Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008) User Reviews

Really great adaptation - I hope you enjoy it too.

[metalli-chick · 7/10 · 30 July 2008]

My daughter and I went to see this film last night with great anticipation as we have read the books. I know that the director is great having seen her previous work and I was looking forward to seeing how she and her co-writer had adapted the books for screen.

First off it is based on the both 'Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging' and 'it's okay, I'm wearing really big knickers' there have been a few minor changes to make it work on film without Georgia sounding too whiny and to make the story flow better. It was a shame that we didn't get to meet Sven and his awesome flares, but he was there disco dancing in the background and Georgia fans will know him when they see him.

From the moment it started we were engaged, the cinema was packed and during Georgia's initial walk home we were howling with laughter and it just got better. (Did her feet move or did she glide?) The audience was a mixed bunch, a majority of teenage girls, a sprinkling of boys and a few of us "out of the stone age", I don't think that anybody disliked it. It got major reactions from all of the audience each finding humour in different places. There were a few sad ahhh's when there was a sad looking 'Dave the Laugh', some misty eyes during a serious dressing down and laughter at Mum ogling Jem - or was that just me! anyhoo - both my daughter (16) and I (38) would pay to see it again. We highly recommend it but take a tissue with you, if not for the tears of laughter but for those misty eyes that may sneak up on you.

It gives you a warm feeling to be reminded what romance and love is, both from a younger and older point of view. Although I did say to my daughter on the way home that you are not incomplete if you are don't have a partner, but it can be a great feeling when you are ready. But Georgia is written with a boyfriend goal in mind. Look out Sex God Georgia has a plan!

An enjoyable comedy

[catchingfire18 · 7/10 · 31 July 2008]

As a fan of the books I was expecting a lot from 'Angus Thongs and Perfect Snogging' and although a lot of things from the books were included, a lot was changed or left out altogether, which at first I found slightly disappointing.

Having separated the film from the books and viewing the film just as it is, I thought this was a solid romantic comedy about a fourteen year old girl (Georgia Nicholson) going through all the ups and downs of being a teenager - boys, kissing, friends, fall-outs, family problems etc.

The lead character was portrayed well by Georgia Groome, who showed Georgia's many different sides from a self-obsessed drama queen to a caring and insightful young woman. Although the four young leads over acted at times, this helped to accentuate the drama of being a teenager.

'Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging' is aimed in particular at 12-16 year olds (although it's themes will appeal to females of all ages). That's not to say that males will not enjoy it, anyone who is or has been a fourteen year old can relate to the main character and her issues.

There are some very cheesy moments, and if you don't like clichéd and 'disney' type films then this isn't for you. However I think that for it's genre, 'Angus, Thongs...' has just the right mix of romance, laughter and also some very touching scenes between Georgia and her parents. Overall 'Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging' is a hilarious, light hearted film, which I thoroughly enjoyed!

I can honestly say it didn't compare

[aluragirl16 · 6/10 · 13 November 2008]

I've had an addiction to these books ever since I started reading them. They're fantastic. So when I heard they were making a movie, I was really excited.

Not only has the movie not been released in the US, and therefore I had to go through a lot of trouble to see it, but I can honestly say that the movie didn't compare at all to the books.

The acting was superficial, there were awkward moments that shouldn't have been awkward(awkward between the actors acting the scene), and everything that developed over one novel was crammed into only a couple minutes.

I can understand wanting to watch this movie for the gist of the books, but I must say it's well worth more of your time to actually read the book.

Let this delightful film touch your heart

[Gordon-11 · 30 July 2009]

This film is about a teenage girl facing problems with all aspects of her life, namely school, home and love.

The title "Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging" made me lost as to what I should expect, but the director is a quality assurance so I watched it. "Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging" is actually a heartwarming, touching and funny comedy about a girl growing up and discovering herself. It seems like a simple tale about a girl coming of age, but it is actually a touching tale about friendship, family and accepting oneself for who you are. The leads are played by unknown actors and actresses, but they are all perfectly natural in their roles. It feels like am really watching a teenage girl's life as a bystander, not a film. I am truly touched by the amazing ending. I enjoyed watching "Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging" a lot. It deserves to be watched by a wider audience. Let it touch your heart.

Age-appropriate light-hearted fun

[napierslogs · 7/10 · 13 July 2010]

"Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging" is like a teen romantic comedy, but it's better than its contemporaries.

