I Like Movies (2022) User Reviews

More drama and less comedy than I expected

[steiner-sam · 7/10 · 19 March 2023]

It's a Canadian comedy-drama set in 2003, primarily in Burlington, Ontario, with a few scenes at the end in Ottawa. It follows a teenager in the last year of high school obsessed with Saturday Night Live and commercial movies but is socially inept.

Lawrence Kweller (Isaiah Lehtinen) is a pudgy, smart-mouthed teenager who attends a large high school in Burlington, Ontario (a suburb of Hamilton, Ontario, on the Toronto side). He lives with his single mom (Krista Bridges); his father's absence is explained partway through the film. His best friend, Matt (Percy Hynes White), and Lawrence spend every Saturday night (Rejection Night) watching Saturday Night Live. They've agreed to produce the school's yearend memory movie but have trouble getting started and get in trouble with their teacher (Anand Rajaram). Nevertheless, Lawrence dreams of getting into the film program at New York University, despite the cost being far beyond his family's means.

The film follows Lawrence's efforts to make money for university by working at the local outlet of a big-chain video store. He becomes enamored with his manager, Alana (Romina D'Ugo), who is attractive but pushing age 30. His friendship with Matt changes because of his work schedule and Matt's decision with an accomplished female classmate (Eden Cupid), who is an experienced film editor. The film climaxes with a crisis at the video store and Lawrence's ultimate post-secondary decision.

"I like Movies" was more drama and less comedy than I expected. The dialogue was well-done, and Lawrence's personality was a teenager with whom you could develop a real love-hate relationship. Isaiah Lehtinen, Krista Bridges, and Romina D'Ugo were excellent. Eden Cupid was outstanding in a minor role. However, I found the film's ending too facile to be believable and the film's opening a bit jarring. The core storyline was good, though Lawrence was more naive about university than someone knowing the details of NYU's film program would be.

The protagonist is not likeable enough to get away with this behavior

[miless-49621 · 7/10 · 16 June 2023]

This is a charming project in theory, but as the film goes along it becomes harder and harder to like the protagonist. Sure, his dad died, but he's a total jerk to everyone around him without any provocation whatsoever. He should show much more character development much earlier in the movie.

Frankly, i understand the type of stress he's going through, but i don't like the stereotype of a mentally ill person behaving chaotically while everyone around them is trying their best to be nice. This is a hollywood stereotype that basically never happens in real life, and the reality is that people don't keep acting like this unless others are bullying/abusing them, and that's really not happening.

The film in general would be much better if there were real pressing reasons for him to act these ways, because i don't think leaning on/fetishizing teen angst is a good way for the script to fill itself out.

The climax of the film is just a bunch of arguments and bad behavior when it should have been nice, and by the time we get to the uplifting segments. It's too little too late, because the protagonist still has not experienced any character development. The only thing that's changed is his haircut and the people around him, and it's utterly implausible that these pretty girls would be talking to him. This isn't because he's overweight, in fact i think his appearance is generally fine, but his personality in this film is just utter trash.

I Like This Movie!

[findraft-197-713312 · 8/10 · 12 March 2023]

I loved this little Canadian-made film! It's a great nerd-coming-of-age story. Even though I'm way older than any of the characters in this movie, it still somehow connected with me on the emotional level numerous times. The script is great and the acting is excellent, performed by a well-cast ensemble group. Isaiah Lehtinen did a great job in the lead. I now have a huge crush on Romina D'Ugo! The washed-out suburban no-name locations were a perfect fit for that particular story. Writer-Director Chandler Levack has a great future ahead of her. I would recommend this film to anyone who loves movies!

Great title! Some great dialogues. But ultimately not extraordinary.

[imseeg · 11 June 2023]

This movie had the title going for it. The storyline sounded interesting as well: back to the days of the video store, which only folks above 30 will probably remember.

More good: the dialogues were interesting as well, with many namedrops of classic movies from the past.

The characters were kinda interesting, but there the good news ended, because the actors were lacking in actor's chemistry. They for sure werent terrible actors, merely just not charismatic enough to carry this movie.

Half way through I began to get somewhat irritated by these actors, who usually would only star in cheaply produced television movies.

