Reviews of Girls Like Girls

CinemaSerfTMDB6.0 / 10

"Nicole" (aka "Coley" - Maya da Costa) is living with her stepdad "Curtis" (Zach Braff) and coming to terms with the recent accidental death of her mother. They have moved to a new location where she is struggling to settle in until, that is, she starts to befriend the popular "Sonya" (Myra Molloy) who seems to be having an on/off relationship with the frankly pretty obnoxious "Trenton" (Levon Hawke). It's soon quite clear that "Coley" feels something a little more intimate towards her new friend, the question is - does "Sonya" reciprocate? According to auteur Hayley Kiyoko, this film took ten years from original concept to get to the big screen, but unfortunately gay cinema has advanced in leaps and bounds in those intervening years - particularly where women are concerned. It's not unusual at all now to see lesbian couples portrayed in mainstream cinema, and so this has rather lost any groundbreaking hooks it may once have had. Instead, it all plays out as a rather typical drama of familial dyfunctionality and sexual awakenings that smacks right from the start of a contrived television movie full of emotional angst. Of course she has a wonky relationship with "Curtis"; of course the path of her true love doesn't run smooth and of course there has to be some doubt as to what might happen at the end - even if, well, there's isn't really. The acting is really neither here nor there and the whole film reminded me a little of that equally lacklustre and cheesy "Regretting You" story from last year where style and look eclipsed substance at pretty much every turn. It's all perfectly watchable but it's really just a short story that's been over-stretched out for ninety minutes and that I doubt I shall recall for long.