All I Wanna Do

EMAIL PRINTMiramax Films

8.3 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 6 critic reviews
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Based on 3 votes
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Comedy

Written by: Sarah Kernochan

Directed by: Sarah Kernochan

Release Date:
Theatrical: March 24, 2000
DVD: June 13, 2000

Running Time: 96 minutes, Color

Origin: USA / Canada / Italy

Summary

RATING: PG-13 for teen sex-related material, language and substance misuse

Starring Kirsten Durst, Gaby Hoffman, Lynn Redgrave, Rachael Leigh Cook, Tom Guiry, Vincent Kartheiser, Monica Keena, and Heather Matarazzo

Set in 1963, the students at Miss Godard's School for Girls join together to protest the merging with a boy's school.

Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Village Voice Amy Taubin

A smart, sweet, and altogether smashing evocation of teenage girlhood.

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Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Lively acting and good-natured feminism lift this lightweight comedy a notch above the norm.

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TV Guide Ken Fox

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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Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

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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The New York Times A. O. Scott

Surprisingly pleasant, thanks to smart, unstereotyped performances.

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New York Post Jonathan Foreman

You have to sit through 90 minutes that feel like three hours.

What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 8.3 (out of 10) based on 3 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

[Anonymous] gave it a10:
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!

Chad S. gave it a 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".

Steven G. gave it an 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.