Girl in Progress

Name: Girl in Progress
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: May 11, 2012
Duration: 93 min
Rating: 45
Cast: Cierra Ramirez, Eva Mendes, Matthew Modine, Patricia Arquette

2012

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 8 Ratings

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5.9

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5.9	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 8 Ratings

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Girl In Progress

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Movie Details & Credits

Lionsgate | Release Date: May 11, 2012 | PG-13

Starring: Cierra Ramirez, Eva Mendes, Matthew Modine, Patricia Arquette

Summary: Grace is a single mom. She is too busy juggling work, bills, and the very married Dr. Harford, to give her daughter, Ansiedad the attention she desperately needs. When Ansiedad's English teacher, Ms. Armstrong, introduces her students to classic coming-of-age stories, Ansiedad is inspired to skip adolescence and jump-start her life withoutGrace is a single mom. She is too busy juggling work, bills, and the very married Dr. Harford, to give her daughter, Ansiedad the attention she desperately needs. When Ansiedad's English teacher, Ms. Armstrong, introduces her students to classic coming-of-age stories, Ansiedad is inspired to skip adolescence and jump-start her life without mom. While Grace becomes preoccupied with the increasing affections of her co-worker, Ansiedad enlists the help of her loyal friend, Tavita, to plot her shortcut to "adulthood". But as her misguided plan unravels, Ansiedad and Grace must learn that sometimes growing-up means acting your age. (Lionsgate)… Expand

Director: Patricia Riggen

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 93 min

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Critic Reviews

A.O. Scott

May 10, 2012

The movie, by virtue of its self-conscious parody of the kind of movie it is, turns out to be an unusually smart and sensitive example of the genre. Read full review

Lou Lumenick

May 11, 2012

The two lead actresses rise to the occasion when they're finally forced to confront each other at the climax. Read full review

Joe Neumaier

May 10, 2012

A well-done, conscientious and funny little film that recalls "Clueless," only with more heart. Read full review

Boyd van Hoeij

May 10, 2012

Never finds its own groove, alternating between high-school dramedy and overworked-single-mom narratives without ever really becoming a mother-and-daughter story until the closing scenes. Read full review

Boxoffice Magazine Mark Olsen

May 12, 2012

This archly self-aware coming-of-age tale fizzles, as the targeted Latino audience is upstaged by a culture more firmly rooted in the film's soggy Seattle setting. Read full review

R. Emmet Sweeney

May 8, 2012

Uneasily poised between glib irony and earnest melodrama, Patricia Riggen's coming-of-age tale is as scattered as its manic pubescent protagonist. Read full review

Nick Schager

May 7, 2012

Girl in Progress operates like a training-wheels melodrama for genre-uneducated tweens. Read full review

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User Reviews

tvchicano07

Jan 15, 2013

This movie was a fantastic piece of art. It was well written, and it connects well with what many working class Hispanic-American women go through living in this country. The writer was creative in how he develops the character of the daughter and although this film is a tear-jerker I highlyThis movie was a fantastic piece of art. It was well written, and it connects well with what many working class Hispanic-American women go through living in this country. The writer was creative in how he develops the character of the daughter and although this film is a tear-jerker I highly recommend that people watch it. The cast is amazing, Eva Mendez does a magnificent job portraying a single mother who tends to be irresponsible, and Cierra Ramirez does an unbelievably great job.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

birdmannavy

Jan 17, 2014

What a frustrating film! I feel that this movie could have (should have) gone in one of two directions. Either it should have been like the much more dark, but also realistic and balanced, Thirteen; or it should have gone for something more akin to Moonrise Kingdom, an adult movie for theWhat a frustrating film! I feel that this movie could have (should have) gone in one of two directions. Either it should have been like the much more dark, but also realistic and balanced, Thirteen; or it should have gone for something more akin to Moonrise Kingdom, an adult movie for the kid in all of us. Those were Stupendous films who's heights few movies can attain, but had Girl In Progress had a little more of the focus and inspiration of the sort that drove two films then it would have gone a long way to convincing me that this was an 8 or a 9 instead of a 6. There was also some bad jokes of extremely poor taste. To wit: "Your husband beats you", said to a waitress as though that was a judgement on her character and not on her husband's. Again, regarding the same waitress, "She had a fight with a flight of stairs." Ha ha. These two jokes alone are enough to merit a Zero out of Ten in anybody's book, so it is lucky I am giving it a 6.

Anyway. The first opening minutes are completely hilarious and I busted a gut laughing. Were those minutes the extent of the film, I would give it a 10. Unfortunately that is not the spirit or the nature of the movie. I felt that creating a sympathetic mom hijacked the movie, though I have no problem with the actor, Eva Mendes, and had the film makers put all their attention on her character, provided some better development and writing were also there, that would have been fine with me. But I really wanted this to be the young woman's, the character Ansiedad's, movie and I felt let down.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

LeZee

Jul 22, 2014

This comedy-drama about the Mexican family living in America talks about a girl who wants to be an adult in a short period of time. With the usual teen comedy, the story goes all around showcasing a girlie side of mischievous behavior. This was not a great teen movie, but acceptable. It'sThis comedy-drama about the Mexican family living in America talks about a girl who wants to be an adult in a short period of time. With the usual teen comedy, the story goes all around showcasing a girlie side of mischievous behavior. This was not a great teen movie, but acceptable. It's just letting us know what happen when teens are not supervised carefully by their parents. Clearly to say, it briefs the differences between maturity and the word opposite to that.

A struggling poor family of mother-daughter's life is not getting better, instead becomes worse everyday. Grace (Eva Mendis) has been busy all day between her two jobs and a relationship with a married which put her daughter, Annsiedad in a negligence state. Since Annsiedad's mother is not giving any attention towards her, she grows a rebellious character within. One day she decides to become an adult by discarding all the childish character in her once she had experienced them all. So she makes a list to encounter 'coming-of-age' and leave behind her childhood. The plan won't end, according to she arranged. Takes a diverted path and the conclusion of the story is what delivers a message for parents who is so careless of their children.

‘‘So now I'm free to fly. And I hop on a bus to adult-ville.
My coming of age story is complete. Roll end credits.
Bring up the house light. I am not a kid anymore.’’

The whole first half was like a silly teen movie with usual narration and there is nothing special about it to highlight. The humors that is not really funny kind of stuffs. Maybe we get used to it for seeing in every teen movie. The last quarter is what makes the sense, a lesson is to learn from it, for that you have to watch the whole movie. Teens want everything to be done so quickly, slow and steady is not meant for them. In such a concept this movie happens which reminds a proverb 'Rome was not built in a day'. The casting was good, both, the mother character played by Eva Mendis and her daughter's was shelved very well. After seeing a fair end scene I thought the script should have had a little stronger in the initial portions to balance its overall strength. Anyway, an average movie, but can be enjoyed if you are not too serious about what you want to watch.… Expand

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