Daria in 'Is It Fall Yet?' (2000 TV Movie) User Reviews

"Daria" continues to impress

[Self-4 · 9/10 · 29 August 2000]

Being perhaps one of the best teen animated series on television and the only program on MTV that deserves attention of anyone with a bit of intelligence is hard enough but Daria continues to impress its viewers with the release of the first original movie "Is It Fall Yet?" It stars... Daria, a teenage goddess of sarcasm and wit. Along with her sibling, parents, Bohemian friend and the rest of the regular Daria cast, the movie introduces some surprising new developments which I am not going to give away.

Although Daria has a wide audience, most likely, people who watch it are between the ages of 12 and 25. Younger audiences might simply not understand the dialogue (and some of the socio-cultural references) and older folks... well, especially the baby boom generation will find it tough to relate to it. Despite that, if you enjoy a healthy dosage of sarcasm and need to get away from the stupidity around you, I welcome anyone to watch the movie, whether you are new to the show or have been a dedicated fan since the start.

The Summer of Mutual Misery

[Ddey65 · 8/10 · 13 October 2005]

Nobody who has ever seen Beavis and Butt-head could've imagined that the universe of one of the supporting characters would turn out like this. The opening theme is a spoof of those beach blanket movies of the early-1960's, and the theme song can only be described as an anti-Beach Boys song.

Our beloved heroine Daria Morgendorffer(Tracy Grandstaff)spends the summer feeling guilty over how she ended up with Jane's ex-boyfriend Tom, who we find is the son of one of the co-owners of the investment firm Grace, Sloane & Paige. Jane, hoping to escape the turmoil of her relationships with Tom and Daria spends the summer at an artists' colony, which turns out to be populated with a bunch of pretentious snobs. When a tattooed girl named Alison(Alternative rocker Bif Naked)makes sarcastic remarks about a "mentor"(voiced by the Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl), Jane thinks she may've found a new partner-in-crime. Unfortunately, she turns out to want something from Jane that Daria never wanted... her BODY! Fans have often speculated Daria and Jane are closet lesbians, simply because they aren't girly-girls. This movie tries to raise the issue and put it to rest, yet both characters remain lesbian icons in some circles.

Speaking of girly-girls, Daria's normally happy-go-lucky sister Quinn fears her grades are keeping her from attending a party college, and ends up getting a tutor named David Sorenson(former TRL host Carson Daly), who's not as swayed by her good looks and charms as other boys. And though she tries to keep her tutoring a secret, fashion club rival Sandi uses it to try to humiliate her, but as usual this backfires and makes her more popular. When the other girls give him a try, Sorenson realizes that Quinn is the only member of the fashion four who takes his lessons seriously. But what he doesn't realize is that there's more to this than Quinn's desire to get a passing grade... she actually starts to fall in love with him. But does he feel the same? Meanwhile, Jodie Landon and M.J. "Mack" MacKenzie will end up spending another summer apart from each other. Lawndale itself does not realize the misery it'll face when Kevin Thompson and Brittany Taylor are hired as...LIFEGUARDS!!

Like Daria, Anthony DeMartino ends up spending the summer at Mr. O'Neill's summer camp program called the "It's Okay to Cry Corral," and if Daria doesn't have enough of a reason to cry already, she befriends a nerdy angst-filled kid named Link, who's more pessimistic than she is. When Mr. D takes his hatred of Kevin Thompson out on a camp bully with a painting of a football player, he actually becomes popular and respected for the first time since who knows when. And when Mr. D. gets fed up with the touchy-feeliness of the camp and takes the kids on a hike in the woods, his popularity with the kids is sealed.

The longest song ever performed by Mystik Spiral "Freakin' Friends" is a clear plea for Daria & Jane to maintain their friendship. And after seeing Daria secretly harbor(and deny) a crush on Trent in seasons one, two, and much of three, we get to find out how she handles having a boyfriend for real. The only people who would be disappointed with this movie are those who expect Tom to be evil and hope for a street-brawl between him and Trent. Every other Daira fan, will find something they like about it, even if they don't think it's the best Daria episode/movie ever.

