All the Real Girls

Released 2003
Stars Zooey Deschanel, Paul Schneider, Patricia Clarkson, Shea Whigham
Directed by David Gordon Green

All the Real Girls is an anti-Hollywood romance; a tonic for all those weary of the usual cinematic overglamorization of love. The film opens with a quiet scene between Noel (Zooey Deschanel) and Paul (Paul Schneider), who are in the opening stages of a relationship. She asks him why he hasn't tried to kiss her, and he replies that he wants to be able to answer truthfully that hasn't to her brother and his best friend, Tip (Shea Whigham), if the question arises. The issue is that Tip knows Paul's reputation for having meaningless sex with any willing girl, and he doesn't want his baby sister, newly returned home from boarding school, to become another notch in Paul's belt. However, that doesn't stop Noel and Paul's relationship from progressing through the expected states, Paul from growing up and learning what it means to love someone, and Noel from understanding the pitfalls of sex.

Summary by James Berardinelli

Director David Gordon Green is just a 27 year-old punk, but he has it goin' on. His debut, George Washington, was very interesting, and I liked this one even better. It's not about much, but I enjoyed spending time with its characters. In a featurette on the DVD, Green and Paul Schneider say they wanted to make this love story while they were still young enough to remember this period in their lives, and it shows. Noel was in love for the first time, but she acted on an opportunity for sex with someone else because she didn't realize sex is emotional as well as physical. I remember learning that lesson the hard way at that age. --Bill Alward, March 2, 2003