Angus, Thongs And Perfect Snogging

USA / Germany / UK, 2008. Directed by Gurinder Chadha. Georgia Groome, Aaron Johnson, Karen Taylor, Alan Davies, Eleanor Tomlinson, Georgia Henshaw, Manjeeven Grewal, Kimberley Nixon.

As its title suggests, this is a light-hearted comedy of a 14-year-old girl and her friends as she struggles with the ups and downs of adolescent life. Georgia (Groome) lives in Eastbourne with her parents (Karen Taylor and Alan Davies) and a younger sister who spends most of the film dressing up the family cat (the “Angus” of the title). She longs for a boyfriend and finds what she believes to be the perfect boy in Robbie (Johnson). But although her best friend starts dating Robbie’s brother, it takes a little longer before the course of true love runs smoothly for Georgia herself. There are a number of obstacles in her way, including Robbie’s current girlfriend… Simultaneously there’s a crisis of sorts going on at home, with Dad having gone to New Zealand on work and being offered a job opportunity there which would mean moving the family to the other side of the world. And what will Georgia make of Mum’s odd behaviour with a builder while Dad’s away? Full of adolescent angst that most girls and women (and probably quite a few men) will recognise, the movie is a perfect delight from start to finish. It’s genuinely funny (the opening sequence, with Georgia en route to a party waddling down the street dressed as a large olive, had me giggling within seconds) and unlike many films of this genre, manages to remain age-appropriate. Plot-wise there are no surprises – you know exactly where the story’s going throughout – but this doesn’t detract from it being very entertaining. Clearly aimed at girls aged 12 to 16, it nevertheless has much about it that adults will find amusing.