We have a group of 14 year-old girls, mainly focused on Georgia (Georgia Groome), who try to find romance, learn how to kiss, and just go through the ups and downs of life as all teenagers do. It's mostly done with comedy, and some light-hearted 'real-life' moments. I find it is one of the better looks at teen girls while remaining cute and funny.

I am older than its target audience, and while it's perfectly suited for its audience of teen and pre-teen girls, I was able to look back with amusement on all their trials of love.

I am relieved that we have a teen comedy that doesn't go for a more mature audience and doesn't show the girls as more mature than they actually are. Finally with "Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging" we have an age-appropriate romantic comedy filled with light-hearted fun.

We love Georgia

[em_loves_em · 7/10 · 4 March 2008]

I went to see the preview of this film two days ago near my home in London. I am a HUGE fan of the books and have read every single one at least three times! Needless to say I was slightly skeptical when I heard they were making a movie, as I thought it would be really hard to live up to the books.

The movie turned out to be funny and romantic, and left me with that "feel-good feeling" afterwards. However I have NEVER seen a film so cheesy in all my days! I don't think my friends and I have ever cringed so much - I turned away at so many points I was almost on my friends seat. For those who love a good romantic comedy this film is definitely for you.

The main changes between the book & the film:

1) The character of Ellen is now an Indian girl called Namita 2) The film is based on the first TWO books, but Dave the Laugh appears too early on. 3) Robbie doesn't write Georgia a latter thus introducing her to Dave, and they don't go on to date as in the books 4) The actress who plays Jas doesn't have an "annoying fringe" at any part during the movie 5) Georgia dyes a blonde streak in her hair which comes off in her hand (this actually happens in book 5 - hence the title) 6) The order of events is muddled

However, the film is merely BASED on the books, so there is an additional storyline. I will, or course, leave that for you to see. This really is a fabulous British comedy, with an ingenious, albeit extremely cringe-worthy, plot. But I must admit that really adds to the fun of the movie. The character Libby, and angus the cat are particularly funny. All those who are loyal to the book may come away feeling the films did not do it justice, but it must be remembered that the film was not intending to act out the book page for page, and Louise Rennison herself helped to write the script with this in mind. With great music and young talent I would recommend viewing as a nice summer film when it is released in July. Plus, Robbie and Dave the laugh are soooo scrummy we spent the whole film trying our best not to drool. Mmmmmmm :)

Brilliantly observed, up until a stunningly contrived ending

[Groverdox · 7/10 · 16 September 2021]

I wasn't surprised to find that "Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging" was directed by the same person who directed "Bend it Like Beckham". It has the same joyful, carefree, and amusing atmosphere, the same imperfect characters who you love for their imperfections, and puts you so easily into their world.

The plot is really nothing you haven't seen before, but that doesn't matter because it's all the hilarious details on the way, like the protag's little sister, who thinks she is part kitten, and their cat, Angus, who is always attired differently whenever we see him.

I also love the crazy vocabulary that the characters use, "fitties", "bazumas", "nunganungas", and describing everything as being "beyond the valley of the (insert whichever descriptor applies here)".

Unfortunately movies like these can stay afloat with details that distract you from the plot... but the endings always seem to shrug these off and present their clichés boldly. The ending was so desperate to please that it kind of made me sad. I could believe most everything else that happened in the flick, even the bits that strained credibility, like the girls ending up with the guys they loved, those guys being in a band and them playing songs that sound like they were written by a middle aged record exec.

What I couldn't believe, though, was the ending that was so finely attuned to absolutely everything the main character wanted out of life that it passed the realm of fantasy and ended up in delusion. If I knew a girl who told me her birthday party played out like that, I'd want her to see a psychiatrist.

Anyway. I still greatly enjoyed this movie - even with the revolting kissing scene I have neglected to describe - and recommend you check it out.

Disappointing, even with low expectations.

[cwazy_lady · 2/10 · 30 July 2008]

Now, when I first saw the trailer on TV, I kinda wanted to see it. I mean, I loved Bend it like Beckham and I figured it would be just as good. Then, a few days later, I read some bad reviews on it, saying that the lead girls acting was wooden and unbelievable. So then I decided I would pass, or at least wait until it came on TV. But my friends Bekah and Katie dragged me along today, and I gotta admit that I had pretty low expectations. Plus, tickets in Bluewater are £8, which is bloody criminal.

