Terri (2011) Reviews

• Island of Misfits

  ferguson-62011-07-20

  Greetings again from the darkness. Indie films are at a disadvantage on many fronts, not the least of which is budget. That usually limits the indie scene to personal, poignant stories of relationships and self-discovery. Quirky, yet believable characters are often the difference between ho-hum and worth-seeing. Writer Patrick Dewitt and Director Azazel Jacobs definitely provide some curious characters of interest. Jacob Wysocki portrays Terri, an overweight outcast who is often humiliated and bullied at high school. Terri seems to have given up on ever fitting in. The proof is in the pajamas that he has begun wearing to class every day. But as usual with "troubled" teens, there is more to the story. We see his home life which consists of constant care for his Uncle James (Creed Bratton from The Office), who is apparently suffering from dementia. We get no backstory on the missing parents, but it's clear that Terri's responsibility at home outweigh his concerns for a missing social life at school. Enter Assistant Principal, Mr. Fitgerald. Played by John C Riley, Mr. Fitzgerald takes a special interest in the 'monsters and misfits'. The reason is pretty obvious ... he was one himself. His goal, even his life's calling, is to encourage these kids to understand that life gets better and that NO ONE really has it figured out. We are just doing the best we can. Terri's world collides with a couple other students. Chad (Bridger Sadina) is so angry at the world that he pulls his hair right out from his scalp - and is quick with a cutting line, though he clearly just seeks attention. Heather (Olivia Crociacchia) is saved from expulsion after a very generous move by Terri. Her world of popularity comes crashing down, but Terri is the presence that gets her through. Watching these characters interact with Mr. Fitzgerald emphasizes how much we all need someone to care ... someone to believe in us. The film moves at a realistic to life pace. That means it is very slow compared to most movies. The characters are allowed to develop, as are most of the scenes. Jacob Wysocki's performance can be compared to Gabourey Sidibe in "Precious". They are large youngsters who don't use their size to comedic effect. Instead, they both display humanity and real emotions in a less than perfect world. Certainly not a movie for everyone, but if you enjoy intimate stories about people just trying to get through life ... no special effects, explosions or asinine punchlines ... then Terri is worth a look.

• Terri: slow but wise,

  Maharakid2011-10-19

  Terri is just not your average movie. I can understand why some do not like this: you have to let yourself in on it. At first I was not immediately carried away, but as the story continues I slowly but surely got sucked in. I would not call it a comedy at all, though some scenes made me smile. It touches on subjects which keep your mind occupied on that age (and later too, though different;-). The movie shows lessons of life which some learn early in their life, others have to live through and never learn. It shows us we can make mistakes, we will, and we even have to if we want to "learn life". I understood it got a more restricted rating than the average action movie. I can only think it has to do with the sexual subjects it contains, but I think it is done in such a way that you can only learn good things from it if you're young. Cinematography does not do anything new, but it's a lot better and fitting than the shaky camera's of the 100 million dollar movies that came out lately. So, lessons in life here!