Probably not for everyone, but this is a wonderful made for TV movie

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 1 January 2008]

I have a confession. Even though I am an adult and parent of a teen, I watched all the Daria TV shows and movies when they first aired. Apparently, this show aimed at teens is something I could still enjoy--even though I am an old fuddy-duddy! Recently I bought copies of the two Daria movies. I would have bought the entire show, but so far they have not been released! How MTV could do that or allow the shows to have been rebroadcast a few years ago on Noggin (chopped up in many cases as well as only showing about half the episodes) is beyond me.

If you have never seen the DARIA television show or if a cartoon about teens isn't something that would interest you, then you might not particularly love IS IT FALL YET?. However, being a high school teacher and having two teens of my own, this insightful and funny movie is terrific.

At the onset, I need to point out that the quality of the animation for all the DARIA shows and movies is very poor--something typical of almost all the MTV cartoons. However, despite this, the writing is so good and so dead-on that I highly recommend this to anyone--especially those with an irreverent sense of humor.

First let's give a general overview of the main character, then let's discuss the film. Daria is a high schooler who is both very bright and very cognizant that many of her contemporaries are idiots. She and her best friend, Jane, are the definite odd-balls on campus as they have no interest in fitting in and they are just biding their time until they can graduate! Additionally, they spend most of their time together making commentaries about the idiocy of the students and faculty of Lawndale High School--commentaries that are extremely accurate.

This movie is about the summer before their senior year and Daria and Jane's relationship is very strained due to Daria's poor decision to date Jane's ex-boyfriend. Not unexpectedly, most of the summer is spent apart--Jane at an art camp and Daria working as a counselor at a touchy-feely camp run by Mr. O'Neill. The film not only follows their summer, but also that of several other Lawndale High's students as well.

The movie is quite angst-filled as well as very insightful and funny. Teens and parents alike should be able to see a bit of themselves and their classmates in the characters--though of course in an over-the-top manner. For example, while empty-headed jocks are something we all can relate to, finding one as dumb as Kevin is a tough assignment! The only reservations I have at all about the film are the quality of the animation (but I looked past this very quickly and it didn't in any way inhibit my ability to enjoy the movie) and a brief scene involving bisexuality. For teens, this isn't particularly a problem. As a school teacher, I know that teens talk about this a lot--probably too much. But for younger audiences, parents should be aware of this.

Funny, clever and heartwarming

[Rectangular_businessman · 10/10 · 10 April 2013]

While it is not necessary to see any previous episode from "Daria" to enjoy this TV movie, "Is It Fall Yet" serves as a perfect bridge for the chapter "Dye! Dye! My Darling" and the fifth season of the series, giving an appropriate closure for the conflict between Daria, Jane and Tom, which started in the episode "Fire!".

The result is very satisfying, with a funny and heartwarming plot which never turns corny or melodramatic. It also works very well as a moment of character growth for Quinn (Who finally shows that she isn't so shallow as the others think) and Mr. DeMartino, who has the chance to recover his lost love for teaching.

I like the way in which this TV movie recovers the comedy missing from the last two episodes (Which were more serious than the rest of the series) But even with all the sarcastic humor than one could expect from "Daria" this still manages to be uplifting in a convincing manner, being for that reason very pleasant to watch. Personally, I liked it a lot and I consider "Is It Fall Yet?" to be one of the best moments in the entire series.

Charming and funny

[bellebook · 7 September 2000]

I watched the Daria TV-movie "Is It Fall Yet?" primarily because I have a friend from the Internet (won't name names) who loves the show, and urged me to see it -- and to see the episode before it called, "Dye! Dye! My Darling!" (I think that's the title).

So, I taped it and last Tuesday, I watched it. And was it ever fun! The movie features the adventures of Daria, Jane, and the rest of the crew from Lawndale High off on summer vacation. However, it's more about how Jane and Daria try to deal with their relationship, which has been tested thanks to the fact that Jane's romance with Tom Sloane didn't work out and he is now dating Daria (something which begins in the earlier episode). Daria feels torn between Jane and Tom and her cynical attitude and her guilt nearly wreck any possible romance between her and Tom! Fortunately, things work out: Jane gets over her understandable feelings of hurt, Daria doesn't lose her friend, and she and Tom try again in their developing relationship.