Now, the girls acting didn't bother me too much. Yes, her voice and unnecessary emphasis on every single word she said kind of irritated me, but I wasn't too angry. And she couldn't be blamed completely - a lot of the kids in the film were pretty terrible. What really annoyed me was the writing, for a couple of reasons.

1 - "Oh my God, I'm having a nervy B", "I'm not going to your poxy party!", "Girls, time to go boy-stalking!". I know these girls are supposed to be 14/15, but seriously? I really hope no one watches this film and assumes that this is how young girls in England speak, and I certainly hope that they don't assume this is how they act.

2 - Boy meets girl, awww they're getting together, OH NO SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAPPENED, oh, phew! It's all better now. It's an overdone storyline, and sometimes it can be done with panache (think: 10 Things I Hate About You), but the storyline was painfully predictable.

Overall, I felt that apart from watching a fat lady trip over a step on my way out, the film disappointed me greatly. And that's with my low expectations.

I loved it!

[xxxtgerlillyxxx · 8/10 · 28 July 2008]

If you go into a film and expect something more often than not you end up not getting anything out of movie your going to see.

I have read all of the Angus thongs books over and over again and i loved them. of course when i heard the movie was coming out i was over the moon. so on Saturday i dragged my mum out of the house for a girl afternoon of giggles. And that just what we got. the film was different to the books, but i think that movies appeal to a wider variety of people, even though it was different it was just as good.nit was full of girl humour and going back to first crushes and falling in love for the first time and all those cringe worthy moments, girls and women of all ages should love this film, its filled with laughs, embarrassment, and down right sweet moments. I give it two thumbs up! I loved it!!!!

Angus, thongs and perfect snogging was clearly a fantastic movie with hints of cringiness. It is hilarious and very clever with many twists thrown in.

[hal_red_03 · 7/10 · 28 February 2009]

Angus, thongs and perfect snogging, adapted from the Confessions of Georgia Nicholson series. It is a combination of the first two books: Angus, thongs and full-frontal snogging and It's OK, I'm wearing really big knickers!. I thought it was great how the used some of the funny events from the books, although there was some completely different things thrown in too. Robbie, (Aaron Johnson) clearly played the hottie in the film, who was oblivios to Georgia's love towards him. Georgia, (Georgia Groome)plays the role of the very stubborn teenager with embarresing over-protective parents, a dog-like cat and a 3-year-old sister, Libby. Angus, thongs and perfect snogging is about a teenager girl who is busy coping with friends, family, school and of course boys. I thought it was a good film, not as good as the books though. I'd highly recommend it to women in particular who enjoy a good laugh.

The main character is a manipulating little brat and sends the wrong message to you girls

[Soraya-goels · 1/10 · 1 April 2014]

This movie is awful. It attempts to portray Georgia as a sweet, clumsy nerd who in the end learns that she is perfect just the way she is and gets the boy of her dreams. First of all she is only 14 and is wanting a party in a club? get real! Plus she is totally obsessed with having a boyfriend, what message is this sending to young girls? let boys control your life and you have to change who you are and play games to get them to like you? Georgia feels betrayed that Robbie has a girlfriend and she has only spoken to him once! This is so unrealistic. Georgia is not a likable character at all. She is in fact, rude to her parents, ungrateful, disrespectful, lies to the boy she is chasing and flirts with him despite the fact he has a girlfriend, plays games, is horrible to her best friend and is never happy for her, she is patronising, self obsessed, plays the victim all the time and does not deserve Robbie at all. I think this movie sends the wrong message to young girls.

Great movie

[angelsgirl1950 · 9/10 · 2 August 2008]

To be honest i thought that the movie was great,i have been a very big fan of Louise Rennison since i was in my mid teens and i love all her books. The movie entitled everything which the books stand for which is comedy,romance,teen drama and friendship.

Don't feel that with out reading the books you would not understand what the movie is about because everything is explained from the snogging scale to why slim is called slim.

Although i feel that the movie is somewhat lacking when it comes to Georgia's vocabulary because she uses terms which non book readers would understand. However if you are devoted to the books you won't hear such words staga 14 or mutti or fatti but just school, mom and dad. Which kind of leaves the die heart fan unsatisfied.

The cast was well chosen and the story line did change a little bit when compared to the books but it still included all the important bits from the books and now i'm hoping that their might be a sequel at some point in the future.

Its worth watching.

