Adventure In the Pubic School (Kyle Rideout, 2017) Canada

Review by Breana Jimenez Viewed at The Santa Barbara Film Festival, 2018.

This take on a coming of age story is one mainly focused on, the at times dysfunctional relationship, between Liam and his mom Claire with his entrance to pubic school. Possibly the most refreshing coming of age story I’ve seen in sometime, you connect to Liam instantly. No, I have never been a socially awkward teenage boy but his feeling of loneliness and wanting to experience life, friendship and love is universal.

While watching this film I was filled with a lot of joy by the dialogue. The chemistry between Claire (Judy Greer) and Liam (Daniel Doheny) was phenomenal and they felt like real mother and son. Although at times this film is exaggerated and wacky, it keeps you interested because of the core relationships. I think my favorite aspect about this film was how Liam didn’t end up with his crush the one legged girl aka Anastasia. Even though at times it felt like a love story it wasn’t, it was a coming of age story. By the end Liam was a more independent well rounded person with friends and maybe a real Facebook.  All the while still being as close to his mother as before. A wonderful movie that I would watch again and recommend to anyone.