As I said, I really enjoyed it. The movie was very smart and funny, and it was rather deep too, as it dealt with a friendship being strained, and a romance strained by the attitude of Daria and by her own guilt. I was glad that the whole thing was resolved -- Daria and Jane emerge from this crisis with a stronger friendship than before, enabling Daria to try again with Tom. A neat subplot deals with Quinn, Daria's sister, and how she learns she has more depth and more intelligence than she may have once realized. Her seeming lack of depth is a mask -- one of the many masks or defensive shields used by characters in this movie, such as Jane and Daria.

In short, I almost wish I had seen the series earlier. I hope to see how things turn out in the fifth season.

Belle Book

Underrated gem

[sarcadam88 · 10/10 · 6 November 2001]

As an avid viewer and huge fan of MTV's show 'Daria,' I was very much looking forward to the Daria movie 'Is It Fall Yet?' when it was announced in Winter 1999. As the fourth season of the show progressed and the underlying storyline became more and more intense until its forte in the season finale, I found I could hardly wait. When I finally did see it, my high expectations were met, to say the least. This was hardly surprising, coming from a show that rarely fails to please. The writing was smart and witty, and the humor was boundless (though some feared it would be nonexistent, as the final episodes of season 4 were much more dramatic). Storylines were tied up and development was everywhere, in some cases rather unexpectedly, and the film works as a great lead-in to Daria's fifth season. The celebrity guest voices were enjoyable as well, though Dave Grohl's didn't seem to add much. The only real complaint was that some of the scenes seemed ultimately unnecessary and took time away from the more "meatier" plot elements, which were much more intriguing. Still, that small complaint is nothing in this extremely enjoyable movie from an extremely enjoyable (and terribly underrated) show. In comparison with the rest of the series, I would rate it a high 9/10, but as a single subject in general, this high-quality MTV-film (is that a paradox...?) deserves a 10/10, just as the show itself does.

Good way to end the season.

[BigChief · 10/10 · 8 September 2000]

Great movie. I'm glad MTV went and promoted one of my all-time favorite shows and produced a movie for it. A great way to end season 4 and keep us waiting to see what will come of it in season 5. What better way to keep people talking about the show, just check the newsgroups or the many various messageboards for the show, and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Wonderful!

[Vilolyn · 10/10 · 27 August 2000]

Since the moment this movie was announced I was more than excited to see it, and after watching it, twice, I am happy to say that it was everything I hoped for. It contained all the wit and originality I have come to love in the Daria series, it tied up a plot string wonderfully, and even went out of it's way to develop the characters a little. I don't want to spoil the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it, but I would like to say how enthusiastic I was that Quinn's character was finally given some development and is beginning to show true strength as a character rather than just being background fluf like her "friends" in the fashion club. The Mystik Spiral video during the intermission (I'm not sure if this'll be included in rebroadcast versions) was also a very nice touch, not to mention the fact that it was great to finally hear a full song of their's rather than just Trent's random ranting. 10 out of 10.

Biting sarcasm

[briancham1994 · 6/10 · 8 August 2020]

This film is part of the Daria TV series, featuring the very sarcastic Daria. The characters are all very funny and while they have strong personality types, this never gets grating or repetitive. The plot is a bit scattershot as it doesn't focus too much on one character.

Daria grows up. Big time.

[MsGeek93 · 10/10 · 29 August 2000]

Not to spoil anyone, but this is definitely the best effort in the 4-season history of "Daria." You should see these episodes of the TV series before you watch this: "I Loathe A Parade", "Fire!" and "Dye! Dye! My Darling!"

Excellent storytelling, dialogue...even the animation looks improved. Great cameo by Dave Grohl, and Carson Daily should seriously consider working in animation voice-over and leaving those screaming girls behind.

If you have pre-conceived notions of "Daria," you are going to have them blown completely and totally away. This might be traumatic to the fans who are absolutely hell-bent on seeing Daria and Trent together. Others should have a lot of fun.

Enjoyable, but does not live up to the source material

[startiger-1 · 6/10 · 15 May 2013]

I was a high schooler int he late 90's when Daria first aired on MTV. I loved the show back then because it hit home for a lot of my high school experience. Now fast forward more than a decade and I found Daria was being streamed on VUDU. I decided to buy the DVD and was surprised to find that there were to made for TV movies that I never knew about.