Improves on the book's germ of an idea

[tracy_flick · 7/10 · 11 March 2009]

Is there anyone more lovable acting asinine than Eleanor Tomlinson? Jas, her character, lights up the screen thanks to the efforts of an actress doggedly fixated with the material. She may not descend from Beyond Bonkerdom or even the Valley of Thick within the strict rules of the Ace Gang's legislation, but there is much to admire in a character who plays thick period, rather than just for the moment. I hope to see more of Tomlinson if director Gurinder "Bend It Like Beckham" Chadha receives the financial backing for a sequel. I want to spend more time in the company of these characters - I'm almost demanding another movie given the fact this one never got a release in the United States. It's the best film of its genre since 2005's "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" because there is a caring attribute towards the characters, especially the leading quartet, and what pleasure it is to see the development of young girls growing, legitimately, into young women within such short boundaries.

Read the full review at my personal website: http://www.sightforallseasons.co.nr/

This makes the teen generation look pretty stupid.

[ninjapirate93 · 1/10 · 10 September 2009]

I am a fifteen year old girl and I loathed this film.

The film begins with the main character, a teenage girl named Georgia (with the most annoying accent I have ever heard), happily walking down the street dressed as an olive. She arrives at a fancy-dress party and has to face the terrible humiliation of being the only one dressed as a food. How will Georgia cope? Will she do the most natural thing and take off the costume if she's that embarrassed about it and have a fun evening with her friends? No, of course not. That makes too much sense.

What she DOES do is storm over to her friends, demand why they aren't wearing costumes like hers as they agreed, then deems their excuses as inadequate and runs out of the place, knocking over drinks and plates of biscuits and people along the way. She then goes running through the streets, still dressed as a stuffed olive. Actually, that scene is the film's main highlight as it did almost change my look of disbelief to a weak smile for a second or two.

After arriving home and throwing a full on tantrum which involves stomping on her costume, ripping photos off the walls and throwing all her teddy-bears onto the floor, Georgia takes a deep breath and announces to the family that she's going to be 'more mature from now on'. Well, she's made a good start! Drinks all around! At school the next day, suddenly Georgia and her three school-mates are all best friends again. Obviously there was a major plot point when I wasn't looking. And during their lunch break, they notice two new guys strolling through the grounds. And 'it's boy-stalking time!' Yes, that's their dialogue. Okay, maybe teenagers talked like that in 1886, but come on, screenwriter. Get with the times.

They stalk the poor boys through a montage, taking notes and spying on them through a pair of binoculars (and even breaking out into an utterly ridiculous dance routine at the end). I half expected them to all tie their shoelaces every time the boys turned around. But this didn't happen, mainly because the boys didn't, not once, turn around, a fact that I find pretty amazing. How hard can four giggling-screeching-in-uniform-linking-arms-armed-with-binoculars schoolgirls be to spot? And so, obviously, Georgia gets to know the guy she's got her eye on (Robbie) and yes, obviously he already has a girlfriend. Georgia is heartbroken. I was mildly perturbed. I imagined what Georgia would tell the rest of her friends to be something like this: You know that handsome guy I talked to for eight seconds? Well, he has a girlfriend! I've never felt so BETRAYED! Anyway, Georgia tries to make him jealous by going out with another guy… (screenwriter's motto: 'originality is, like, so overrated') he finds out and makes her feel bad… (oh, the twists and turns!) etc, etc. You know the drill. It's only been done eight million times already.

So, after a lot of boring events laced with clichés that are too tiresome to think about, let alone write down, Georgia and her bestie, Jaz, split up and throw catty insults at each other during a netball game, the grand, dramatic finale when Georgia stomps on Jaz's foot. Oh, the horror.

The second-last sequence in the movie is a bit of a mystery to me because at the start of the film, Georgia was unpopular in her school, but suddenly, her night-club is packed with what looks like the entire population of her state, everyone cheering and throwing confetti like she's just handed out free flip-phones. And then Jaz comes up to her and hugs her as if nothing ever happened between them, forcing me to conclude that an entire chapter was cut out of the film for pace reasons. Either that, or I accidentally slept through it. Anyway, for reasons the film doesn't care to share, Georgia is now officially a hero. I have heard of the term 'suspension of disbelief' and actively engage in it with popcorn-fare such as the Indiana Jones films, and any line Orlando Bloom says, but this is going too far. Sorry movie, but no humans act like this. Not in any state, in any country, on any planet.

