9 out of 10 people found the following review helpful:

Easy going family film but ultimately forgettable

ThomasKus from , 7th July, 2004

Growing up isn't easy if you are a 12 year old girl who recently lost her mother and must come to terms with death, life, body changes and first love all in one summer.

Although the performances are strong and the story ticks along nicely with plenty of funny moments I somehow felt that I had seen a lot of this before and better. Where many american films about adolescence fail is in correctly portraying an age appropriate psyche. Dialogues are often overly adult and behaviours sometimes embarrassingly childish. This is where this film falls down in my view compared to European counterparts like Jean-Loup Hubert's 'Le Grand Chemin' or Lasse Halstrom's 'My Life as a Dog' which both took their protagonists far more seriously.

Over all a funny, entertaining but ultimately forgettable family movie.

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3 out of 3 people found the following review helpful:

good all round family film

Anonymous from South West, England, 29th May, 2005

it has highs, funny moments and the lows. keep a tissue spare! great for the kids - my 5 year old loves it.

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2 out of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Surprised by the plot

Davey K from Poole, 7th December, 2006

I thought this was going to be a nice family film suitable for kids to watch. I thought Mcauley culkin was going to fall in love with the girl in the film. Though our children said they enjoyed the film, I think we were all a little stunned by the ending. A beautifully done and very sad tale.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Lovely film

A Customer from England, 24th January, 2007

I remeber seeing this film at the cinema in the 90's and still remains a firm favourite. Vada is an 11 year old girl who lives with her father and runs a funeral home! No wonder the poor kid is so confused about death. Vada has many new experiences during one summer; her father gets engaged, she has her first kiss, her first period and her best friend Thomas J dies after being stung by bees. He's allergic to them....he's 'allergic to everything!' This film is very sweet and never fails to make me blub!It is perfect for all the family.

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NOT FORGETTABLE

Jessica from Brighton, 10th February, 2010

One of the best films ever.

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Not bad

porthos from , 3rd February, 2010

I watched this,but it was nothing to write home about.In short it involves the friendship between a young girl and her best friend.Dan Ackroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis also feature.It moves along at a steady pace with no mindless violence or unecessary` CGI`A watchable film that is suitable for the whole family.

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You never forget growing up

TinaO from , 31st May, 2009

I'd forgotten what a great film this was! Growing up can be a tricky time and the two main characters were cast perfectly to portray the trials of early puberty. Enjoyed by the whole family (tears for mum!) and an insight to the future for our soon to be teenager! Brilliant! Timeless!

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