"Is It Fall Yet?" filled in some of the gaps between seasons. The setup has the classic Daria humor. It is refreshing that they try to add some dept to some of the characters. Getting Jane to see that the art world was not all she thought it would be, giving here something else to by cynical about. Quinn realizing that she is capable of more than the superficiality that she had been used to really help to expand the environment of the show.

However, it is uneven. The series tends to focus the each episode on either the humor, or the emotional ramifications of a character. Here, they try to do both, and don't really make it. The middle of the movie really is not very funny and the ending is not up to the shows normal high standards. The emotional aspects just don't connect as well as they could.

In the end, it is still a good way to use an hour and a half of your life. It is good to finally start seeing more life in some of the secondary characters.

Great Show, fun movie

[atozactor · 8/10 · 28 June 2007]

Okay, so it's "technically" a movie, but it's just a glorified extended episode. And it's great! At this point of the series, the savage, witty writers decided to give more depth to the characters and this was their vehicle to do so. The show was known for its dark humor and fast one liners , and though extremely entertaining, the show was teetering on the edge of becoming monotonous. The decision to add major points of conflict amongst the main characters, Daria and Jane, really helped to shake up the show. This movie picks up at the end of season 4. The school year is over, vacation's begun and Daria and Jane's friendship is on the rocks. Let the lessons be learned! It should also be noted, (if you're not observant or not particularly bright) that this is a bridge between seasons. So you'll want to catch up to know what's going on.

Warning: This IS NOT for everyone... The humor is dry, the humor is quick and if you were ever popular in high school and avoided the library at all costs, you will simply not get this movie or get this show. This was created by outcasts for outcasts. If you ever watched "The Breakfast Club" and rolled your eyes when Ally Sheedy's character got a make-over... you'll probably like this.

oh, man... this is revoltingly unfunny

[notapepper · 1/10 · 2 December 2005]

I suppose that people who rent or buy this Daria movie are probably big fans of the show and will love the flick. As someone who'd just heard recommendations, though, I'm hoping I can help others who may be thinking of watching this catastrophe. I'd like to start off by saying that although I hadn't seen the Daria show before, I thought I would love it. Sarcastic humor is some of my favorite, and my boyfriend, who watched it with me, is a big fan of Beavis and Butt-head. We watched this in the car and I nearly cried at how bad it was. It never once made either of us laugh; however, it did make us groan several times at the fact that it hadn't ended yet (and it's only about an hour long). I ended up skipping through any scene with that perky blonde and her boyfriend because their voices are so grating that you simply can't watch them without risking a migraine. Stupid voices don't equal intelligent comedy, by the way. Nor does a deadpan monotone mean Daria's being clever, especially if what she says is ridiculously unfunny. Oh, what a shocker, the art camp is full of lesbians? This crap was so predictable that I could have written it in high school. I'm guessing anyone who thought this was funny is probably not out of high school, either. After seeing this, there is no way I'm watching Beavis and Butthead either, if only to avoid any more Daria. BLEGH!

As good as Daria gets (I liked it, by the way...)

[drew_graham1 · 14 April 2003]

Having seen Daria only once or twice in its MTV days (and liking it even then), I recently became a REAL fan when I saw the show's reruns on The N (nearly the only reason that station is worth watching). I since sought out the two films, "Is it Fall Yet?" and "Is it College Yet?", I was not disappointed.

After seeing this one, I was immediately taken by the further depth and insight into the characters, particularly the title character, her best friend Jane and her younger sister Quinn. Daria opens up so far as relationships, but by far the best point is Jane's convictions of who she is and the fact that no one is going to change her mind. Outstanding. I always knew there was more to Quinn than the Fashion Club "Depths of Shallowness" (see the episode "Monster") and I was glad to see it come to the surface.

This was a great one, containing all and more of the wit and dry humor of the series. 10/10.