• A fine coming-of-age drama; not really a comedy

  TroyeEvans2011-10-07

  Terri tells the story of 15-year-old teenage boy Terri, who is said to possess a "good heart". The entire story focuses on the self-discovery of Terri and his adjustment to harsh circumstances and life when categorized as a "monster". The characters are intriguing. First, we have Terri, an obese teenager who seems to have already got used to being seen as one of the freaks at school and at the same time striving constantly and desperately to figure out his life. Then, there is Mr. Fitgerald, who becomes interested in Terri and tries to help him. Now you may ask why. What's the motivation? Revealed later is the equally miserable and chaotic life of Fitgerald, which probably unravels the reason and intention behind his willingness and determination to assist Terri. Further in the story we get to meet Chad and Heather, the former being an eccentric misfit and the latter being a troubled teenage girl. The story is about how their paths cross. The overall acting, though nowhere near superb, is undoubtedly adequate to consolidate the plot. Jacob Wysocki as Terri, Bridger Zadina as Chad and Olivia Crocicchia as Heather manage to deliver sufficient performances for their parts. John C. Reilly, nevertheless, gives the audience a highly believable and realistic performance which indeed gains the movies a huge plus. It does not come as a shock that his scenes turn out to be the more interesting scenes in the film. The storyline does not really land any surprises for the viewers. Despite its difference from other similar coming-of-age films, the film does not summon enough good elements to form a overall highly entertaining experience. It is disappointing to see such potential in character development gone to waste on account of the plot. While the completeness and character uniqueness in this film are definitely enough to bring about a fine piece of teenage growing-up tale, the story fails to transform it into something we call excellent and memorable. Terri is not your typical coming-of-age film. It's a film off the mainstream and is portrayed with its own off-the-track style and its not-so-ordinary characters. There is a degree of eccentricity and depth in them that makes them appealing, and pulls them away from the main crowd of "normal" teenagers. The plot does not center on a very specific event. It does not concentrate on achieving a certain goal. It is just a simple story about adjusting to everyday life, with attractive characters, too. Terri is also not your typical comedy. In fact, It is not really a comedy. It is a drama describing teenage problems. It is a drama about growing up and realizing how to live. And that is what it should be - a coming-of-age drama, not a comedy. The movie starts off with longer scenes and less dialogue and may be a bit tedious, that is, until Reilly enters. As I have mentioned above, I find his scenes easily being the spotlights of the film, while the others fall flat a little. In life, we do the best we can. Terri is a story about a trouble youngster coming of age. Though it may be not the best film, it is not at all a poorly written indie piece. The film puts an emphasis on Terri's "good heart", and this is in a way confirmed near the end of film. If you are looking for an atypical teenage drama, Terri is recommended. But if you want your typical laughter-generating comedy, don't even bother to watch this.

• Terri an odd but endearing dose of humanity

  keidem4-829-4416672011-04-30

  Saturday, April 30, 2011 Atlanta Film Festival review: "Terri" Think - when's the last time you saw a new movie that is truly unique? For me it had been quite a while, but I managed to catch one with Azazel Jacobs' "Terri," the opening night movie for this year's Atlanta Film Festival 365. And what makes that all the more amazing is that it comes with such a familiar structure - the lovable authority figure who reaches out to the high school misfit and teaches him or her how to live life (another of one those? Sheesh.) But both the greatest strength and simultaneously a weakness is that "Terri" doesn't initiate a grand, transformative experience for the titular hero here, just gives a bit of dignity to a kid who sorely needs some. When you first meet Terri, you'll see, however, just how much of an accomplishment even that will be. Jacob Wysocki, who I had never seen in anything before, plays the rather rotund kid who wears pajamas to school because, well when you see him, I think you'll understand. It's just one of the many uncomfortable situations that Jacobs plays for a mix of humor and drama that, while it never really picks a side, doesn't have to. And Wysocki, from the way he runs as Terri to the contempt for the world around him he expresses in his face, is a natural comedian and someone you'll fall in love with from the start. Not surprisingly, Terri has few friends at the high school he only bothers to turn up to sporadically at best. Who has time for that when he has to concern himself with catching the mice who roam the attic in the shack he shares with his senile uncle, Creed Bratton of "The Office" fame in a restrained performance that will catch you by surprise. The job of drawing Terri out of this rut falls to school principal Mr. Fitzgerald, played by John C. Reilly in another fairly great performance in his second career act as a comedian. This isn't, however, the broad kind of role he delivered in taking over "Cedar Rapids," though he does do some yelling in an attempt to convey at least a smidgen of authority. He just plays a guy who's clearly in over his head, but still tries to reach out to the misfits (or, as Terri calls them, "monsters") who cross his path each day. The best scenes in "Terri" involve Reilly and Wysocki squaring off and looking for some common ground, which they eventually find they have more of than either expected. Jacobs' movie, based on a screenplay he wrote with novelist Patrick Dewitt, is more than a bit too episodic in its first half, but it gets better as the scenes grow longer, culminating in one completely uncomfortable take on the "Breakfast Club" scenario of the outcast summit. I don't want to spoil any of what happens when Terri eventually finds two friends in Heather (Olivia Crocicchia), the pretty girl with a bad reputation, and Chad (Bringer Zadina), a kid so angry he can't find much else to do than constantly pull his own hair out. These kids definitely aren't all right, and what happens when they come together with a bottle of whiskey and some of Terri's uncle's pills will be the most polarizing aspect of this movie, assuming anyone gets too see it when it gets at least some kind of theatrical release in July. In the end, though it could certainly use some more narrative drive, what Jacobs' movie has is plenty of humanity, and in that it reminded me of the movies of Thomas McCarthy, one of my very favorite directors (probably also admittedly because I saw "Win Win" yesterday, and that was sensational.) If you get the chance to see it, I think you'll enjoy this tale of a genuine misfit searching for a little bit of dignity. I know I did.

