Diary of a Teenage Girl
There aren't many movies like "Diary of a Teenage Girl."
Not many movies can start with a teenage girl striding down the street, saying "I just had sex."
If you think that is shocking, it gets better. Well, worse. In a good way.
Minnie (Bel Powell) did indeed have sex ...with her mother's boyfriend (Alexander Skarsgard). And goes a little further as well, flirting with boys and even girls, descending into drugs and depravity in the swinging '70s.
The film deftly dances around the issue of Minnie's age, saying only that her turning 18 isn't too far off. And while Skarsgard's Monroe is undoubtedly a creep, he is portrayed as a bumbling man and often times even a kind and a caring and affectionate mate to Charlotte (Kristen Wiig, paying it completely straight and spectacularly so). Who just happens to be sleeping with his girlfriend's teenage daughter.
We see their relationship through the eyes of the girl, who wonders if she can make Monroe happy and whether she's good enough in bed; at one point, Monroe even considers having an official relationship. But still, Minnie dallies with boys her own age and then, emboldened, goes after targets that are a little less conventional.
Meanwhile, she deals with child issues, such as a nosy little sister (Abby Wait), and in that most '70s and '80s of issues, a father (Christopher Meloni) who both still pines for their mother and has to cram weeks of parenting into hours of "visitation" time (not that his parenting is all that effective to begin with).
"Diary" does a great job of representing the sexual awakening of a young girl in that era, from the attitudes to the tremendous set design and costumes.
Wiig is a revelation, with no irony or comedy whatsoever, and she thrives in this role as the flighty, often distant mother who nonetheless cares for her children. It is exciting if not surprising to see her emerging as a powerhouse.
Powley similarly is tremendous, and her sense of innocent awe melds perfectly with the fervor with which she later is emboldened. But still she is at heart a girl, and therein lies the film's biggest revelation: The girls of the '70s grew up way too fast.
Skarsgard, best known as the hunky Eric on HBO's "True Blood," is also impressive, masking his insecurity and need for acceptance and desire with a mustache that any porn star of the era would admire.
"Diary of a Teenage Girl" is a beautiful picture, one that perhaps loses its way a little toward the end, with an abrupt, awkward ending that is still in many ways appropriate.
If you haven't seen any trailers for "Diary," do yourself a favor: Don't bother with them. Go see this movie cold, and enjoy the tremendous performances, the unconventional plot developments and the breezy sense of humor that makes this one of the better pictures of the year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9LNsSjnqBM&w=585