Gripping & Enjoyable

[denis888 · 10/10 · 12 September 2020]

Daria is a difficult fruit to palate. The first five original seasons were a very mixed bag, with real funny parts mingling badly along with some seriously boring, plain weird or terrible dated stuff. So, an idea of a full-time animated movie was a bit of a threatening risk. Could it fall miserably? Could it spelunk? Could it plop and die? It could. And serious;y, the beginning of this Is It Fall Yet feature was very unconvincing and downright dour. The deadpan delivery and slow pace seemed to kill the film outright. Luckily, the pace revved up and started to gain greater momentum. Daria, Qui nn. Tom, Jane, kids, teachers all started to seem better and better with each minute. And a huge sarcastic fun came in aplenty. Excellent jabs at arts world, rich society, identity crisis, kids camps, shallow parentage, stupid decisions, gay romance, teenage angst and naive worldview all come galore and with an marvelous sense of measure. All in all, the elements fall into place seamlessly and provide a vast array of fun and wit. A huge step ahead and a vast wide improvement over old seines.

America's sweetheart is back!!

[jak981125 · 31 August 2000]

No one but the Daria crew could touch real life like this In the movie, Daria and company spend an all too short summer break dealing with life. Daria, Quinn, and Jane in particular must re-evaluate their lives and relationships. What they find is the true nature of themselves and those who touch their lives. Daria and Jane find the depth of their friendship. Daria adjusts to dating. And Quinn realizes the neglect of her mind and her true feelings. All this without getting sappy once! Oh yes, and it's really funny too. This is a four star flick that's not to be missed.

Hilarious

[butterflydmg · 30 August 2000]

That movie was pretty damn funny! I was so glad to see that Daria had her own made for TV movie. I think that if you like sarcastic, sassy, brains you will love Daria. If you love QBs, cheerleaders, unintelligent life, annoying, prissy, fashionable people you are crazy and you'll love everyone else that pollute Lawndale!

The best thing MTV has ever had its logo on.

[Victor Field · 9 February 2003]

"Daria," as I've said before, stood out like a rose in a cesspool among MTV's lineup. This TV movie from the fourth season takes a standard gambit in teen movies - the summer vacation - and turns it into a hilarious and sensitive tale that (unlike "Is It College Yet?," the feature-length series finale) has no padding whatsoever, and all the better for it.

"Is It Fall Yet?" has everyone's favourite introvert shanghaied into serving as a counsellor at Mr. O'Neill's It's OK To Cry Corral ("What about my feelings? What about my rights?... What about my bribe?"), while her sister Quinn spends the summer under tutorship to the horror of her Fashion Club friends; meanwhile, Kevin and Brittany are lifeguards (!), Mack is working off a debt to his father while Jody is doing pretty much everything under the sun, and Jane's going to an art colony where, among other things that bother her, she gets hit on by another woman. Not that Daria's own love life is too peaceful, with her relationship with Tom going through a rough patch...

"Daria: The Movie" (as it's also called) is the show at its best; not only is it as effective in showing us what it's like for the unpopular, non-mainstream kids as ever, but this time it actually gives Quinn some development - she and Daria are closer here than they've ever been. I've always liked Daria, but for the first time I actually found myself feeling for Quinn as well; just one of many pleasures from this TV movie. Ironic, well observed and with a merciful lack of the self-adoration that so often blights MTV, this is a treat for series fans... and even some others may find themselves agreeing with how Miss Morgendorffer concluded one episode - "You gotta admit, there are some pretty choice moments."

what i was expecting

[matchbox · 28 August 2000]

clever, as is anything daria-related. it was nice to finally see daria head out into the dating scene. i think this movie helped to show just why daria and jane are friends, and was hilarious in the process. it's always nice to see MTV do something SMART once and a while. i really didn't see ANY downside to this movie at all- it was even funnier than most episodes. and it gave the daria crew a chance to grow up a little more.

My favorite show making my favorite movie! may have spoilers

[Kikilunet · 12 September 2000]

I have one word for it: wonderful. Being a teen myself I can relate to Daria- an outcast from the "popular people". She realizes people can have depth...that everything doesn't have to revolve around sports or fashion. And now...things changing for her. The closest thing to real life in a cartoon. I didn't really like the part about the art colony, it just kinda bugged me how no one really recognized Jane as an artist. (And weren't her paintings kind of all the same?) I liked the Tom/Daria plot, and how Mystik Spiral got a full video in between the premiere. Freakin' Friends! And I'm glad that Quinn is revealed to be not as shallow as she seems. Great Cameos by Bif Naked, Carson Daly, and Dave Grohl. Two thumbs way up- I wish everything MTV did was this good.