My Horrible Year! (2001) (TV)

Director:

Eric Stoltz

Writer:

P.J. McIlvaine (written by)

Release Date:

4 July 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

A teenage girl plots to keep her parents' marriage together, erroneously thinking they're considering divorce.

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Karen Allen	...	Belinda Faulkner
Allison Mack	...	Nicola 'Nik' Faulkner
Caterina Scorsone	...	'Babyface' Hamilton
Dan Petronijevic	...	Eugene 'Mouse' Donovan
J. Adam Brown	...	Zack Bomback
Jack Duffy	...	Mr. Birdwell
Francesca Scorsone	...	Edwina Funkhouser
Brian Heighton	...	Donald Faulkner
Bret Hart	...	Himself
Jackie Laidlaw	...	Slow Moving Nun
Nicholas Carella	...	Wrestling Store Employee
Sandi Stahlbrand	...	Female Reporter
Mary Wall	...	Sarah Jane
Eric Stoltz	...	Uncle Charlie
Mimi Rogers	...	Aunt Marion

Also Known As:

Annus Horribilis (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language.

Runtime:

92 min | Germany:88 min

Country:

USA

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Finland:K-3 | Australia:PG | Germany:6 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Millbrook Farm Productions

Quotes:

Nik Faulkner: Procrastination is way under rated.

Unabashed delightful fun, like those old John Hughes movies.

A neat little story with great acting, music, and camera stuff all supported by a distinct style that spells terrific fun. It's obvious that the actors had a good time making this film, and I had a blast watching it. It brought to mind Pretty in Pink and those delightfully light footed old John Hughes movies that had a big heart (but not a sappy one) at it's centerpiece. This is a very well cast film too, the ads would have you believe that Mimi Rogers and Karen Allen are the leads, but it's really the girl who plays Nick's story, and she holds it together splendidly as a teenager trying to save her parents marriage. The kids don't bitch and moan, they don't hate their parents, they just want to have fun and they do, in spite of all that happens in the story. The supporting roles of Babyface and Mouse and the parents and the great crusty old teacher `Mr. Birdwell' are good too. Only drawbacks of the story involve the slightly tired out "Will my parents get divorced' side plot, but extra points for the main character being a role refreshingly void of any typical pitfalls related to teenage girls of most recent movies- these girls aren't sex kittens or rebelious ‘tough kids'- they are smart and fun and a delight to watch.

Beyond that, this film is also very funny. My brother and I laughed a lot, and each scene flows into the next with ease. I particularly liked that these kids read books and seemed to really care about each other, and look forward to renting it and watching it again.