Barely Legal

A film about 3 girls trying to lose their virginity at a birthday party. What could go wrong!?

The first 15 minutes are pretty awful, in almost every way. The acting is pretty poor, probably due to a bad script and some things just don't make sense, e.g. All the morning drama and sex, then suddenly its only 6:30am! And the fact that 3 18yo girls can own that house with a pool?!

Once the party kicks off, the movie kinda does too. It does actually have some funny moments that aren't so cringe-worthy that it just falls flat. The acting remains hit and miss throughout for pretty much every character, bar maybe the character of Eric who was probably the best of the lot. It's most likely the tamest pool party you'll ever see in these kinds of movies.

If you want to see a lot of boobs and a bit more at times, then this movie will be enjoyable to you. The 3 leads are very attractive and you get to see quite a bit of them. Given who made the movie (The Asylum), it's not actually that bad, and decent by their standards.

If you have 90mins to waste on a forgettable yet OK movie, that does provide some laughs, and tonnes of boobs, then this might whet your appetite but it's not one you'll ever watch again after.

I would like to begin by apologizing about using word to describe such a well-crafted cinematic masterpiece. I have nothing else at my disposal and words will not do it justice. This is the brilliant coming of age story of three young women who happen to all share the same birthday. The actresses playing these women should receive not only Oscar nods, but also the hardware. Hell, they should give them Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress just so Jeneta St. Clair, Lisa Younger, and the refreshingly brilliant Melissa Johnston do not have to share a statue. There is no way a trifecta so perfect in acting should not be recognized as a whole. The Director, Jose Montesinos, utilizes his cast and film crew so effectively, the viewer does not feel as if they are watching a film, but actually participating in the entire experience. The connectivity he is able to bring out of all of the actors and actresses is unparalleled. There is a young genius at work behind the camera in this film. You will feel the emotion, pain, hunger, and desperation of every character. I mean every character. Tanya Yiang, who plays the role of Girl, will leave you riveted to the screen. You will despise Morgan Benoit's Jake with vitriol normally only reserved for the most heinous of villains, such as Game of Thrones' King Joffrey. You will feel the religious fortitude of Kevin Yarbaugh's Priest. There is no other way around it. The director got everything possible out of every actor who graced the screen.

Although that is impressive on its own there is little actors can do without dialogue, and the screen writer, Naomi L. Selfman, nailed this one on every facet of good storytelling. If you are someone who loves dialogue, Ms. Selfman's word craft is a treat to behold. Forget the wittiness many critics claimed of such wordsmiths as Kevin Williamson or Diablo Cody, they are not even in a league with Naomi Selfman. She is more deserving to be whispered in the same breaths as Poe, Keats, Whitman, Dante, or even Shakespeare himself. To say that the script of the film Barely Legal was Shakespearean in quality would be an insult to the film for it has set a new standard to which I am certain books, TV shows, and movies will be referred to as Barely Legalian. It was with some distrust that I took the Netflix recommendation from the PS3 Netflix Max option, but I could not be happier that I had done so. This film was a transcendental and life-changing experience for me and I am sure many others. I am seriously considering getting the three main characters tattooed across my torso, but alas even that tribute would not be worthy of such astute filmmaking genius. If you want to have your life changed and be awakened to what truly standard filmmaking is, then check out The Asylum's Barely Legal, but be prepared for the decrepit, weak, worn-out, schlock that Hollywood normally produces to not even touch your movie viewing palate any longer. It will be like having the most astounding meal prepared for you and then trying to tell yourself McDonald's will be good the next time you go there. There is only pre-Barely Legal movie viewers and post-Barely Legal movie viewers. I am glad to call myself one of the latter and if you take the leap you will be too.

Cheryl, Lexi, and Sue are best friends since birth when their mothers met at the hospital. It's their 18th birthday coming up. Cheryl plans to lose her virginity to boyfriend Jake. Sue is religious and shocked at Cheryl's plan. Lexi is sexually promiscuous and does everything except losing her virginity. After a misunderstanding in confession at church, Sue agrees to join the other two in the virginity plan.

This is pretty low quality in almost every aspect. The acting is weak although the girls are willing to show some skin. The writing tries to be funny. It has some outrageous moments that are almost funny. The production is really low budget. They seem to have rented a house and made the movie all in that place. This is a low-budget indie version of a sex romp. It's on par with one of those other alternate American Pie movies with less money.

This movie should be shown in all film classes. Director Jose Montesinos does a phenomenal job bringing the best out of the actors. Jeneta St. Clair puts in an Oscar worthy performance by portraying the troubles that the average American teenage woman has to deal with. Naomi L. Selfman wrote a script that is unrivaled. The basic story lines used in everyday stories are completely thrown away to create something new, and something better. Ignoring the conventional way telling a story, Naomi tells writes the screenplay in a much more accurate way, and therefore it is easier for the audience to relate to the characters. The post-production of the film is possibly the best I've ever scene. It has a soundtrack that rivals the Breakfast Club, and flawless editing. The flow of the movie keeps constantly entertained. This is the best movie I have seen in years, and plan on watching it many more times in the following weeks.

Another reviewer clearly must be kidding with the cinematic masterpiece review he (or she?) has written. That is my take on his Shakespeare comparisons and more. On the other hand, there are certain things that really work for the movie. One of them is that this is not baiting or teasing you without delivering. So while other movies may promise skin and deliver nothing, this does give you that ... satisfaction.

And there is also the fact that you have three female protagonists. Now you may feel that this is not representing women or womanhood correctly. But is that what the movie is here? An educational how to do it? No sir (and miss/missus etc)! This is supposed to be a comedy about girls coming (stop snickering) into adulthood. Maybe it is worth snickering. Again, this is not meant to be seen as anything serious and while it is far from "a cinematic masterpiece", it also isn't a disaster at all.