20s Movie Review - She Said

Director: Maria Schrader
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 129 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher

Description: Jodi Kantor (Zoey Kazan) and Megan Twohey’s (Carey Mulligan) quest to break the Harvey Weinstein scandal.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 32: A FILM FROM 2022
 
Review: In 2017, the New York Times wrote an article that ultimately contributed greatly to the #MeToo movement. “She Said” follows the story of journalists Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor on their search for the truth behind the scandalous behavior of film producer Harvey Weinstein. A good script and even better performances contribute to a gripping film that captures the seriousness of these crimes ironclad.

With film adaptations of true stories, the questions soon arises: why isnt’this a documentary? After all, the facts are most important. The answer to this is usually drama. It is not just about the events, but how they were experiences. By combining the facts with drama, it is easier to show exactly what the victims went through and how these women dealt with these traumatic experiences.

Another strong aspect is the heavy emphasis on journalism. “She Said” does not simply go from victim to victim to a sudden article. It shows the difficult process of finding people willing to talk and what this requires of them emotionally. Other interesting aspects of journalism are also covered, such as competition, secrecy and Harvey Weinstein nipping you heels. They provide tension and realism.

Although emotions run high, the film falls somewhat short dramatically. For example, it fails to deepen the two main characters with snippits from their private lives. My only nitpick.

“She Said” carefully and powerfully exposes the painful nature of this serious social issue. The rock-solid acting, by Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, Patricia Clarkson and Andre Braugher specifically, proves the emotional impact. The film’s purpose is never compromised and speaks pliantly about the woes that went on behind the scenes. I seem to be drawn to films about investigative journalism and this is yet another gem that a lot of people might even know about. WATCH IT!!!

Rating: 4,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Shutter Island

Director: Martin Scorsese
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 138 minutes
Year: 2010
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Emily Mortimer, Michelle Williams, Max von Sydow, Jackie Earle Haley, Elias Koteas, Patricia Clarkson

Description: A U.S Marshal (Leonardo DiCaprio) investigates the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane

Review: Every Martin Scorsese project interests me somehow. “Shutter Island” is different from his other films. It’s based on a novel by Dennis Lehane.

Federal agent Teddy Daniels has to track down an escaped psychiatric patient, together with his partner Chuck Aule. The task sounds simple, but an asylum for the criminally insane isn’t the most pleasant place to investigate. With that, it’s also the most guarded asylum, set on an island. It’s almost impossible to stay unfound.

Martin Scorsese is playing Clue with his audience. A fort, morbid prisoners, no way out and hint after hint to lead us to the suspect. It’s a thriller and it gives you a creepy feeling. The patient are really messed up. The atmosphere is unpleasant, which is good for the movie experience.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo form a steady base as agents. Especially DiCaprio seems to grow in every role he plays for Scorsese. Ben Kingsley and Max von Sydow are probably the stars, although they have smaller roles.

“Shutter Island” is a fantastic thriller, with great twists. It’s actually one of my favorite Scorsese film.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

00s Movie Review - The Pledge

Director: Sean Penn
Genre: Drama/ Crime/ Mystery
Runtime: 124 minutes
Year: 2001
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Robin Wright, Aaron Eckhart, Sam Shepard, Benicio del Toro, Patricia Clarkson, Helen Mirren, Tom Noonan, Vanessa Redgrave, Mickey Rourke, Harry Dean Stanton

Description: A retired police detective (Jack Nicholson) pledges to catch the killer of a young child.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 8: A MOVIE DIRECTED BY AN ACTOR
 
Review: On a cold winter day, a boy stumbles upon the lifeless body of an eight-year-old girl. Soon they find a suspect for the murder, but for recently retired homicide detective Jerry Black the case isn’t settles. As far as he is concerned, the real killer is still out there. He promises the victim’s family to find the killer of their little girl and to fulfull this promise, Jerry is willing to use any means necessary.  

Sean Penn is not just an amazing actor, he is also an excellent director. He proves that with “The Pledge” a lesser known film starring Jack Nicholson.

At first sight, “The Pledge” seems like a standard thriller. But it has much more to offer than the clichéd whodunit. In fact, finding the killer is not so much the main focus; the film clearly addresses more important, more profound themes. Therefore, do not expect spectacular action scenes, as the somewhat slow film has to rely mainly on its dialogues, well-developed characters and tension.   

