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IMDbPro

God Help the Girl

  • 2014
  • Unrated
  • 1h 52m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
9.4K
YOUR RATING
Emily Browning, Hannah Murray, and Olly Alexander in God Help the Girl (2014)
Eve is a catastrophe - low on self-esteem but high on fantasy, especially when it comes to music. Over the course of one Glasgow summer, she meets two similarly rootless souls: posh Cass and fastidious James, and together they form a pop group.
Play trailer1:09
4 Videos
99+ Photos
Coming-of-AgeDramaMusicRomance

As Eve begins writing songs as a way to sort through some emotional problems, she meets James and Cassie, two musicians each at crossroads of their own.As Eve begins writing songs as a way to sort through some emotional problems, she meets James and Cassie, two musicians each at crossroads of their own.As Eve begins writing songs as a way to sort through some emotional problems, she meets James and Cassie, two musicians each at crossroads of their own.

  • Director
    • Stuart Murdoch
  • Writer
    • Stuart Murdoch
  • Stars
    • Emily Browning
    • Olly Alexander
    • Hannah Murray
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    9.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Stuart Murdoch
    • Writer
      • Stuart Murdoch
    • Stars
      • Emily Browning
      • Olly Alexander
      • Hannah Murray
    • 33User reviews
    • 80Critic reviews
    • 58Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 7 nominations total

    Videos4

    Teaser Trailer
    Trailer 1:09
    Teaser Trailer
    God Help The Girl (International Trailer)
    Clip 2:26
    God Help The Girl (International Trailer)
    God Help The Girl (International Trailer)
    Clip 2:26
    God Help The Girl (International Trailer)
    God Help The Girl: The Music (Spanish)
    Featurette 6:25
    God Help The Girl: The Music (Spanish)
    God Help The Girl: Casting (Spanish)
    Featurette 6:43
    God Help The Girl: Casting (Spanish)

    Photos171

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    + 165
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    Top cast66

    Edit
    Emily Browning
    Emily Browning
    • Eve
    Olly Alexander
    Olly Alexander
    • James
    Hannah Murray
    Hannah Murray
    • Cassie
    Pierre Boulanger
    Pierre Boulanger
    • Anton
    Cora Bissett
    • Miss Browning
    • (as Cora Bisset)
    Sarah Swire
    Sarah Swire
    • Ballerina
    Mark Radcliffe
    • Findlay
    Stuart Maconie
    • Donovan
    Ann Scott-Jones
    • Hairdresser
    • (as Ann Scott Jones)
    Josie Long
    • Maxine
    Pauline King
    • Nurse
    Kathryn Howden
    Kathryn Howden
    • Ward Sister
    • (as Kath Howden)
    Alex Klobouk
    • Park Attendant
    Paul Flanagan
    • Joey
    Michael Drum
    • Matt from Wobbly Legged Rat
    Michael M.
    • Des from Wobbly Legged Rat
    • (as Michael M)
    Lee Thomson
    • Drummer in King James VI
    Donnie McInnes
    • Newspaper Seller
    • Director
      • Stuart Murdoch
    • Writer
      • Stuart Murdoch
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews33

    6.49.3K
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    Featured reviews

    6Nynaeve

    Belle and Sebastian, the movie

    There was a lot to like about God Help the Girl but despite a few good individual scenes, but it didn't flow together as a story that well. Maybe writer/director Stuart Murdoch needed more creative feedback and better editors than he got. Certain scenes and characters just show up out of nowhere with little connection to the rest of the story, like the WTF scene of Eve going on a bender with some girl we never see before or since. The main character of Eve was weakly written. Her past and her motivations were vague. The movie would have been far better with James and Cassie as main characters and Eve as a side character.

    You could see God Help The Girl as a culmination of Belle & Sebastian's (a band named after a fictional band that Murdoch's songwriting centered on) characters and themes spanning their nearly 20 years as a band. James, Cassie and Eve seem derived from the archetypal characters from B&S's songs. The movie though develops them in a shallow and haphazard way that doesn't really do justice to the insights and characters brilliantly explored in the individual songs. I think Murdoch could make a good movie, but God Help The Girl was just so-so. The music was excellent at least.
    8planktonrules

    Unique and very likable.

    God Help the Girl is a very unusual film because it is like combining an old fashioned musical with a modern angst-ridden coming of age movie. The overall results are extremely enjoyable and I was surprised that this hip film still appealed to a tragically un-hip old fogy like me!

    Emily Browning plays Eve, an exceptionally depressed anorexic young woman who has been getting in-patient treatment for her illness. However, she disappears one day and soon meets a very nerdy looking guy, James. They are later joined by James' friend, Cassie, and the trio decide to form a band. Now this isn't the normal sort of indie/hipster band and the trio find that they actually have a really great sound (I was very impressed by the singing). What's next? See the film.