I thereby conclude that 'Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging' is the worst teenage film I have ever seen. Eye-clawingly bad.

Fairly so-so comic tale of growing up

[bob the moo · 5 February 2009]

Georgia Nicolson is a typical 14 year old girl but in her own eyes she is a freak of nature who will simply never manage to get herself a boyfriend. Even amongst her group of friends (not the most popular girls in school) she is the "nerdy" one. In the pursuit of male contact, she is willing to do whatever it takes whether lying, playing games, pretending to lose cats and having lessons in getting the perfect snog.

From the get-go I think it is important that I acknowledge that I am not target audience for Angus Thongs & Perfect Snogging (which also strikes me as a terrible title). As a man in his thirties, the awkward growing pains of teenagers is something is unlikely to concern me again aside from the unlikely event of me having children in the future. This is not to say that, because I do not fit into the broad spectrum of people that the film is aimed at, that I will hate it or simply dismiss it though - to do so often means that I would miss gems on the basis that they are "not my sort of thing". On watching though, it becomes clearer and clearer that this film will not fall into that category and indeed can be classed more under the "well, what did you expect" box in my mind.

The reason for this is that the film is not particularly good at any one thing. I had some hopes that it would be creative when the opening sequence came on as it was a funny and clever way of saying "outsider" about the character of Georgia. Despite the manner it is said though, the thing that it is saying even at this point is fairly clichéd and sadly it is this path that the majority of the film follows. Again, having clichés in a genre film is not a big deal from my point of view, but to make the film good you have to do something of value with them whether it is twisting them, delivering them well or just adding insight that makes the audience see the clichés as more than that with time. We don't really get that here though because the film seems happy in the middle-ground.

What I mean is that, as one example, it is not particularly funny but the bigger weakness for me was that I didn't think it felt real and it didn't have enough of a creative air to it to make engaging enough in that realm to cover for it. With this sort of thing you do need a strong central character because, if I care for her, then the story has less pressure on it because ultimately it is being told about her and sort of from her perspective. Here though I didn't really buy into Georgia as a person so much as a vaguely developed comic creation. It doesn't help that Groome didn't work for me either, her performance was a bit too obviously flappy and comic (without having the material to support that) effectively knocking the realism out of her performance. Nor did she have enough in the way of charisma to make her awkward fumbling charming or sweet and she didn't have the range to deliver on the more demanding scenes. The side characters are not really used that well either with those with the most potential seemingly left to tiny moments (I liked her little sister as a comic character) while the weaker ones have more put on them - specifically Davies and Taylor were so-so while the other teenagers were mostly only OK.

Overall the film film treads a familiar genre path without a great deal to recommend it for - and trust me, as a British film, I was looking to enjoy it as well as supporting it. As it is though it doesn't do much of note outside of the basics, certainly not enough to give it a boost in terms of being creative or engaging. It is bright and lively enough to appeal as a genre film though and should be appreciated as such, but it left me quite under-whelmed.

film doesn't do the book justice *very mild spoilers*

[x-the-world-is-my-playgr · 6/10 · 5 October 2008]

Like most films that come out after the book, it was a little bit disappointing, but i knew it would be very difficult to match the huge success of the books. i did enjoy the film but i feel there was so much more potential!

The beginning particularly annoyed me at the fancy dress party, it was so try-hard and unrealistic, i just didn't buy it. The cheesy scouting for girls song made it worse.

I feel it finished too quickly, missed out huge chunks and the ending was just cringey, the way everything turned out just perfect.

I love the books, so maybe i'm just biased.

There were a lot of moments that made me just cringe, and i think the acting didn't help.

The soundtrack was too predictable and main stream, a lot of songs that have recently been over played in the charts, yawn.

My opinions on the cast:

1. Ellen was cast completely wrong, i just didn't like the character. in fact, i didn't warm to Jas either. 2. Lindsay is supposed to be 15, she looks at least 17. 3. Georgia was way too whiney and the charisma she has in the books is just replaced by a constant gurn in this film.

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging review

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 7 May 2020]

To describe this light comedy as mildly entertaining is almost high praise considering I'm neither the right gender or generation at which Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging is aimed. There's nothing particularly new about the exploits of its heroine (who is given real charm by Georgina Groome) but the film's refusal to abandon its feel-good vibe sees it through the thin stretches. Biggest criticism is the way that at least half-a-dozen plot strands are perfectly wrapped up in one three-minute scene.

