Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

This is a good coming-of-age movie, similar to others about girls' childhoods, rather heavy on the mother/daughter drama, quirky and somewhat melodramatic, though at least in this case the childhood seemed to have been legitimately eventful, since it took place in the circus. The film adds touches of magical realism, but this seems make it less realistic rather than more magical. The actors are fine, the girl is cute, and certainly the audience can relate to problematic parents, but the main character remains rather a mystery, even though she provides narration throughout the film. It doesn't help that from one scene to the next the story jumps from her childhood to young adulthood, though during that time not much seems to happen, she is the same quiet observer of her own life. That said, she does make some interesting observations, and the highlight of the movie for me was (predictably) her burlesque dance with a strategically hairy rival. The movie has a decent enough ending, though the viewer is left wondering where she goes from there.