Not terrible, but certainly not recommended either...

Film lovers are sick people

[iknafilms · 7/10 · 15 July 2023]

Watching this film, I couldn't help but forgive its shortcomings. It was clearly made on a shoestring budget, with unremarkable locations and occasionally amateurish performances. However, the story's universal appeal overshadowed these flaws. As a film lover and someone who struggles with socializing, I found myself deeply moved and able to relate. The film tackles the theme of moving on and growing up, a familiar territory in cinema. Despite lacking groundbreaking elements, it exudes a nostalgic charm that captivates. The writing, direction, and acting are surprisingly strong, which adds to its merit.

Meh

[ultraisaiahsick · 6/10 · 11 June 2023]

Let me get this out of the way: the writing, characters, acting, and storyline were all great. The movie was pretty good. But I just wanted to say that the main character was horrible. I came to this movie for a "socially inept" character but watched probably the most unlikeable and disgusting character ever. I was genuinely impressed by how awful he was. The actor was doing a really good job but dang that dude sucked. He drove down the whole movie for me. I cheered when bad things happened to him. His arc was done pretty bad as well, his change only happening when he didn't get what he wanted. I'm writing this right after my first watch and I really had to think about how bad his arc was done. The change was really sudden to me. That's the thing about the end of this movie-it tricks you into thinking you just saw a really good character do good things with the ending having him finally act like a normal member of society. But after all that, I'd definitely recommend this movie. Maybe don't watch it with your dad like I did but watch it alone because of some things that characters say or do. Also like I said earlier in the review, the actor of Lawrence did really good. Plus we have the same first name so that was cool.

Excellent, low-key '90s-based rites-of-passage dramedy gem from which stars should be born

[danieljfarthing · 9/10 · 13 June 2023]

In excellent, low-key '90s-based rites-of-passage dramedy "I Like Movies" quirky (to almost 'on the spectrum' level) cinephile teen nerd Isaiah Lehtinen (off-the-scale good) dreams of NYU film school from his nondescript Canadian high school while being painfully condascending to those around him (like pal Percy Hynes White & mum Krista Bridges) before rather idolising Romina D'Ugo, his manager at the video-store job that he loves. Debut writer (and director) Chandler Levack EXCELS with his authentic script of genuine characters - all terrifically performed to give it the feel of "Clerks", but more 'real'. Stars should be born from this wonderful gem.

decent enough

[jkrocknroller · 6/10 · 13 June 2023]

If you can get past the first 5 minutes of the film which makes you think you just made a huge mistake, and also get past the opening credits telling you that it's written, directed acted etc. All by the same person (usually not a good sign) and give this little film a chance I think you might be surprised. Entertained even. I was. Story makes sense and moves forward throughout. No huge belly laughs really, but enoyable to watch nonetheless and nostalgic as well. I think the 2 female leads (mom andmanager perfomed the best of the cast, but not complaining about the rest either. It's a (mostly) lighthearted fim That I would give a passing grade.

A Canadian Gem!!

[MikeyB1793 · 8/10 · 20 September 2023]

I found this quirky film a gem. It's authentic, not pretentious.

The main character is wonderfully portrayed - he's lovable, insufferable, a brat, rude - everything that a teenager can be. His relationships with his friends, co-workers and teachers were so real and not contrived a la Hollywood.

Sometimes it goes over the top. Sometimes it's hilarious. It's about the love of movies and teenage dreams of being the next great director.

I give it an 8 because it does have a Canadian feel (a positive thing for me) and it's never boring. I'll remember it the next time I go through Aldershot!

The ending has a happy resolution - our star is growing up!

I Like This Movie (Or How to Handle an Unlikeable Protagonist)

[ryanpersaud-59415 · 7/10 · 18 December 2023]

The question of "likability" when it comes to a protagonist is often invoked by amateur movie critics (like myself) as a reason why a film is good or bad. Intuitively, it makes sense; if you have a character whom is hard to stand watching or being around, why would a movie ABOUT that character work? Characters must be likeable, right? But that then begs the question...surely, most of us can think of examples of unlikeable protagonists in great-to-good movies right? Likeable protagonists, naturally, limit the sort of stories that can be told.

