All I Wanna Do
User Score
7.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7

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  1. ChadS.
    Aug 14, 2004
    7
    "All I Wanna Do" is "Taps" with femmes. Also known as "Strike", this little film is no better or worse, than the similar-themed "Mona Lisa Smile"; so much so, you can draw an analogy to John Sayles' "The Return of the Seacus Seven" informing Lawrence Kasdan's "The Big Chill". You can't help but wonder if Kirsten Dunst hurt some feelings by appearing in the Julia Roberts vehicle. In "All I Wanna Do", or "Strike", or "Mona Lisa Smile: The Workshop", Dunst is most like the Julia Stiles character, sort of. The strength of "All I Wanna Do" is that the girls aren't as broadly drawn. Giselle (Maggie Gyllenhall), the designated slut from the Mike Newell film, is less interesting than the slut played by Monica Keena, because Tinka has a secret. Writer/director Sarah Kernochan does a good job of misdirecting us from the truth. Although it's a little dispiriting to see an indie aspire to be commercial by reversing its course with a convoluted ending, "All I Wanna Do" is also refreshing, because indie films can be annoying with its distancing affectations, such as irony and self-conscious edginess. For example, there's a bulimic girl, and she vomits, but her problem isn't jokey like the trio of upchucking babes in Gus Van Sant's "Elephant". In 1963, Kernochan observes, teenage girls could pass a can of Chef Boyardee's ravioli, and eat it straight from the can. Conversely, in 2004, this would be a stunt on "Fear Factor". … Expand
  2. StevenG.
    Mar 10, 2001
    8
    A vast improvement over most in this genre. Smart and at times quite funny. The cast is skilled and well-chosen. Kirsten Dunst shines.
  3. [Anonymous]
    Jan 28, 2007
    10
    This is a great movie for girls who went to summer camps, high schools or colleges just for women. It invokes a huge sense of pride!

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
60 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 6 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 6
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 6
  3. Negative: 1 out of 6
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    67
    A knock-kneed but likable just-for-girls drama set in 1963 that promotes single-sex institutions as the best breeding ground for future female senators and filmmakers.
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  2. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: A. O. Scott
    50
    Surprisingly pleasant, thanks to smart, unstereotyped performances.
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  3. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    70
    Under the candy coating and girl group soundtrack, the film acknowledges some hard truths about women and education that haven't changed much since the '60s. But it never loses sight of having a good time, and the girls are great.
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