This all makes the intelligent “The Pledge” highly recommended for those who want to see a less conventional thriller for a change.

Rating: 4/ 5

10s Movie Review - Easy A

Director: Will Gluck
Genre: Comedy/ Romance
Runtime: 92 minutes
Year: 2010
Starring: Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Dan Byrd, Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson, Stanley Tucci, Cam Gigandet, Lisa Kudrow, Malcolm McDowell, Fred Armisen

Description: A clean-ct high school student relies on the school’s rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing.

Review: High School student Olive is a wallflower and is pretty much invisible. Her best friend Rihannon gets more attention after she told everyone she had sex. Olive thinks it wouldn’t harm anyone if she starts a rumor herself, about losing her virginity. This rumor spreads faster than she could have ever imagined.
The story doesn’t sound all that special, but it’s the execution of this story that is almost brilliant. And Emma Stone is fabulous in “Easy A”. This is the movie that introduced me to her and I have been a major fan ever since. Her portrayal of Olive is just great and she is actually one of my favorite female movie characters. Her parents, played by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson, are great too. They are so funny, I love them in this film. And Amanda Bynes, as Jesus freak Marianne, is really funny as well.
I’m not a fan of romantic comedies, but when there is more com then rom, I tend to like them more. “Easy A” is one of those films, I love this movie! “Easy A” gets an A+!

Rating: 5/ 5

TV Show Review - Sharp Objects (Mini Series)

Season: Mini Series
Genre: Drama
Number of episodes: 8
Year: 2018
Starring: Amy Adams, Patricia Clarkson, Chris Messina, Eliza Scanlen, Elizabeth Perkins, Sophia Lillis, Matt Craven, Henry Czerny, Taylor John Smith, Lulu Wilson, Miguel Sandoval, Barbara Eve Harris   

Description: A reporter (Amy Adams) confronts the psychological demons from her past when she returns to her hometown to cover a violent murder.  

Review: “Sharp Objects” make is painfully clear that this is a psychological drama series, with a hint of mystery. Admittedly, Camille Preaker is sent to Wind Gap, her hometown, by her employer Frank Curry, to report on the murder and disappearance of two teenage girls. However, we only learn the reason for this decision as the series unfolds.
“Sharp Objects” is not for people who like fast-past whodunits. The HBO series choose a bold path of looking back to the past and a killer who targets young girls. The series, with its protagonist wonderfully played by Amy Adams, is a portrait of a damaged woman who sees words as pain, as an enemy and a friend in the world she lives in.
You need to pay attention to detail since there are words you can see along the way, that have a certain meaning or effect on Camille. In the street, in her car, on her body. And there are many theories of why Camille is the way she is.
Amy Adams is, a I mentioned before, amazing as the lead. You really feel her emotions and her performance is so strong, it blows off the screen. And she is accompanied by some really strong people. Patricia Clarkson, as her mother Adora. Her performance gave me the chills. She scared me in some way. And Eliza Scanlon, who plays Camille’s younger sister Amma. What a performance by this young rising star.
The slow pace does not bother me one bit, since the characters are all very complex and there is time needed to develop them and make them realistic. Bit by bit you are discovering why Camille didn’t want to go back to Wind Gap in the first place, why her younger sister acts the way she does and why Adora is so cold towards Camille.
“Sharp Objects” is not an easy watch, it’s a pretty depressing series. But well worth your time, since the performances and the story that unravels are really good. And that ending, it left me in awe. No happy ending here I can tell you.

80s Movie Review - The Untouchables

Director: Brian De Palma
Genre: Action/ Crime
Runtime: 119 minutes
Year: 1987
Starring: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Andy Garcia, Robert De Niro, Patricia Clarkson, Charles Martin Smith

Description: During the era of Prohibition in the United states, Federal Agent Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) sets out to stop ruthless Chicago gangster Al Capone (Robert De Niro) and, because of rampant corruption assembles a small, hand-picked team to help him.