I Like Movies is a perfect example of how to make this work. To be clear, Isaiah Lehtinen's Lawrence Keller, an obnoxious, sometimes narcissistic, rude, and patronizing 18 year old high school student, will annoy pretty much anyone who he comes across. However, with Lehtinen's incredibly complex and true-to-life performance, well rounded surrounding characters, and a pang of self-awareness at the right time, he really WORKS here. I'd take this character - whom is probably what most teenagers are actually like, let's be real - over the "got it all figured out," impossibly witty and mature teens from most films. This movie captures what teenagers are ACTUALLY like: aware of the world around them enough to clap back, but not super emotionally intelligent to know when not to. I really admired the synthesis of good writing and an excellent performance.

On that note, I also really loved Romina D'Ugo's Alana, the manager of Sequels (a Blockbuster stand-in) whom Lawrence develops a pretty obvious crush on. There's something so...Canadian about her performance that I really loved. Krista Bridges is also pretty great as Lawrence's struggling single mother.

In terms of criticism, I do think a lot of the other actors leave a lot to be desired and there are some moments that feel awkward and mechanical. I feel like some script editing would have helped this movie out and better direction for some of the actors. On that note though...

I have to also shout out how gorgeous I Like Movies looks; its letterbox aspect ratio really reminds you that this takes place in the early 2000s (along with the tasteful nostalgia) and gives the film a cozy, warm vibe. This is a movie that, with its browns and oranges, reminds me of the 1970s without having anything to do with the era (aside from movie references). The image is always full of details and consequently, it's a film that's hard to look away from. Canadian movies are almost always chastised for looking "bad", but it's a level of visual artistry I don't see many mid-to-low budget American films attempting that much anymore. Good stuff.

And yes, I loved the Canadiana here. Burlington, Ontario and Carleton University are places I'm familiar with. The torment of being a Canadian movie lover, hopelessly obsessed with American film resonated with me. I Like Movies is simple, but it captures a "vibe" and a very Canadian sentiment extremely well. It might not appeal to everyone, but I liked this movie.

Insufferable main character

[oliverliush · 4/10 · 22 July 2023]

Stony Brook Film Festival.

I hate movies like this where they try to make the main character quirky and awkward, but they only come off as entitled, narcissistic, incompetent, mean to others, and screams almost in every scene. I understand this is the intention, so that the character can develop through the course of the movie, but without a positive trait, it is hard to follow him through most of the movie. It's even making me feel bad about my depression. Movies I like that has awkward characters include Mary and Max. In that movie, aside from awkwardness, Max is detail-oriented, logical, and has his own take on the world, which played off nicely with Mary's curiosity. Here, aside from the unlikable traits, we don't see the main character having any other positive traits aside from the one good thing he did for his company, and his love for obvious movies.

I am also not a fan of the feminism angle brought up in the middle of the film. I don't think it meshes well with the bildungsroman story of an awkward boy learning to be sociable. If anything, it only made me hate the main character more, which made me hate the movie more.

Romina D'Ugo's Alana, however, is the bright spot of the entire movie. I like her energy, her composure, her attitude, and how she delivers her back story. However, I'm writing this review mainly to express how much I hate the "awkward teen" trope when there isn't anything to enjoy about the character.

Did I mention the story structure is almost identical to Lady Bird?

Canadian coming-of-age gem.

[chong_an · 9/10 · 8 April 2023]

It is 2003 in Burlington, a western suburb-city of Toronto. High school senior Lawrence is enthralled by movies, and insists on only applying to NYU's film program for post-secondary studies. This is despite the $90,000 U. S. annual cost, not affordable by his single mother on a secretary's salary. So he gets employment in a video store, a develops a relationship with its female manager.

Socially inept, he is tightly bound to his best friend Matt, with whom the share a fondness for Saturday Night Live, but they break up as Matt finds a girl friend / girlfriend film associate, and is tired of Lawrence's undisciplined, self-indulgent approach to film-making, as well as his possessiveness (shades of Close (2022)). Along his journey for that year, Lawrence has to grow up.