A Nutshell Review: Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging

[DICK STEEL · 7/10 · 14 December 2008]

I guess Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging is the female equivalent of the teenage male sex comedies, without the sex or gratuitous nudity that is, because this is firmly in chick lit territory and based upon two books written by Louise Rennison - Angus, Thongs and Full- Frontal Snogging and On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God. If you may, this aligns itself more toward Sue Townsend's Adrian Mole series, where we get a glimpse of the titular character's daily life and anxieties through episodes of growing pains.

Directed by Gurinder Chadha who brought us Bride & Prejudice and Bend It Like Beckham, this movie centres upon 14 year old Georgia Nicholson (Georgia Groome) and her three girly pals whom Jas (Eleanor Tomlinson) is her best pal of the lot. Both have major infatuations with new boys in school Robbie (Aaron Johnson) and Tom (Sean Bourke), and naturally jealousy ensues when Jas manages to hook up with Tom, but for Georgia, she's stuck with having to battle for Robbie's affections with rival Wet Lindsay (Kimberley Nixon, last seen in Wild Child), who's the school's flower with cover girl looks.

And while "boylingual issues" occupy the bulk of Georgia's time, she also has major freak- outs with trying to figure how to throw the most memorable birthday party ever, as well as trying to save her own family from disintegrating, with Dad (Alan Davies) being sent to New Zealand because of a major promotion at work, and Mom (Karen Taylor) seems to be having a flirty good time with their home interior decorator.

It's quite a ditzy film and I guess for all the girls out there, the events as they unfold in the movie will probably be easily identifiable, and I guess the boys too will have a field day with some of the situational humour which came by the bucketloads. And what I thought to be really quite accurate, is the way how everyone second guesses each other when it comes to the affairs of the hearts, and sometimes dwell onto stuff a little too much to the extreme, incessantly finding meaning in something as simple as a word or phrase. This naturally brings out the ugliness that stem from desperation, and we observe how Georgia slowly degenerates from nice girl next door, to uber Ms Insensitive.

It's a fairly light and breezy chick flick that is peppered by some insane characters, such as Georgia's sister who thinks that she's a cat, and probably who I thought to be one of the most innovative fellas out there who would outplay, outlast and outwit the likes of Stifler and McLovin, is Peter Dyer, the self-professed expert who offers lessons and opportunity in allowing girls to experiment in achieving the perfect snog. Talk about being sly!

Ultimately, this is a feel good movie which has all its loose threads tied up very conveniently, which you could see coming from a mile away. But it doesn't dwell on its problems for too long, because there's always a solution that springs up for Georgia and gang to tap on. Peppered by some good music in the soundtrack, and generally likable characters who remind all of us of some dreaded issues when growing up, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging is a surprisingly well designed teenage comedy that doesn't have to rely on cheap gimmicks like incessant foul language, sex and nudity to draw the crowds.

And for that quality, this is somewhat refreshing for comedies targeted at that demographics. I might go one step further and say I won't mind ploughing through the books as well!

Maybe it's more of a (very strange) girl 's film.. *SPOILERS*

[anxietyresister · 4/10 · 20 July 2009]

The saga of Georgia Nicolson is one most likely to be appreciated by a teenage girl between the ages of 12 and 16. I watched hoping for some good drama and comedy, but left disappointed by the lack of depth in the characters and the coarseness of the jokes. Also, the love interests for Georgia and her best mate Jas are personality-less pretty boys without an ounce of charisma, which makes you wonder why they are pursued with such ferocity by our big-nosed heroine and her blonde friend. Ooh, one works in an organic fruit shop and the other in the lead singer in a band. Talk about too perfect.

Plus can we have a film where the parents aren't a down-with-it mum and a dopey dad? Hearing Mrs Nicolson describing schoolboys as 'fitties' and lusting after a shirtless builder about 20 years her junior might be embarrassing, but it isn't especially funny. And the less said about Alan Davies's confusion over how many pairs of brown trousers to take to work abroad with him, and his bad dancing at his daughter's birthday disco (more on that farce later..), the better.

In fact, there are so many weird'n'wacky individuals in this film there's hardly any room for normality at all, and I genuinely feel sorry for any female who can relate to it. Taking a cat for a walk on a lead? Applying moisture to turn your legs yellow before going swimming?! Going to a snog specialist's house to learn how to kiss a boy, who is so popular he has to squeeze you into a 30 minute session??! Yeah, right.