Review: Due to the prohibition, the empire of Al Capone blossoms like never before. He is too big to deal with by the police. Policemen fear revenge if they would do it or have been bribed by Capone’s men. However, Eliot Ness is going to put a stop to this. He gathers 3 men around him who will go to extremes to get Capone behind bars.
The first of the three is Jim Malone, a street cop who happens to meet Eliot. However, he hasn’t been a street cop all his life and has a lot of knowledge of fighting crime and gives Eliot important lessons. Next there is agent George Stone, a very accurate and loyal policeman. The last is gent Wallace, who is an accountant by nature, and get some more insight on Capone’s finances.
The entire atmosphere, the setting and the characters are what make this film great. Old Chicago is portrayed beautifully. All main character have enough depth and development to gain sympathy for them.
The most memorable and iconic scene is the one in the train station. It’s filmed so well and it has so much tension. This is a lesson in film by itself. So is the scene at the round table, where Capone ‘deals’ with one of his guests and later the camera has an overview and you see what happened.
With gangster films like “The Godfather”, “Scarface” and “Goodfellas”, this is one you would easily forget or overlook and that’s a shame. Because it’s a fantastic crime film.

Rating: 4 / 5

90s Review - The Green Mile

Director: Frank Darabont
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 181 minutes
Year: 1999
Starring: Tom Hanks, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Clarke Duncan, James Cromwel, Michael Jeter, Graham greene, Doug Hutchison, Sam Rockwell, Barry Pepper, Jeffrey DeMunn, Patricia Clarkson, Harry Dean Stanton

Description: The lives of guards on Death Row are affected by one of their charges: a black man accused of child murder and rape, yet who has a mysterious gift.

Review: Director Frank Darabont is at his best when filming adaptations of Stephen King novels. His directorial debut, “The Shawshank Redemption”, hit every mark. With “The Green Mile” he’s on trusted territory, because it’s also set in a prison. It does introduce a new element: the paranormal. “The Green Mile” is set in a death row cell block, led by Paul Edgecomb, in 1935. They call it the green mile. He runs it with his best friend Brutus Howell, the young Dean Stanton, veteran Harry Terwilliger and newcomer and sadistic Percy Wetmore.
All prison guards, except for Percy, want the prisoners the end their life in the most humane way possible. The silent Native American Arlen Bitterbuck and the joyful Eduard ‘Del’ Delacroix are both waiting for their judgment day. One day, the gigantic John Coffey is brought in. He is sentenced for the rape and murder of two young girls. But he looks more dangerous then he actually is. Coffey is afraid of the dark and has a gentle character. Soon Paul discovers that something special is going on and that John Coffey has a gift.
Like “The Shawshank Redemption”, “The Green Mile” is a film that’s carried by the actors. Tom Hanks is perfect for his role as sympathetic protagonist and through his eyes we see the story. Doug Hutchison is very convincing as the exasperating Percy. Sam Rockwell goes nuts as crazy inmate Wild Bill, David Morse is likeable as the goodhearted Brutus and James Cromwell portrays his role as prison boss very well. But it’s Michael Clarke Duncan that impresses the most. He grabs viewers and it’s really hard not to like him.
“The Green Mile” is a powerful film with a good message, that will leave many people in tears. The characters get all the room to exploit. Darabont puts the focus on the characters and not on the plot.

Rating: 5/ 5

Top 5 Thursday: Movie Moms

Sunday is Mother’s Day and I thought it would be fun to share the best movie moms with you. Here are my favorite mothers in movies (not necessarily good moms, but very iconic).

5. Jules & Nic (Julianne Moore and Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”)
Two moms, lesbian moms, who have two kids together. Super cool. One relaxed and a younger soul, the other serious and strict.

4. Mom (Kathleen Turner in “Serial Mom”)
Probably the worst mom to have, because whenever you do something to her kids or family, she will kill you. Literally!

3. Rosemary Penderghast (Patricia Clarkson in “Easy A”)
For me, Rosemary Pendergast is iconic, because of her parenting style. She is modern, hip, sometimes a bit awkward yet a chill mom to have.

2. The Bride/ Beatrix Kiddo (Uma Thurman in “Kill Bill Vol.2”)
Thinking her daughter has died, after she was in a coma for four years, motherhood eventually comes natural to her when Bride first meets her daughter Bebe.

1. Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”)
Sarah Connor is traumatized by something nobody believes really happened. She is estranged from her son John, who brings her right back into that nightmare she once fled. But this time the Terminator is here to help Sarah. And Sarah does everything to save her son.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Betty Mahmoody (Sally Field in “Not Without My Daughter”), Helen Parr/ Elastigirl (Holly Hunter in “The Incredibles”), Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton in “We Need to Talk About Kevin”), Sophie (Meryl Streep in “Sophie’s Choice”)

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 63: Lars and the Real Girl

Director: Craig Gillespie
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 106 minutes
Year: 2007
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, Kelli Garner, Patricia Clarkson

Description: A delusional young man (Ryan Gosling) strikes up an unconventional relationship with a doll he finds on the Internet.
Review: Lars is different. He is afraid of human contact, he says it even hurts him physically when they touch him. Off course this stands in the way of a relationship for Lars. A co-worker shows him a website where they seel real life dolls. In a scene that is both very endearing and hilarious, Lars introduces his new ‘girlfriend’ Bianca to his brother Gus and sister in law Karen. Gus thinks Lars has lost his mind and they take him to a doctor. She advices them to play along, because to Lars, Bianca is real.
It’s funny to see the ‘relationship’ between Lars and Bianca. But at the same time you see how happy Lars is and how he is slowly coming out of his shell and is opening up more. And I love the fact that his family, his co-workers and everyone in his town play along and accept Lars for who he is. At first they don’t know what to do with the situation, but out of love for Lars they go with it.
Ryan Gosling delivers a wonderful performance as Lars. Gosling is a very handsome, okay sexy, man. It’s great to see him as a shy, dorky, character. It’s really hard not to like Lars, even with his quirks. Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider and Patricia Clarkson are all very strong as well.
“Lars and the Real Girl” is a fantasticly heartfelt film, whimsical and touching at the same time.

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 97: The Maze Runner

Director: Wes Ball

Genre: Action/ Science Fiction/ Thriller

Runtime: 114 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Dylan O’Brien, Aml Ameen, Ki Hong Lee, Blake Cooper, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Will Poulter, Dexter Darden, Kaya Scodelario, Chris Sheffield, Joe Adler, Alexander Flores, Jacob Latimore, Randall D. Cunningham, Patricia Clarkson, Don McManus, Michael Bow, Jerry Clark, Michael Deville, Dylan Gaspard

Description: Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) is deposited in a community of boys after his memory is erased, soon learning they're all trapped in a maze that will require him to join forces with fellow "runners" for a shot at escape.

Review: Since the “Harry Potter” movies, the adaptations of the “Twilight” films and the movies of “The Hunger Games” series, the young adult films have become a new subgenre. Themes as friendship, love and the fight between good and bad are illustrated. I didn’t like the book that this movie, “The Maze Runner”, is based on. I was skeptical about it, but it was better than I thought it would be.

In the opening of the film, the audience is right in the middle of all the action. After a ride in a dark elevator, protagonist Thomas ends up in a strange place surrounded by walls. A group of boys his age are looking at him. Nobody knows why they are there. The walls they are surrounded by form a maze. A select group of boys, called runners, is allowed to enter that maze. Maybe they find clues or even a way out, but no one has found out anything important yet. And at night the search is even harder because of the grievers, robotic insect like creatures. Everything becomes even more complicated when another new victim arrives, the first girl.

“The Maze Runner” follows a different structure than most young adult films. Not just a story that goes from A to B. The maze adds a lot of mystery to it all and you feel involved in the puzzle the boys are trying to solve. The movie isn’t all that predictable.

The problem I have with the movie, that I also had with the book, are the characters. The story has no memorable characters, like for instance Harry Potter or Katniss Everdeen are. If you ask me to name five, I think I won’t manage.

“The Maze Runner” is better than I expected it to be. I didn’t like the book and didn’t want to read any of the sequels. I actually do want to see the second film.

Rating: 3/ 5

Movie Moments: "The Green Mile"

One of the best movies with Tom Hanks, directed by Frank Darabont and based on a Stephen King novel. I recently rewatched it and it made me cry… again. Here are the best moments from “The Green Mile”.

Moment # 1: Meet John Coffey
After Paul Edgecomb has unsuccessfully tried to urinate, with a very bad blather infection, colleague Percy is bringing in a new prisoner. His name is John Coffey and he is enormous. He looks scarier than he is, because he’s afraid of the dark.

Moment # 2: Little guest
Brutus calls in his colleagues to inform them about an unwanted guest: a little mouse. He hides away in the isolation cell. To catch the mouse, they have to clean out the cell because they never use it.

