Georgia Nicolson is a 14-year-old who lives with nosey parents who don't understand her and an annoying little sister, not to mention she has to wear a beret to school. She would rather be blonde, with a smaller nose and a nice boyfriend. Revolving around her hilarious journal entries, prepare to be engulfed by the world of "Angus, Thongs And Perfect Snogging" as Georgia experiences the soaring joys and bottomless angst of being a teenager.
Go watch this with the mindset of a 14/15 year old and you will definitely enjoy this gem. Sharp and witty in the acute observations about the dilemmas of teenagers, this film will strike a chord or two in you as it is probably what you have once been through yourself. A lovely soundtrack that effectively captures the mood is a must to take note of.
Gurinder Chadha should have learned by now that she cannot do movie adaptations. "Mistress of Spices" was bleak while "Bride & Prejudice" was incredibly horrendous that I still can't forgive her for it. Wanting it to be the English version of teen movies such as "Clueless" and "Mean Girls", "Angus, Thongs And Perfect Snogging" is no more that just a kiddie version of "Bridget Jones' Diary", with Razak Mohaideen's annoying comical background score, that is.
But maybe I am not the person who's up with all the Brittweens' lingo (excuse my lingo). From using terms like schnosels, vulgaria, and snoggledome, stalking upon the male species to teaching each other how to feel yourself with a numb hand, this movie about the 14 year-old Georgia may horrify you if you have a fourteen year-old daughter, or sister who wants to go see this movie.
One would hope that a British comedy would have that British wit, and coming from a writer like Louise Rennison, clever dialogues would be essential. However, this reviewer perhaps has hoped too much. Georgia Nicholson is neither funny like her friends tend to believe, nor is she a 'nutter' as Robbie - the guy she's hopelessly in love with, thinks. She is indeed just fourteen, an age where you tend to believe that you are a unique soul.
Acting-wise, Georgia Groome as Georgia Nicholson gave a competent performance. As the main character, she succeeded in showing Georgia's true nature - which is a tween who thinks she's mature, and always misinterprets her pubertal behaviour to be very grown-up. However, as the narrator, Groome tends to be overly enthusiastic and over the top and it gets so annoying at times that you want her to stop blurting out her thoughts. Her group of friends called the 'Ace Gang' are forgettable, but then again, so are all the high school gangs of the world. None of the other stars gave their best, not even Kimberley Nixon who was the only young actress worth watching in "Wild Child".
In short, this light-hearted comedy is as light as the feather for young adults, but would be too much for real fourteen year-olds. And you might want to check again who 'Angus' actually is. Here's a hint, he's not a boy.
