How to Deal (2003)

A teenager (Moore), disillusioned by too many examples of love gone wrong, refuses to believe that true love exists. Then this new guy (Ford) comes along...

Director:

Clare Kilner

Writers:

Sarah Dessen (novels), Nena Beeber (screenplay) (as Neena Beber)

Stars:

Mandy Moore, Trent Ford, Dylan Baker

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mandy Moore	...	Halley Martin
Allison Janney	...	Lydia Martin
Trent Ford	...	Macon Forrester
Alexandra Holden	...	Scarlett Smith
Dylan Baker	...	Steve Beckwith
Nina Foch	...	Grandma Halley
Mackenzie Astin	...	Lewis Warsher
Connie Ray	...	Marion Smith
Mary Catherine Garrison	...	Ashley Martin
Sonja Smits	...	Carol Warsher
Laura Catalano	...	Lorna Queen
Ray Kahnert	...	Donald Sherwood
Andrew Gillies	...	Buck Warsher
John White	...	Michael Sherwood
Alison MacLeod	...	Sharon Sherwood

Storyline

Halley is a young high school student who is disillusioned with love after seeing the many dysfunctional relationships around her. Her parents are now divorced and her father has a new young girlfriend she doesn't care for too much. Her mother is now always alone; and her sister is so overwhelmed by her upcoming wedding that she barely leaves the house anymore. On top of that, the shallowness of all the girls and guys at her school convinces Halley that finding true love is impossible. A tragic accident, however, leads her to meeting Macon, and suddenly Halley finds that true love can occur under unusual circumstances.

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Plot Keywords:

mother | sister | high school | wedding | best friend | 

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Taglines:

A lesson in love for non-believers.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, drug material, language and some thematic elements

Details

Official Sites:

New Line

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 July 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Enamórate

Filming Locations:

Birchmount Collegiate, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$16,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,809,960, 20 July 2003, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$14,108,518, 10 August 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Focus Features,Golden Mean,Radar Pictures

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Last cinema film of Nina Foch.

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Goofs

When Lydia is in the kitchen ranting about her ex-husband, she is chopping carrots. The shot cuts away then cuts back to show her chopping the top off a zucchini. But, when the scene cuts away and back again, she is chopping the carrots again.

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Quotes

Halley: Let's just think of the day my parents divorce went through as "Big Ugly Hat Day".

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Connections

References Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

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Soundtracks

Thinking About Tomorrow
Written by Beth Orton, Ted Barnes, Sebastian Steinberg and Sean Read
Performed by Beth Orton
Courtesy of Heavenly Recordings/Astralwerks/Capitol Records

User Reviews

Nearly perfect for everything it tries to accomplish!

How To Deal was a movie that I, even as a guy highly anticipated long before it's release. With a well-selected and not over-done cast and a promising trailer, I looked forward to seeing Mandy Moore's second leading role in a film. Her performance in A Walk to Remember was excellent reguardless of the fact it was her debut. Allison Janney is another actress I respect, ever since her small role as the grouchy secretary in 10 Things I Hate About You. Her role did not require as much "involvement" as Mandy's and Trent's, but she did well and contributed to this movie's good quality. Trent Ford was a debut and his acting was the bets in the whole movie. I also respect Alexandra Holden, probably the most, because unlike some young actresses like Hilary Duff, she is building up a slow, steady, solid foundation of experience and fame as she climbs up the Hollywood ladder of sucess. I think she will be a very big star by the end of the year.

Anyway, I personally found this to be one of the best movies in a long time. Yes, it was tacky, pervasive and thematic at many times with it's dismissed and glorified themes of teen sex, teen pregnancy and teen drug use but it conveyed itself in a way that has not been used as often lately and in a way that i truly enjoyed.

I don't know if it was the tone, cinematography, costumes, art direction, or a little bit of each which made How to Deal a pleasantly enjoyable movie. It just was in its feeling, that made me and others who enjoyed this movie forget about the abrupt and awkward wrap-up of the story towards the end.

The story is thick in sub-plots, characters, and their problems and relationships to others. This is what made it seem like a less of a thin movie than some may argue it was.

The plot was interesting and almost kept you on the edge of your seat as you watched Hally struggle and hoped things would work out for her.

This movie should have done much better and received better reviews than it did because it was quite a new experience that few appreciated. I give How to Deal an honest, generous 9/10