I saw this after The Fabelmans, and actually prefer this, a more concentrated film, without the playing out of the family drama. I liked the teenage lead here as well as the one in The Fabelmans. I also liked that fact that it was unabashedly Canadian.

A good kind of bad

[Sexy-scientist · 7/10 · 28 December 2023]

Thank you Chandler Levack for making the autistic character not likeable. In all the previous movies I have watched where the lead character is autistic, the character has always made to be portrayed as a good person. This gives an impression that all autistic people are likable, which far from the reality. Here, Lawrence acts like an entitled prick to his mother, self-centered to Alana, and overtly narcissistic to Matt. This lack of understanding and lack of ability to put yourself in other's shoes is lacking in Lawrence which is a major sign for his autism. In the last 10 min, he starts to learn how to listen, which ends the movie on a positive note.

Just why...

[maddoxmyersterrorfactory · 1/10 · 20 May 2023]

This movie kinda sucked. After reading reviews of this "movie" and watching it (I fell asleep due to boredom) I found similarities to the movie Super Bad. Just another teenager movie. Not Another Teen Movie is a lot better then this. And that's saying something. In all honesty I would rather watch Johnny Depp movies a million times over before I watch this again. I don't see the appeal or interest. It didn't hold my attention at all. I don't think I'll recommend this because of the time I wasted watching it. It might be a hit to this newer generation but all I know is I'm not going to watch it again.

Quirky, awesome little comedy

[info-5918 · 9/10 · 16 June 2023]

I stumbled across this movie with the rather stupid title, which rather belies how different and complex it was.

The movie is essentially about Lawrence, a complex flawed character, and the issues he faces with his life.

Lawrence is rude, unrealistic, doesn't value his best friend Matt, and self centres and uncaring for his mother. But the movie does a great job of following his life, as it unlargely unravels, him losing friends, dealing with his relationship with his mother, and a growing complex relatinshop with his boss at the video store he works at.

This is a great little film well worth watching.

Video addict starts to grow up

[maurice_yacowar · 10/10 · 12 June 2023]

Writer-director Chandler Levack has delivered a perfect gem of Growing Up teen film. At 17 Lawrence (Isaiah Lehtinen) is traumatized by the recent suicide of his father and his own implausible ambition to get into the $90,000 Tisch film program in New York. If his ambition and film nerdery might qualify him, his secretary mother's sparse salary and his own narcissism imperil his path.

In foolish hopes of earning his way he takes a part-time job at the Sequels video rental store. The store name accurately connotes the industry faith in remakes and reissues but also suggests the sequentiality of film and life experiences. But we immediately see through the union rep's promise of a long career in that business. We know what has happened to video rental outlets.

Lawrence finds an illuminating parallel in the store manager, Alana (Romina D'ugo), who confesses that a traumatic casting couch experience in Hollywood drove her from her acting to the vicarious world of videos. Thus alerted to his own limitations, and realizing his selfishness in his one school friendship, Lawrence settles into the consolation prize, a $60,000 scholarship to the film program at Carleton. Similarly enlightened, Alana resumes her acting ambition. Video rentals don't resolve life's problems.

That happy ending incidentally affirms the integrity and value of working in one's native Canada instead of blindly aspiring to the supposedly superior industry below the 49th. This film is so scrupulously paced, so perfectly cast, so quietly and movingly acted, that it could never have been made in Hollywood. Its final brilliance is in asserting its national values and spirit.

Levack reminds us how joyous a small perfection can be.

I didn't turn it off :/

[ferinkyra-93268 · 4/10 · 18 September 2023]

I really really wanted to like this movie, but this movie needs to decide what it wants to be. I feel like a lot of movies can mix dark humour and serious subject matter well, but this one fell flat. It treated serious subject matter dismissively and lacked depth, and the main character was ultimately pretty unlikeable, but not an anti-hero either. I watched it through because I really wanted to see where it was going and it probably could have ended 20-30 minutes earlier than it did. The nostalgia factor of being a teen in the 2000's and the lead female characters (mom and Alana) boost the rating from a 1/10 to a 4/10.

