently unlike the stereotype of "boy beats guy up, and it's over -- simple." And in those cases, it's particularly damaging when you've been socialized into the idiotic philistine social orthodoxy of boys not being allowed to cry, and boys have to keep a stiff upper lip and hide and suppress their feelings. Anyway.... the film accomplishes its goals and its messages beautifully. 9-outta-10.

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• If you have been through it....you understand it

  monkey42502006-03-25

  I watched this movie the first night it was shown on lifetime....and I cried....I am Vanessa....I am an odd girl out....I have been made fun of...humiliated....teased.....and every single thing that Vanessa went through/ did I have went through and I have done....I think everything in this movie was done perfectly. It shows girls that high school is hell and you have to know how to deal with it. Girls are mean and they will be mean no matter what...I am a senior in high school with less than 3 months left and people still start with me for no reason and try to bring me down. I was amazed at this movie and I think every teenage girl should watch this. Especially those that bully/tease....they need to realize that they are NOT perfect what so ever...and that all of the teasing they do can have horrible effects. It wont stop any of them...but maybe they would be a little less harsh or at least have some sympathy.

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• It's idle evil, Charlie Brown!

  Pro Jury2005-04-09

  Superior made-for-TV effort. The director, an experienced horror flick maker, has a field day playing with the evil that is produced from warehousing many unwanted kids in government run schools. There is haunting music, harsh lighting and sinister dark shadows in most every school scene. The actors all play their parts well. The drama and emotions are driven far beyond the limits of most TV movies. I watched this film with a young adult who was recently teased and shunned by her group of friends. Wow, did ODD GIRL OUT ever hit a raw nerve with her, and judging from comments posted by other viewers, it has the power to expose deep hurts in many other viewers as well. Along with the art and drama, there are many super-nice female forms to appreciate. Excellent job LIFETIME Channel!

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• I was surprised

  bd-382006-05-19

  I usually have much fun in deriding all of the bad Lifetime movies that my wife watches all the time. I caught this one about 15 minutes in, and kept watching too. It was pretty good. The acting is decent, and the director and writer do a good job of spacing out and escalating the bullying that the girl endures. I thought it was also good how the main character, as she keeps getting bullied, continues to try to find a way back into her crowd. Because, it's realistic. People put up with all kinds of crap to get accepted into a clique. And, the mom's performance was solid too, realizing too late but trying everything she could be figure out why her daughter was getting more and more upset. Good flick. I'd watch it again.

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• Girls are mean.

  isabel90132006-04-23

  I found some of these comments to be really offensive. Just because you are in high school does not mean you know everything going on within the walls. So what if you're secure with yourself and your relationship with others? That's you, that's not EVERY single person in the ENTIRE high school. This movie really sent me a message to stop being mean to others because you can really affect them so much to where they want to do some dark things to themselves, such as suicide. Bullying among students is a PROBLEM that needs to be fixed. Things like this really do happen, as hard as it is to believe. People really do get called sluts when they probably haven't even done anything remotely 'sluttish'. People make up things and these things get spread. Obviously this is hard to believe for some of you because you seem unable to comprehend the fact that this isn't make believe. I thought this movie was fantastic and it really sends a message to everyone that you need to treat others the way you want to be treated. I even cried a few times during this movie. I encourage mothers and daughters to watch this movie together. It's a really good rent.

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