Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Blistering performances.

To begin, I don't much like movies that show someone under the age of legal consent having sex with a much older partner, HOWEVER...I acknowledge that it happens, and that many times, the age of legal consent is just a number, as there are 12 year olds that have the maturity of a 20 year old, and vice versa.The first misconception that I would like to clear up is that somehow Monroe acted in a predatory way, forcing himself on Minnie. His behavior, albeit somewhat creepy, was not predatory. Au contraire, Minnie was a willing and complicit partner and certainly seemed to have the mental capacity to make the decision. In fact, while Minnie's 15- year old hormones raged wildly out of control, Monroe often seemed the reluctant lover who felt overwhelmed by her overwhelming "need". Of course, as Minnie discovers, her "need" is not for sex; it is for intimacy. And Monroe cannot provide her with that--perhaps because he is at a different age and level, but more likely because he himself is emotionally immature.The poor girl! She is surrounded by emotionally immature adults. Her relationship with her mother is colored by her mother's relationships with many different men. Minnie is constantly adjusting her life to her mother's needs, as opposed to the mother meeting the needs of the child. One of the most touching scenes is when Minnie and her mother are in the kitchen eating lunch--and her mother tells her how in love she was with Minnie's father. The audience sees Minnie glow as her mother tells her this-- finally! Minnie realizes that there was a real emotional connection between her mother and father--and it is comforting to her. Maybe her father wasn't like all the other men (and people) that float ephemerally through her mother's bohemian life.This movie takes us through Minnie's journey of self-realization that sex and intimacy are two very different things--perhaps a journey that all teenagers take at some point.The movie fails when the mother discovers the affair between Monroe and Minnie. Yes, she would be angry--at her daughter, and at Monroe. But would she get drunk with Monroe, and then summon her daughter to the bar to tell her that Monroe must marry Minnie? Even making the excuse that she and Monroe are drunk, it seems a bit more hare-brained than she is typically depicted in the movie. Also, why wouldn't she immediately tell Monroe that it is statutory rape, and at least threaten him with going to the authorities? It's doubtful that she would follow through, but at least threaten him. After all, she is not such a terrible mom that her children have been taken away from her. Also, the ending where Minnie bumps into Monroe at the beach while she is selling her artwork with her sister...it is a bit contrived. It is an ending that lets us know that Minnie has moved forward emotionally, while Monroe is stagnating. And miraculously, the acceptance back into the family by her mother and sister after her runaway attempt has given her the confidence to sell her artwork at the beach. News flash--she was accepted by her mother and sister prior to the runaway attempt, and she has always been a talented artist! But the writer and/or director wanted to put a neat little bow on it for the end. I give it a 6/10 for being thought provoking, for great acting, for an authentic evocation of the '70s, and an awesome soundtrack (yeah, Iggy Pop and the Stooges!). Downgraded for the pat ending, and the unevenly written character of the mother, who mainly comes off as a stereotype of a single, '70s mom who has a man addiction.

Well, the first thing is this film is not for everyone. Because the contents were too strong for being a teen theme. That means it is good for the grown ups to watch. The story of a 15 year old girl in the 70s living with her mother and small sister. It begins when her sexual urges takes off, her first with a middle aged man. So she documents everything and besides, with her close friend's support, they together explore even more options. Being a minor and yet her real life to commence, what she plans for the future determines the remaining developments.The performance by Bel Powley was amazing. She was the perfect choice to play that role despite she's older than the role. There were many nudes and sex scenes, but was not that strong, especially when compared with the similar themes of the present era films. The pace had lots of ups and downs, but the progression was on the right path which actually saved the film.The story was just fine, no complication to understand and also not easy to explain, but in a short, it was a teenage girl's sexual exploration. Everybody gets into that stage of life, but only few courageously opts a path to accomplish. And for some, it is an open opportunity that makes them to get there than intentionally make that move. I felt the film was well adapted from its book and directed by a newcomer, Surely worth a watch, but again I'm saying that it is not for everyone.7/10

I came into this film with little to no indication about its source material or the tones it would present me with. I can now say I am eagerly going in search of the graphic novel that this film is based off. Firstly I want to talk about the cinematography for this feature, it is truly breathtaking in some scenes. I myself hope to become a cinematographer and looking at the care and clear passion put in by all crew, the shots all looked beautiful and breathed soul. The warm colours that reminds us of the 70's era were subtle enough to bring us into the films setting whilst not feeling too jarring or distracting.The animation was well used and superb, they were utilized to their fullest, almost as characters themselves, driving the story on- wards. Minnie was also very likable despite her very quirky and almost unrelatable behavior, however it was so refreshing to see a coming of age film really explore female sexuality and what love means to young women. Whether all of us can relate to the severity of her emotions and desires is irrelevant, we all have a bit of Minnie in us when it comes to growing up and that's what keeps you watching throughout the more graphic sex scenes. The rest of the cast including the important Monroe were also stellar, fantastic seeing Kristen Wiig in a more serious and layered roll as Minnie's mother. Monroe was also more complicated than your standard forbidden lover, he seemed to have a deep loneliness throughout the film that could be seen between his sexual aggression that really made you wonder how bad the whole situation was. I am sorry I can't go more in depth however this is best experienced than explained. Everyone will take something from this film, whether it be the messages about love and dependence or about appreciating the struggles we all go through as teenagers that seem so small now. I loved this movie, may not be to everyone's tastes but I thought it was a loving, engaging and overall beautiful film.

Because I'm studying screenplay writing, I recently read the screenplay for The Diary of a Teenage Girl. I randomly chose it, and I'm happy to say, I enjoyed watching the film way more than I enjoyed reading it. Perhaps because of some of the visuals, particularly the animated ones, actually seeing them gave the film another dimension which was more difficult to experience when reading the script.So I was pleasantly surprised as I watched it, and during the six or so hours since watching it, the images of it have been repeating on me, like tastes from a spicy dinner.It was an intense film and of the several reviews I've just read, only one of them mentioned what I thought was so intense about it, which was what was behind the main character's obsession with sex and sexuality, i.e., her need and desire to be loved. I supposed I related personally to her character, for I, too, at one time was a needy teenage girl, who found escape and/or solace (from having a very narcissistic mother) in boys and sex, not to mention drugs. Happily the story as presented here (in the film and I assume, the book) has hope: Minnie learns to love herself and find joy through her art. She doesn't self destruct or do really harmful self-injurious things as she could have, so the film, for me, has a bittersweet quality.I also found the portrayal of the time (1976) well done, though I did take issue with Kirsten Wiig's hairstyle. Otherwise, everything else was realistic and very relatable.