• A sweet, tender, and very observant film

  howard.schumann2011-08-27

  As we know, high school can be a difficult and challenging place for even the most socially adaptive student. For those who are different in one way or another, it can be misery, and alienated students do not always find a compassionate counselor or friend to steer them through the tough times. In the movies, however, it is often a different story. We have seen several films recently about teens that have lost their way but somehow find the perfect mentor to support them. The latest example of this is Terri, a new film by Azazel Jacobs, whose 2008 Momma's Man, was a work of rare honesty about a recently married man who falls into a psychological paralysis that keeps him from accepting the reality of his adult life. Though the genre of teen misfits has been done before, Terri looks at the situation from a different vantage point and the result is a film of unusual freshness. Based on a screenplay Jacobs wrote with novelist Patrick Dewitt, Terri brings together an unlikely friendship between Terri (Jacob Wysocki), a heavily over-sized parentless teenager who lives with his Uncle James (Creed Bratton) who is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's, Chad (Bridger Zadina), a skinny, androgynous-looking youth with a high-pitched squeaky voice who directs his anger towards himself by pulling his hair out, and Heather ((Olivia Crocicchia), an attractive girl who has developed an unfortunate reputation around school for inappropriate sexual acting out. Terri is consistently late to school and comes to class dressed in pajamas because he feels they are more comfortable. He is constantly teased and bullied by those who do not understand (and perhaps never will) the meaning of empathy. His behavior, while otherwise normal, can be bizarre. When his uncle asks him to set traps for mice in their attic, Terri takes the traps out into a wooded area near his suburban home and gleefully watches the dead mice being torn to shreds by devouring falcons. His tardiness and odd behavior draws the attention of the school's vice-principal Mr. Fitzgerald (John C. Reilly) who sets up sessions with Terri each week for counseling. Attempting to play the role of buddy rather than authority figure, Fitzgerald calls Terri "dude", uses "hip" language, and exchanges high-fives, but his behavior often feels strained. Terri learns to appreciate the attention he is given, however, and, though he is tight lipped at the beginning of the meetings, he slowly begins to open up and express his feelings. Fitzgerald also has his problems at home and is not averse to sharing them with Terri. His sharing about his personal life, however inappropriate it may be for a school administrator, does provide a more level playing field and a closer relationship grows between the two people struggling to make sense of the world. An awkward late night party at Terri's house filled with drugs, alcohol, and sexual experimentation could have become a disaster, except for Terri's new found sense of self that allows him to know intuitively when to back off. There are few dramatic movements in Terri, no sudden insights, and no startling epiphanies backed by the swelling chords of an orchestra. There is, rather, simply a growing ability of the characters to see beyond their differences to discover their common humanity. While the question of what Terri can do to lose some weight is oddly never brought up either by his mentor or his friends, Terri is a sweet, tender, and very observant film about young people coming to terms with the reality of their being different. It is not a cruel film in the slightest but one that conveys a sincere affection for its troubled characters, and the natural performances of Wysocki, Zadina, and Crocicchia make it a film to remember and cherish.