    Throughout the movie, Eve breaks into song and the film has little surreal breaks during which the lyrics tell about her life and inner struggles. While Gene Kelly or Dick Powell might have done this during the golden days of Hollywood back of yesteryear, this is not something you'll see in films today. This gives the movie uniqueness. This, combined with the real likability of the quirky characters, gives the movie a charm that make it impossible to dislike. Try it yourself...I think you'll probably feel the same. And, you might just find yourself singing along with Eve or breaking into song yourself after the movie has ended.
    8cekadah

    A flavor of the naive

    What's not to like about this twee movie? The story is the songs brought to life by the twee singers themselves. I found the film charming and naive.

    Eve, James, and Cassie seem to have way too much time on their hands. Eve, (with an eating problem) is in and out of a clinic and finds writing songs helps her emotionally. Eve, James, and Cassie are all musically oriented, so they form a band. Eve, gets a big break and off to London she goes.

    This is just simple young people living the dream, and we get to watch their happiness, confusion, pain. They are very much 'in season' for their age and tomorrow it will be different for them. And you get to hear some pretty good songs! Stuart Murdoch kept it a consistent format.
    dailyshampoo48

    what I wish I'd been been doing while ill in my early 20s, I think.

    although I'm sure I could have never been so obnoxious.

    three young adults drone on about music and the meaning of life. despite the global recession, glasgow is a pretty peachy place to live; there's a distinct lack of food insecurity, job scarcity, impossible rent and heating bills. that guy who chats you up at the gig isn't a total skeeze. maybe this is is all on purpose; maybe it's supposed to be a fantasy.

    I've been following b&s for quite a while, despite the twee label. reading thru old interviews many of the events of the fiim are in fact quite autobiographical; there's a depth to the music which has been earned. I got the distinct impression that ms browning did not have quite that same depth, furthermore she seemed to struggle to relate to her character. this is fine is mr murdoch's intention was to create a light romantic-comedy-musical, but if so, why include the darker elements? it's possible that I'm entirely too close to the subject matter. a painful watch, and, what's worse, poorly acted.

    **edit** let's face it; this really wanted to be a film about ME but murdoch was either frightened of being so honest or didn't think it would sell tickets. as someone who had ME, I know what he is trying to say but won't say. it doesn't work! I can totally understand the compartmentalization at stake here: the need to exist in a state of semi-bourgeois lightheartedness; to lie; but the script betrays itself.

    maybe some day someone can write a feature film on what it's like to have your life totally stripped away from you before age 20; to exist in a twilight zone of the barely living; to have to pretend that it's not happening to you and you are "only" anorexic and depressed. this wasn't it!
    10century_of_fakers

    I liked it

    Having read the reviews, I wasn't really sure what to expect when I began seeing GHTG. I should say that I have been a B&S fan since 1997 or 1998 when I discovered "If you're feeling sinister" and I have all their releases up until 1998 as well as the debut album of Gentle Waves. Their music has really influenced me as a person and I really was curious of what a film based on their songs would look like.

    I felt happy watching GHTG but it was also really emotional. Being in my mid-30s it reminded me of my dreams as a teenager and I began asking myself if there's still time to accomplish them. I strongly identified with the character of James and his search for the perfect moment, which makes it impossible to enjoy life. I recognized Eve in the many talented, self-destructive, impulsive people I have met in my life and all the opportunities I had to make my life a little more interesting.

    GHTG is full of color. The characters dress up in all kinds of costumes, and yes it is unrealistic but I think what many fail to realize is that our fondest memories are usually very different than what we really experienced. Everything is more colorful and stylish in our memories, like a Belle and Sebastian album cover.

    I had read that there is no plot to the movie, but I don't agree at all. I think both Eve and James are wonderfully developed characters and Cassie is also an interesting character whose presence makes the story better. And the music is also wonderful. I was very pleased with Emily Browning's singing performance. She not only has a great voice but she also seemed to be really invested in the songs which made her character more believable.

    I loved the film's bittersweet ending as well as the many funny and awkward moments (James fighting his drummer, James and Eve showing up at Cassie's house or the drunk Scottish boys whose accent Cassie couldn't understand). This may not be a film for everyone, but I think the world would be a better place if more people listened to Belle & Sebastian and all I can do is thank Stuart Murdoch, the actors and everyone else involved in making this film.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Among boys in queue outside Eve's bathroom are Hannah Murray with a mustache and Anton's dummy.
    • Quotes

      Eve: I think you just hate people.

      James: I don't mind people, I just can't stand collective idiocy.

    • Connections
      References I Love Lucy (1951)
    • Soundtracks
      Act of the Apostle
      Written by Stuart Murdoch

      Performed by Emily Browning

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    FAQ19

    • How long is God Help the Girl?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 5, 2014 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • Avalon (Spain)
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • 戀夏小情歌
    • Filming locations
      • Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK
    • Production companies
      • Barry Mendel Productions
      • British Film Company
      • British Film Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,850,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $102,757
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $11,330
      • Sep 7, 2014
    • Gross worldwide
      • $423,306
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 52 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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