oldie and so so story
Added 3/19/2009
Young Thandie and Nicole in a boring movie. If you are collecting movies about either actress leave this one out. I would have given it one star but seeing the two acting together is a two star novelty.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Aussie 'Coming of Age' Classic Showcases Future Stars...
Added 1/29/2008
"Flirting", John Duigan's sly yet tender 1991 'Coming of Age' comedy is still, a decade and a half after it's release, one of the better teen comedies ever made, and is even more enjoyable today, as a showcase for future stars Nicole Kidman, Thandie Newton, Naomi Watts, and Noah Taylor.
While the elements of the story are familiar (boys and girls boarding schools, separated by a lake...raging hormones...a geeky hero 'proving' himself, romantically), don't be too quick to lump "Flirting" in with "Porky's" or the "American Pie" films. Despite brief graphic nudity, and some coarse humor, the film has a depth that it's American counterparts never achieve, and characters that defy stereotyping. Danny 'Bird' Embling (Taylor) is caned, early in the film, and soon falls for black African girl, Thandiwe Adjewa (Newton), with the 1960s setting providing elements of racism and political upheaval in Africa to the story's mix. The 'virgin queen' of the girl's school (Kidman) isn't as 'full of herself' as an American film might have portrayed her; the imperious facade she presents to the world masks a shy, sensitive teen who hides her sexual curiosity and vulnerability.
With intelligence and respect, Duigan never 'dumbs down' the leads (would a reference to Camus ever appear in an American teen comedy?), and makes the first sexual experience between Embling and Adjewa both naive and sexy, without being overtly graphic. This tastefulness extends to the motel climax of the children's affair; Duigan eschews the quick laughs of "American Pie II", focusing, instead, on the very real embarrassment all parties would face, if discovered 'in the act'.
Another 'plus' for the film is the attention paid to the day-to-day activities of the boarding schools; rugby, debates, a school dance, a dramatic production, even the repetitive menu of the school lunch, 'grounds' the film in a reality that makes the characters' reactions even funnier.
"Flirting" is a joy!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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completely worth watching, but not great.
Added 5/21/2007
I really liked this movie, but it was.....there was just something missing. Thandie Newton was great and I like her acting style. Nicole Kidman was really awesome.
0 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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It must be ...
Added 2/28/2007
I'm not sure why many reviewers are calling this a coming of age film. They seem to me to be already very much of age, perhaps even into mid-life even before reaching university. Although hers somewhat more than his, their maturity shows in their adult mannerisms and how they don't get defensive in dealing with others. There's a moving scene between the fathers after the school play when, in an empathic way, one says to the other, "I'm not surprised (you don't talk about it). It must be very hard for anyone to understand how tough it was."
Movie gold from Down Under.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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Superb coming-of-age film
Added 3/6/2006
Despite the cover art on the DVD case, this excellent film doesn't star Nicole Kidman, although she does give a fine supporting performance -- no, the story belongs to Noah Taylor & Thandie Newton, as the two misfits at two boarding schools in the mid-1960s. And it's a lovely, very funny, poignant story of two similar souls finding one another, and experiencing the joys of first love together. Unlike too many American "teen films," it approaches sex with wonder, bemusement, a touch of uncertainty & and an equal touch of bliss. Loneliness is the undercurrent here, avoided by most of the students who have learned to fit in, but clearly affecting the more sensitive among them. And here's where Nicole Kidman's performance is so good: as an icy upperclass student, she reveals her own insecurities & very human longings in a touching scene of empathy with Thandie Newton, late in the film. In short, a tender & touching love story with two very real teenagers -- highly recommended!
6 out of 6 people found this helpful.
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oldie and so so story
Added 3/19/2009
Young Thandie and Nicole in a boring movie. If you are collecting movies about either actress leave this one out. I would have given it one star but seeing the two acting together is a two star novelty.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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Aussie 'Coming of Age' Classic Showcases Future Stars...
Added 1/29/2008
"Flirting", John Duigan's sly yet tender 1991 'Coming of Age' comedy is still, a decade and a half after it's release, one of the better teen comedies ever made, and is even more enjoyable today, as a showcase for future stars Nicole Kidman, Thandie Newton, Naomi Watts, and Noah Taylor.
While the elements of the story are familiar (boys and girls boarding schools, separated by a lake...raging hormones...a geeky hero 'proving' himself, romantically), don't be too quick to lump "Flirting" in with "Porky's" or the "American Pie" films. Despite brief graphic nudity, and some coarse humor, the film has a depth that it's American counterparts never achieve, and characters that defy stereotyping. Danny 'Bird' Embling (Taylor) is caned, early in the film, and soon falls for black African girl, Thandiwe Adjewa (Newton), with the 1960s setting providing elements of racism and political upheaval in Africa to the story's mix. The 'virgin queen' of the girl's school (Kidman) isn't as 'full of herself' as an American film might have portrayed her; the imperious facade she presents to the world masks a shy, sensitive teen who hides her sexual curiosity and vulnerability.
With intelligence and respect, Duigan never 'dumbs down' the leads (would a reference to Camus ever appear in an American teen comedy?), and makes the first sexual experience between Embling and Adjewa both naive and sexy, without being overtly graphic. This tastefulness extends to the motel climax of the children's affair; Duigan eschews the quick laughs of "American Pie II", focusing, instead, on the very real embarrassment all parties would face, if discovered 'in the act'.
Another 'plus' for the film is the attention paid to the day-to-day activities of the boarding schools; rugby, debates, a school dance, a dramatic production, even the repetitive menu of the school lunch, 'grounds' the film in a reality that makes the characters' reactions even funnier.
"Flirting" is a joy!
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
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completely worth watching, but not great.
Added 5/21/2007
I really liked this movie, but it was.....there was just something missing. Thandie Newton was great and I like her acting style. Nicole Kidman was really awesome.
0 out of 2 people found this helpful.
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