We went to the Sunday showing of , a dark, comedic twist on the old "coming of age in a small town" story. The movie was written and directed by John Hazlett, adapted from a play by Vivienne Laxdal (the movie version was described by Mr. Hazlett as a "radical revision"). We want to note straight out of the box that we loved -- LOVED -- the soundtrack.
But there's a lot to like about "These Girls," in addition to the music. For one, we're unabashed fans of David Boreanaz, who plays Keith, a sort of "bad boy" that's kind of grown up--or at least is married and has a baby daughter. For Boreanaz, this was a good test of his range; he's slightly pathetic, sneaky, not very smart, and not so responsible--not at all "Angel"-like. Caroline Dhavernas, recently of the late television series "Wonderfalls" (which we also liked quite a bit), is great in the lead role of Keira, a small-town girl that's tired of playing it safe. She's wrestling with whether she should go off to "University" (this is Canada, btw) --something her father wants her to do, which is the primary reason she's resisting it. She wants to take chances and experience new things, but of her own design, rather than those of her overbearing father. Dhavernas plays the character with the sort of wryness that made her appealing on "Wonderfalls," yet the emotional arc (and subject matter) of These Girls gives her a chance to flex her acting muscles a bit more. Of note: Mr. Hazlett indicated in the Q&A session that Dhavernas is a native French speaker, and English is her second language. We'd have never known.