Movie's are literally my life

[karayeibraheem · 9/10 · 13 August 2023]

Every movie fan would love this movie I know that, (did you no know the feeling of suggesting a friend a movie and they reply with a smile in their face saying that they love it this is how I feel watching this ) I saw alot of myself in him is like watching how my life is but this time on TV, The ending shows how imperfect life can be sometimes, lose your best friend, lose your job, lose your dream project and lose your dream school, that gave you the strength to Keep going and achieve your dreams.

My favourite character aside from Lawrence is Alana that women kill it tbh I think I am gonna watch this alot more.

a little canadian...

[ops-52535 · 5/10 · 14 June 2023]

Spliff of coming of age story, an highly ad/hd, filmartnerdy student finishing his seniorhigh year without much bravour or success, starts in a job at a videostore, but quelch all and everyone with his unconcentrated, introvert and uncladded way of connectiong to others, they call it a narcissists way of behaviour, search me, havent we all been there when 17 and low on selfconfidence at the same time flying high on the cloud of wish for success...

its a kind of egotrip in failureism this plotstory, not much mindlifting , and the comedy that was meant to be drowns in the drama. Mr. Lehtinen has got the witts and vocal talents as of a surtain canadian called john candy(rip), , so work on that, buddyboy. For the rest this film is quite on the average entertainmentwise, it has some guidelines for the nitwit teenagers out there who doesnt know what to do with life, it couldve been an influential movie if the script and the nerves of a daredevilled director had appeared, so its a meeh recommend from the grumpy old man.

Awaiting Best cast award

[margheritatiare · 9/10 · 15 June 2023]

Another coming of age movie, nothing sensational here, but I found the characters to be way more likeble then in Lady bird or Funny pages.

Amazing detailing for those who pay attention: Canadian lore, movies references, really fitting soundtrack and costumes down to elaborated accessory and so on.

But the thing that earned my 9 stars rating is cast acting. Every one of them, even the smallest roles like school teacher or second guy in the Sequels, are real, not boring, not flat, they are interesting to watch! Such a great job! Definitely should take the Best cast in whatever award they have this nomination.

Isaiah Lehtinen, Romina D'Ugo and Percy Hynes White amazed me, made me do some revaluation of my youth and "moved me, emotionally, which I think is the highest compliment".

That's a lot to get from any movie 👏

Made me miss the video stores.

[VaughanMurrae · 8/10 · 15 March 2023]

I encourage film lovers to get out to see I LIKE MOVIES while during its theatre run.

Writer and Director Chandler Laveck has written such compelling and complex human beings.

The lead protagonist Lawrence Kweller is at all times amusing, frustrating, unlikable and endearing. What a tough sell! Actor Isaiah Lehtinen has done a fantastic job of hitting the right notes every moment.

Others Romina D'Ugo, Krista Bridges and Percy Hynes-White's solid chemistry on screen was steadfastly convincing throughout. The film is so tight with the smallest details from art direction, costuming, language, pop culture references, character motivations and development.

Not so much this one.

[bombersflyup · 4/10 · 20 March 2024]

In I Like Movies, Lawrence Kweller, a socially inept 17-year old cinephile, gets a job at a video store, where he forms a complicated friendship with his older female manager.

Erm, kinda weird, PC-ish. The protagonist brings about his own problems and makes it impossible for anything in the film to resonate. Despite the characters around him being rather likeable. The other guy getting fired for his irresponsibleness doesn't even register, thinking only about getting a movie for free, albeit a great movie. Suppose you could say it's an accurate representation of some of the kids these days... in the horrible world we now live.

A love letter to film nerds everywhere

[leahfgcameron · 10/10 · 1 April 2024]

I can't say enough good things about this movie! It's a charming, heart-breaking coming-of-age story that will make film lovers everywhere laugh with recognition. And I love how specific and true it is to its Southern Ontario setting. A masterpiece.

Anyone who says the protagonist is unlikeable, just doesn't get it. He's flawed and human and it's delightful to watch him learn the errors of his ways and grow as a person.

Director Chandler Levack is in full control of her story, period details are spot on and the acting is superb.

This is one of the best Canadian films I have ever seen hands down.