Moment # 3: Mr. Jingles
The mouse is back and has made a friend. One of the inmates, Del, has taught him some tricks and even gave him a name: Mr. Jingles.

Moment # 4: Wild Bill strikes
Another new inmate, Bill Wharton aka Wild Bill. He’s been brought in and he’s seems to be on a lot of medicine. But he’s only pretending, because he strikes and grabs Dean. Percy has the opportunity to do something, but doesn’t. Eventually the other guards help Dean and manage to overpower Bill.

Moment # 5: Miracle
Paul is still battling with a blather infection and it’s killing him. When John Coffey calls for him, he tells Paul he can help him. Coffey grabs Paul by the crotch and light bulbs start to flicker. Coffey has taken the infection away from him.

Moment # 6: Percy pees his pants
After being rattles by Del, Wild Bill grabs Percy. He’s so scared that he pees himself. Something that Del laughs about. Something he shouldn’t have done.

Moment # 7: Mr. Jingles’ death and resurrection
Del is about to get is payback for laughing at Percy, because mean Percy steps on Mr. Jingles. John Coffey wants to heal him and Paul hands Mr. Jingles over to Coffey. After he brought the mouse back to life, Paul and the other guards want to see Percy’s reaction to seeing Mr. Jingles alive again.

Moment # 8: Del’s execution
It’s judgment day for Del and unfortunately Percy is leading the execution. As for preparation, the person on the chair needs to have a wet sponge on his head so the electricity goes through the body easily. Percy knows it, but he decides not to wet the sponge. The other guards don’t see it until it’s too late. Del gets the most painful death and is literally fried. Percy sees what he has done.

Moment # 9: Paul has an idea
Paul has his collegues over for dinner and talks to them about John Coffey and the gift he has. They all witnessed the mouse miracle, but Paul also tells them about how Coffey cured him. Paul now suggest that Coffey can help Melinda, Hal’s wife.

Moment # 10: Melinda
They are going through with the plan to take John Coffey to Hall Moore’s house. Hall doesn’t want him inside the house at first, but he trusts Paul. John takes the decease away from Melinda.

Moment # 11: John Coffey’s execution
It’s the day. The day of John Coffey’s execution. Clearly everyone is upset by the situation, especially because Paul know that he didn’t kill anyone. Because it can’t be proven, they have to go through with it. They are all very emotional, Dean even cries.

Favorite Moment: Moment # 11: John Coffey’s execution (not because I’m cruel, this scene really touches me and hits every nerve in my body)

Quotables: "Easy A"

When I read the synopsis of “Easy A” I thought it was going to be one of those standard teen comedies, with oversexed teenagers. Well, it wasn’t anything like that. It’s one of my favorites of all-time and it made me love Emma Stone. And she’s the star, with a lot f fantastic quotes. Here are my favorites.

Olive Penderghast: I just thought of the funniest thing. My name is an anagram for "I love".
Anson: What... what's an anagram?
Olive Penderghast: [stares in disbelief for a second before recovering] Look it up big boy.

Brandon: Is there an Olive here?
Rosemary: There's a whole jar of them in the fridge!

Principal Gibbons: This is public school. If I can keep the girls off the pole and the boys off the pipe, I get a bonus.

Dill: The family member of the week gets to pick the movie.
Olive Penderghast: You get family member of the week every week.
Rosemary: And there's a reason for that.
Olive Penderghast: Yeah, you pick family member of the week!
Rosemary: Are you accusing me of nepotism?

Olive Penderghast: Whatever happened to chivalry? Does it only exist in 80's movies? I want John Cusack holding a boombox outside my window. I wanna ride off on a lawnmower with Patrick Dempsey. I want Jake from Sixteen Candles waiting outside the church for me. I want Judd Nelson thrusting his fist into the air because he knows he got me. Just once I want my life to be like an 80's movie, preferably one with a really awesome musical number for no apparent reason. But no, no, John Hughes did not direct my life.

Dill: After we watch "The Bucket List," remember to cross "watch 'The Bucket List'" off our bucket list.

Olive Penderghast: I used to be anonymous, invisible to the opposite sex. If Google Earth were a guy couldn't find me if I was dressed up as a 10-story building.

Woodchuck Todd: Screw all these people, Olive!
Olive Penderghast: Haven't you heard? I already did.