This seriously harms the credibility of the film when there are so many surreal elements, which constantly take you out of the action and leave you scratching your head and saying out loud: HUH?! "PEOPLE DON'T BEHAVE LIKE THAT!!" Balanced alongside the more tender, soap opera-ish moments the formula doesn't match up, and you're left with a bit of a mess.

The ending deserves a paragraph all to itself. Only a scriptwriter could construct something as ridiculous as this: In the space of five minutes in a 'surprise party' every problem is solved: All relationships are reconciled, an unwanted move to New Zealand is cancelled when her father gets a promotion at home, The nasty girl is humiliated on stage when her boob padding is removed by Jas, and Georgia gets a song dedicated to her by her new beau on the main stage. Oh bless! Even Georgina's other nerdy girlfriends get introduced to more vapid pretty boys so they can have equally vapid pretty babies when they grow up.

One problem: this is the most phony, contrived, unrealistic conclusion to a movie I have seen for ages. I know they want to end on a happy note, but this definitely overdoing it. By a LLOONNGG way. Oh and Georgie: your new song is pure, unadulterated sh**e. And your dreamboat is obviously miming. Sorry, luv.

Perhaps I'm disappointed that I disagree with the main theme of the film so much: that getting a boyfriend is the be and end-all when you're 14. When I was her age, I was more bothered about what was on TV and my homework to bother with the opposite sex. In this movie however, Nearly every action and thought the heroine has is to manipulate the tedious hunk to being her squeeze. This is even before she's even spoken to him: one flash of those baby blues and she's all OMG I MUST AVE IM!!

How about actually erm.. finding out if he's a good person, or discovering if you've got similar interests? Pretending you've lost your pet so he can help you look for it, or suddenly discovering a passion for hated veg just to get him into bed won't work in the long term of a partnership. Well, I suppose it does in the film, but that's because the object her affection is as dumb as a rock. You can only put up a front for so long..

Phew, I said enough. I set out to write a quick article and ended up with possibly my longest review ever. Typical. But it had to be said. Watch lovers of the book mark this way down. Do I care? Not a jot. Fire away, you know I am right ;)... 4/10

Smart funny look at growing up that gives hope to future of British cinema

[Stampsfightclub · 8/10 · 18 January 2009]

Georgia Nicolson (Groome) finds her perception of life changes after making a fool of herself at a party. Now she plans to grow up and no sooner does Robbie (Johnson) come to her school, and Georgia instantly falls for him.

After the disappointing adaptation of St Trinians and the decline of British cinema generally over recent years this adaptation appeared to be screened as a mere money making hour and a half entertainment rom-com flick. But thanks to some cheeky youthful performances, a witty script and an underlining message of coming of age, this adaptation of Louise Rennison's best selling novel brings back that feeling of unashamedly British.

In her first leading role Georgia Groome (London to Brighton) carries the film on a charismatic and charming persona that will have the teenage girls laughing their heads off. Her smart timing and in particular her reactions to situations create that comedy feeling that was an essential factor to making the narrative work.

The film undoubtedly starts poorly. When Georgia turns up at a party, it is more than likely she will be an outcast and the fact that she gets embarrassed in front of her enemy and has to change her life is even more so. Nevertheless the comedic approach to the coming of age is likable and hardly clichéd. There is some background to her motion to change and the way she looks at adulthood as a place of comfort is as likable as her cat. The changes she goes through are sweet and realistic given today's modern outlook on the world. In this adaptation, we see many stereotypes and a very accurate look at teen language. The 'oh my god's' will have anyone laughing. The perception of girl's views on boys is a stand out moment.

The stereotypical representations are usually never right. Either they are extremely over exaggerated, for example in controversial drama Kidulthood or they are unnoticeable passive representations such as in St Trinians. The angle on the characters in this 2008 comedy feels right, not over the top with a good sense of purpose and an underlining message of coming of age.

Though good fun, the plot wavers into cliché at the end and doesn't quite have enough punch to believe the arrival of British comedy is truly back.

Having never read the book, I find myself considering after enjoying the good nature of this film. Critics have said the book is funnier, and considering the amount of laughs spilled during the film, it must be an option.

