Dramarama

This movie is a hidden gem. Heartwarming story of a group of drama nerds (I was just like them !) getting together at the end of summer befire going their separate ways. Funny, sad, heartwarming. Really enjoyable. I totally related to the characters. Great acting. Great production value and entertaining. Highly recommend.

Okay so this movie is super specific (Christian drama nerds) but OMG did it hit me! Sooooo good. Uggggh. All the in-fighting and secret crushes and pretending to be adults but still clearly totally naive...Yeah. It me. The whole cast slays, but extra shout out to Danielle Kay and Nick Pugliese. I expect we'll see great things from them.

7/10 - I feel very conflicted on this one because on the one hand, I really resonated with it and thought it was a beautiful movie that captures the transition at the end of high school, but I also felt that the execution lacked in several places.

This little movie is so sweet and funny. It feels more like a portrait of actual teenagers more than 99% of what I see on TV. (I love "Euphoria," but have yet to meet any real-life teen like those characters!) This is a true indie gem.

Dramarama is a delight for audiences of all age groups. If you grew up in the 1980s and 1990s you will immensely love all of the clever pop culture references. The introspective qualities of Gene the main protagonist, are akin to those of Angela Chase in "My So-Called Life" or Kevin Arnold in "The Wonder Years." Even if you did not come of age during this time period the film captures the awkward, messy, and complex elements of friendship that are a part of adolescence regardless of the time period one came of age in. A stellar performance all around by a superb ensemble of young people who strike the perfect balance of both serious and comedic acting.

If you want all the feels flowing back from those teenage years, this is the movie for you. It captures small town drama teens perfectly. All the actors are super charming, and the nostalgic vibes are off the charts. A well-made indie gem.

I totally relate to this movie in so many ways! It's so heartfelt and hilarious! I love all these characters! Even the cool guy. (I'm not sure I'm supposed to have empathy for him because he's a bit jerk-ish to the core group of friends, but I do.) When is the sequel or TV series coming out? I want to know what happens to them all! They all felt so much like REAL friends, not fake constructed friends like "90210." Their intense teenage dynamics that can change on a dime; their goofy, impulsive play; their heartbreaks and connections - all so genuinely portrayed and written. All the secrets they hold, and how (and if!) they are revealed to each other, make for good plot twists, surprises, and suspense. Small, wonderful cast - all excellent! It's OK if you don't get all the 90s references - I didn't! Even if I didn't always get them, I was laughing because the cast made the lines so funny. And this dramedy lets you laugh without guilt! There really are no crushing jokes at someone else's expense and the serious scenes don't rob you of the joy you had moments before. This movie will pull at your heartstrings at times, but not in obvious "cue-the-tears" ways, thank goodness. Even though the movie is set in a middle-class suburb, Dramarama captures the uncertainty and excitement of that critical cusp-y time in our lives between adolescence and adulthood that I think is a commonly-shared experience across geographic, ethnic, and economic strata. While the individual details of our personal human development may differ, most of us probably grappled with aspects of our identity, started to question our beliefs and those we were raised with and around, and delighted in the dreams of our future during our "pre-adult" age. Whether you're going through this stage now (or soon!) or you're looking back on it, this movie gives you both levity and perspective on the journey through it. This movie hits every mark! Including a great soundtrack! Totally worth the watch! (I've watched this movie a few times already!) I'm all, "This movie is so rad!"

This is a film about a group of painfully dysfunctional, emotionally stunted high school students taking leave of each other. It is so stilted, dull, and embarrassing that I didn't know where to look. Nerdy kids (I was one) don't look or behave like this: these characters are practically religious zealots who pride themselves on never having had physical contact with another person!--certainly not in the 1994 California setting. The pain felt by the one kid coming out in this bizarre theo-dramatic atmosphere was the only thing that had any genuine resonance. Had it been set in 1974 rather than 1994--and somewhere else, it might been a bit more plausible, but as is, it is simply an exhausting, frustrating misfire.

This film took me right back into my (awkward) high school years in a way that was really sweet and unexpected. The actors are all so good - especially Danielle Kay and Nick Pugliese. I laughed out loud so many times and definitely got a lump in my throat in the last scene. It all just felt so genuine. Definitely not your typical coming-of-age film.