'Terri'
(Jacob Wysocki, John C. Reilly, et al / DVD / R / 2011 / 20th Century Fox)
Overview: Social outcast Terri (Jacob Wysocki) is stuck caring for his uncle (Creed Bratton, TV's The Office) and trying to survive high school. He feels disconnected until his wildly unconventional Vice Principal (John C. Reilly, Walk Hard) inspires him to reach out. Now with the help of beautiful misfit Heather (Olivia Crocicchia, TV's Rescue Me), Terri discovers he doesn’t have to fit in to belong.
DVD Verdict: Terri (Jacob Wysocki), is a boy. Normally Terri for males is spelled with a "Y" as opposed to the cutesy "I" for females. This is symbolic of his role as a "victim of circumstance" in this awkward coming of age story. Terri is 15, obese and pathetic. He cares for his uncle who has memory lapses and bad days. Terri goes to school wearing pajamas and has a nemesis (Justin Prentice as Dirty Zach) who picks on him as well as is semi-intimate with a blond girl (Olivia Crocicchia as Heather) in which Terri is interested.
Whenever Terri must care for his uncle, the movie brings us down with some pathetic violin music, letting everyone know caring for the elderly in some sort of sad chore. They can only afford 1 musician for a sound track.
John C. Reilly plays the semi-cool, slightly creepy, misfit school principal Mr. Fitzgerald who takes an interest in Terri's life as he is frequently late for homeroom. Terri quickly realizes that the principal only meets with misfits and is upset he is in that group. We see Terri and Heather's relationship bloom during a very bad music montage. The movie lumbers along slow and steady like Terri. At times I found myself waiting for something to happen that wasn't as boring as real life. Like most Indy movies it relishes in its uncomfortable scenes, substituting real human drama, which we get enough in our own life, for exploding heads on the screen. I admit it, I am shallow and enjoy exploding heads.
If you are a big fan of Indie films and John C. Reilly this is definitely one for you. The characters were unique and realistic. The dialogue flowed but was not abundantly witty or clever. There is a scene where graffiti states "Fitzgerald is a zombie." John C. Reilly played an uncredited "bathroom zombie" in "Zombieland," perhaps an inside indie joke. The movie includes some real life views and philosophy expressed through the understanding John C. Reilly.
Rated R for infrequent F bomb usage, discussion/scene of fingering, 15 year old kids drinking, popping pills, and almost having sex. No nudity.
FYI: In the real world peanut butter makes a better bait than cheddar cheese for catching rodents. [ML] This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:
A Look Inside 'Terri'
Deleted Scenes
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