Terri

Most movie fans know that Hollywood has been lacking in originally for years now. If you want to see something new, you really have go to see some independent films like this movie, Terri. This is a film that has a lot going for it and is yet another film that really deserves more attention.

Terri is centered around the character named Terri (Jacob Wysocki) who is a loner in school and has an uncle for a guardian who can't provide everything that he should due to an illness. As time goes on time, Terri learns about the world a little more, meets new friends and beings to bond with the new school  assistant principal Mr. Fitzerald (John C. Reilly).


The main highlight of the film is no doubt the interaction between John C. Reilly and Jacob Wysocki. As with his other films, Reilly puts out a very good and likable performance. For a first time actor, Wysocki really does well playing a somewhat difficult character. The movie is about bonding and Reilly and Wysocki do this very well.

About the plot, it does have some Max Keeble-like silly character elements in it but however you look at it, it is a good plot with some fun stuff. Maybe because I can relate to some of these school problems, I found the story to be enjoyable and told in a way that shows that the people around this film really understand these things. There are quite a few interesting characters here with the Terri character being best out of them all and the most original too.

Even though almost everything works in this film, there are some minor flaws. For one, the characters seem to have too many privileges and that doesn't seem realistic. There is a bad funeral and restaurant scene that seems to break school rules and take down characters in the wrong way. There is also a lengthy scene in a shed that takes too long to develop but it is still a nice scene that shows teen life in an interesting way.  Again these are minor flaws but they could have been easily avoided.

Once this character study film reaches it's end, we see that this is a smart film that has a lot of confidence to it. In short, Terri is a fun independent film that I liked quite a bit and really touched me.

4/5