As a kid, every adult has had a time in his life that he or she was fascinated by the world of the grown-ups, but didn't know much about it. As an adolescent kid you want to know more about love and sex, but the path to adulthood can be a bumpy road. That's also the reason why there have been made so many coming of age-movies. Not all of them were very successful, but some of them sure are worth a watch, like for instance this "Skipped Parts".

When in 1963, a young woman and her 14-year old son Sam from an unknown man, are expelled from North Carolina by her powerful father who runs for governor, they end up in a small town in Wyoming. Here she continues her irresponsible life of partying and having fun, while her son discovers that the biggest part of his new school is made up by retards who don't seem to know what a book looks like from the inside. There is especially one girl, called Maury, who he can't stand at first, but who he gradually starts to like more and more. When she asks him to help her experiment with sex, they get very close and with the help of his mother they get a pretty good idea of what sex is like. But despite the fact that his mother told them to stop as soon as Maury has had her first period, they are too late and pregnancy is the result. While facing the consequences of their experiments and with grandfather's dictatorial shadow over them, Sam and Maury get help from Hank Elkrunner, a Blackfoot Indian who has become Lydia's newest boyfriend...

I guess that it needs some imagination to believe that all what is happening in this movie could actually be true. I'm not saying that it isn't possible, but sometimes it all feels a bit far-fetched. Nevertheless, this is still a very interesting movie and certainly one of the better coming of age-stories that I have ever seen. Especially thanks to the underlying story line of the double moral (sex outside marriage didn't exist, but abortion clinics were available, the totalitarian patriarch who wanted to keep his influence on his family, but didn't want them near him...) and the fine acting in this movie, this is a lot better than average. It's sure worth watching and I gave it a rating of 7/10 which is far from bad for this kind of movies.

I just saw this movie at the Saint Louis International Film Festival. "Skipped Parts" represents one of those unusual situations where a movie comes across better than the book on which it is based. And the reason is even more unusual: I think the characters in the movie, especially the two young leads, are more real, more true to life than in the book. Unusual because printed narration should allow more time for character exploration. Sure, "Skipped Parts" is a comedy, but even humor gains when played out by people you care for. In the movie, the character of Maury, as portrayed by the fine young actor Mischa Barton, comes across a little nicer, and a little more sensitive to Sam's feelings than in the book. I like to think that Maury and Sam, while at first apparently attracted to each other by their brains - "We're the only ones who can read," Sam explains - are actually more connected by their sensitivity to events in the world around them, as well as to each other. (Possible spoiler) Their moment of truth comes in the scene where Dothan roughs them up. By the way, even Brad Renfro's reading of the part of Dothan gives that character a warmth that's harder to find in the book, which in turn provides us with some reason to accept Maury's being his steady. Director Tamra Davis does an excellent job of bringing the story to life. She treated the characters and their feelings with respect. (Possible Spoiler) Particularly, I think she handled Maury and Sam's bedroom scene with delicacy and good taste, reflecting her sensitivity to and respect for the actors and the roles they played. You'd have to work very hard to be offended by it.

It's a good movie with lots of good fun - interspersed with some deeply poignant moments - and it features some terrific acting turns by Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bug Hall, and Mischa Barton.

I was watching this movie with my roommate on one of those i-have-nothing-better-to-do-evenings. I was really surprised to find out i actually liked this film. Other people have commented on this movie by saying it was to far fetched. But to be honest i don't get that. I know that this film is somewhat surreal, but reality isn't that far behind. I mean teen do get pregnant and when they lack good sex education (so to speak) they do experiment and pregnancy is the logical result. The film is sort of happy go lucky but it didn't bother me. I really liked the fact that it talked openly about pregnancy's among young people. I also thought it was rather sarcastic. Especially the last comment "welcome to the modern American family". I don't think that was serious but really sarcastic. I think it's save to say this movie was really cool. I recommend it to anyone who has an open view on such matters.