A person of high intelligence struggles to make sense of the world as it relates to morality, relationships, sex and leaving her apartment.

Plot Synopsis:
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penink-13398 from Towanda, NY
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I was so excited to see this film at the Toronto filmfest last week. You might enjoy it because it's very funny - a hyper verbal genius, 19 and a year out of college, taking on the hypocrisies of adulthood, and sparring with therapist (Nathan Lane) and some other interesting characters. Some of the jokes were dry and some more obvious. But there's a lot to make you think besides just laughing. I enjoyed seeing 19-yar-old Carrie's beliefs challenged in so many different ways. She sets out to expose a few "cheaters" in society but is surprised to find the situations not as black and white as she thought. Isn't that what we all learn as we grow? Ultimately she does the right thing, but it's not always easy. I am leaving out the spoilers but I just want to say that you will be surprised by a few of the twists and turns. I haven't read the book it's based on so I can't compare it to that, but I will say that it's funny, charming and I LOVE the actors. I think this movie will do well with an audience like me, recent college grads and maybe 20s/30s. Can't wait till its in theaters so I can bring friends!

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Raven-1969 from Miami
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Carrie is a young Harvard graduate, healthy and pretty, and she lives in a New York City apartment paid for by her Dad. Despite such advantages, she is crippled by fear and insecurity. Stung by human cruelty and indifference, Carrie has become cynical, defensive and a loner without a job or purpose. Her fastidious nature only digs more holes for herself. Luckily, Carrie's therapist has a plan to get her out of the funk. Despite the straightforward and simple nature of the plan which requires that Carrie merely re-read a favorite book, find a friend, go on a date, get a pet and do something she loved as a child, Carrie balks, struggles and finds snarky ways to cut corners. Though Carrie struggles, the plan begins to work its magic in getting her to engage with the world again. She finds that the source of her pain is also the source of her strength.

The main actor, Bel Powley, is charming and a wonder to watch. The dialogue is sharp and funny. I loved the theme of the story; a good person who is wounded emotionally and struggling with their innate power. In Carrie there is this timeless hero myth retold from a female perspective for a change. It is refreshing. The film is based on a book of the same name. The film gets a little clunky when it relies too heavily on lines. It then has a preordained quality like lemmings going to the sea. Overall, though, it is alluring and clever. Seen at the Miami International Film Festival.

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plupu66 from Canada
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Every year I see some films at the Toronto Film Festival. I usually avoid American films, but this year, Carrie Pilby had an intriguing premise and, what the hell, the Cohen brothers and Alexandre Payne are also American and they make excellent movies. So I decided to renounce my no-American films prejudice and ... I got to regret spending 2 hours and $22 that I will never get back. As I said, a very interesting premise - an exceptionally bright young woman's quest for fitting in and for finding her way. It was such a lost opportunity! Mediocre acting (I have seen better in sitcoms), hardly any character build-up, formulaic situations with formulaic and oh-so-predictable resolutions. In order to remind us that the main character was extremely brilliant they made her drop names (Kierkegaard, Camus and Salinger) and mention in passing that she reads 20 books or so in a single week. Other than that, she did not come across as bright or, at least, special in any way, even if they made her speak with a British accent. It was such a mediocre, run of the mill, formulaic, predictable film that they did not even miss the chance to lecture us - insistently and at a great length - what constitutes an acceptable sexual relationship and what does not. (Don't get excited, no nudity.) Oh, and in order to use all cookie-cutter trademarks of an American B movie, they also had some cool and oh so cute guys hitting on our genius girl. Sigh! PS: If you are into sugary romantic flicks, do watch it, but don't spend $22 to see it at a festival - they have these movies every day on most TV movie channels.

f rated|based on book|

AKAs Titles:


Certifications:
Philippines:R-13 / Singapore:PG13 / UK:12