Rosemary: Not to mention how have you been dressing this past few day. No judgement, but you kind of look like stripper.
Olive Penderghast: Mom!
Dill: [to Olive] A high-end stripper, for governors or athletes.

Rhiannon: George is not a sexy name. George is like what you name your teddy bear, not the name you wanna scream out during climax.

Olive Penderghast: Ironically, we were studying "The Scarlet Letter", but isn't that always the way? The books you read in class always seems to have a strong connection with whatever angsty adolescent drama is being recounted. I consider this. Except for "Huckleberry Finn", 'cause I don't know any teenage boys who have ever run away with a big, hulking black guy.

Olive Penderghast: That's the beauty of being a girl in high-school: people hear you had sex once and BAM - you're a bimbo.

Rosemary: We're a family of late bloomers - I didn't until I was 14 and nor did Olive.
Chip: Why does that matter - I'm adopted!
Dill: [Freaking out] What! Oh my god! Who told you? Guys we were going to do this at the right time!

Olive Penderghast: [to Brandon as she takes off her panties] Relax. Jesus. What is with you gays? Are you really that repulsed by lady parts? What do you think I have down there? A gnome?

Olive Penderghast: I might even lose my virginity to him. I don't know when will it happen. You know, maybe in five minutes, or tonight, or sixth months from now, or maybe on the night of our wedding. But the really amazing this is, it is nobody's goddamn business.

In the Picture: The Characters from "Easy A"

I recently saw this movie and it's full of interesting characters. Here are the characters from "Easy A".

Olive Pendergast
Played by: Emma Stone
Olive is a clean-cut high school student. She's very smart, anonymous and (so she says) a nothing. After avoiding a camping weekend with her best friend Rhiannon and her parents by saying she has a fictive date, a rumor was born. Rhiannon thinks Olive had sex with this 'guy' so Olive lies about it. The rumors spreads so fast, everyone in the entire school knows about it. Because they are reading "The Scarlet Letter" in school Olive decides to wear a red A on her clothes and she wants everyone to know she doesn't care about the rumors. Olive is starting to like all the attention she gets and she helps guys in her school to 'lose their virginity'. Not for real, but they can mention Olive's name. Olive soon realizes that if you have the reputation of a skank, people will treat you like that too.

Marianne Bryant
Played by: Amanda Bynes
Marianne is the one who spreads the rumor about Olive. She leads this we-all-love-God-and-Jesus group and thinks Olive is repulsive for for what she's doing. Marianne want's to 'save' Olive and wants her gone.

"Woodchuck" Todd
Played by: Penn Badgley
When Todd and Olive where in 6th grade, they prentented to have kissed. Ever since Olive had a crush on Todd. Todd is a very kind guy and the school's mascotte. He is one of the only people who doesn't believe the rumors that are spread about Olive and admits to her he likes her.

Rhiannon
Played by: Aly Michalka
Unlike Olive, her best friend Rhiannon is populair and she did have sex. She is a real skank, but people aren't really paying attention to that. Rhiannon is pissed when Olive becomes more populair than her after the rumors. Especially when Olive goes on a date with Anson, Rhiannon's crush. Olive feels guilty about it, but after hearing that she was Todd's first kiss she doesn't feel that guilty anymore.

Mr. Griffith
Played by: Thomas Haden Church
Mr. Griffith is Olive's favorite teacher. He also doesn't believe all the rumors about Olive. He talks to Olive on a different level than the other students, because she actually reads to books for his class and understands them.

Mrs. Griffith
Played by: Lisa Kudrow
She's married to Mr. Griffith and the guidance counselor at school. Mrs. Griffith does believe the rumors and actually takes advantage of them after one of her students got chlamydia from her. Mrs. Griffith started an affair with one of the students, because she isn't happy in her marriage.

Dil Pendergast
Played by: Stanley Tucci
Dil is Olive's dad. He's a very open minded and 'cool' dad. He has a great sense of humor and truly gets Olive.

Rosemary Pendergast
Played by: Patricia Clarkson
Rosemary is Olive's mom. She's the perfect woman for Dil, because she's just as open minded. Rosemary is open about sex and talks about it with Olive. She even shares with her that she used to be a skank in high school and she slept with a bunch of people (mostly men).

Favorite Character: Olive Pendergast