X
- 1993
- R
- Miramax
- 1 h 32 m
- 1993
- R
- Miramax
- 1 h 32 m
Summary With hopes of becoming a doctor and not a product of her environment, a Brooklyn teenager is faced with numerous challenges that threaten her dreams.
Directed By: Leslie Harris
Written By: Leslie Harris
- 1993
- R
- Miramax
- 1 h 32 m
- 1993
- R
- Miramax
- 1 h 32 m
Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.
64
User Score
Available after 4 ratings
tbd
Where to Watch
Summary With hopes of becoming a doctor and not a product of her environment, a Brooklyn teenager is faced with numerous challenges that threaten her dreams.
Directed By: Leslie Harris
Written By: Leslie Harris
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 24 Critic Reviews
64
63% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
38% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 24 Critic Reviews
64
63% Positive
15 Reviews
15 Reviews
38% Mixed
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Like most of its characters, it's rough and sometimes raw to visit with, blending sharp insights into the world of inner-city youth with a weakness for melodrama and touches of silly humor. But to see it is to visit a world rarely touched by mainstream movies. [15 Mar 1993, p.14]
Leslie Harris wrote and directed this special jury prize winner at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival, which often slips into Afternoon Special territory with its story of teen pregnancy. What keeps it buoyant and engaging is a remarkable performance by newcomer Ariyan Johnson as Chantel, whose hip, flippant moods mask an ambitious, bright mind. [18 Jun 1993, p.10]
Harris’s refusal to treat her heroine strictly as role model or bad example makes her portrait a lot livelier and less predictable—as well as more confusing—than the standard genre exercises most reviewers seem to prefer. What’s exciting about this movie is a lot of loose details: frank girl talk about AIDS and birth control, glancing observations about welfare lines and the advantages of a boy with a car over one with subway tokens.
Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. is half-a-good movie, three-quarters of a good debut, and an even better showcase for its live-wire lead performer. Even so, a protracted, then pat, wrap-up saps much of the goodwill reflected by these promising components. [23 Mar 1993, p.10D]
[Harris's] loud, rough, energetic tale of 'girlz n the hood' is low on polish and production values but certainly drawn from life.
Just Another Girl on the IRT means to be instructive about teen-age pregnancies, but what it's saying is none too coherent.
One could dwell on Johnson's in-your-face performance, or how refreshing it is to see a black New York drama played out by homegirls. But, facing facts, the climax is unpersuasive and the happy end a cop-out.
User Reviews
There are no user reviews yet. Be the first to add a review.
Production Company
Miramax,
Truth 24 F.P.S.
Release Date Mar 19, 1993
Duration 1 h 32 m
Rating R
Tagline If You Think You Know Her, Think Again.
Awards
Sundance Film Festival
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
Gotham Awards
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Film Independent Spirit Awards
• 1 Nomination