OK teen romantic comedy

[neil-476 · 7/10 · 4 January 2015]

Georgia fancies Robbie who is going out with Lindsay so she starts plotting with her friends even though her parents won't let her have the 16th birthday party she wants and besides her dad is getting promoted to New Zealand and her mum may have something going on with the hunky builder...

This film is based on books which I haven't read. It is OK. It's not terribly original, but is mildly amusing nonetheless. The acting is, for the large part, no better than adequate and, regrettably, this includes the adult cast as well as the teens. The only cast member who stands out as good as Aaron Johnston who, of course (and, I suspect, not entirely coincidentally), has gone on to bigger and better things.

Dull, clichéd and BORING

[chipmunksluvcookies · 2/10 · 22 December 2008]

Okay, so I never read the books, so I wasn't even willing to see Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging – I had to be put through it at school instead. And I guess I didn't really have any idea what to expect from it, other that it was probably going to be some kind of sugar-coated, superficial teen flick. And that's exactly what I got.

I'm a British teenage girl. I should have enjoyed this film, right? Wrong, I certainly didn't. Of course, this is coming from the girl whose favourite films include The Dark Knight and Indiana Jones – I've never really liked teen movies all that much, but especially the totally brain-dead ones like this.

I'll try and give a small plot summary. From what I gathered, a group of fourteen-year-old girls (who, of course, think that their parents are mortifying and that they are all ugly; I told you this film was clichéd) fall head over heels in love with two boys from their school. They then hatch a ridiculous plan to try and win them over, featuring cats and all sorts. And, of course, things don't go according to plan.

However (and luckily for me), that's how far we got – and believe me, I'm in no hurry to ever find out what happens. I'm going to stay as far away from this film as possible in the future, and I highly recommend that everyone else do the same.

Fabulous

[xx-marzy-xx · 10/10 · 2 August 2008]

This film is unexpectedly very funny. I was laughing & awing the whole way through. A very down to earth, stereotypical 14 year old socialisation aspect and filled with comical funniness!! Not to mention Robbie is just beautiful and so sweet!

Id say its more of a younger teen film, having said that i am 20 years old and it warmed me to be familiar with them stressful teenage anxiety's and first loves! It is refreshing to see a British film that is good quality and could rival the usual American comedy romance malarkey. It actually portrays the daily life drama of the average 14 year old in a very funny and British way. Brilliant film, definitely recommend it!

was good.

[x_charlottee · 7/10 · 1 November 2008]

I went to see this with a group of friends, two of whom had read the books and loved them and the rest of us who hadn't even heard of the books until the movie came out.

tbh, at first i didn't really think the movie was that good, i liked the storyline and everything but I thought the acting was pretty poor. However, having read the books after seeing the movie I have changed my mind, the 'ace gang' (although not the best actresses), especially Georgia are portrayed perfectly. I would like to have seen more of Libby's craziness & Angus though, because the movie is called 'Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging', I would've liked to have seen more of Angus.

Having said this I would actually recommend the movie, its light & quite funny, I will get it on DVD when it came out.

disappointing

[karakovacs47 · 5/10 · 31 July 2013]

This movie was unrealistic and stupid from beginning to end. The main character was incredibly ugly, and there was no way Robbie- let alone 2 other guys- would ever like her. Georgia and her friends were annoying and uncool, and the worst stalkers ever. They loudly followed the boys around in the beginning, complete with some synchronized dancing. The boys never seemed to notice, even though the girls were about as subtle as a gun.

This movie isn't like the normal dumb teen movie, where the gorgeous girl is nerdied up with glasses and has a few tumbles to be adorably clumsy, instead there's a butt ugly girl that does things like watch the popular girl undress with binoculars and shave off half her eyebrow. She wasn't a likable character at all, and didn't even get a makeover halfway through. A hint to the casting director- don't hire a best friend that's prettier than the main character.

The plot was inconsistent when it came to kissing. Half the time kissing was the biggest deal in the world, and then the other half people kissed five minutes after they met someone. The Dave character was completely in love with Georgia, and then was introduced to the Indian best friend that looks about five years younger than everyone else and immediately made out with her.

The surprise party in the end could be seen from a mile away, and the part with Lindsey was entirely unnecessary. It didn't even make sense how she pulled the plugs and the microphones went off- and then she used it five seconds later. And how she allowed Jas to slowly pull her bra stuffers out without moving.

All in all, the movie's crap. Don't watch it.