Terri

A movie that was on it's way to being an underrated gem got bogged down by an unrealistic, ridiculous, and uncomfortable side-plot involving a girl and oddball friend. Luckily, the greatness of John C. Reilly and the sincerity of Jacob Wysocki still keep it an above-average movie overall.

Okay, I get it; Terri is simultaneously infantile and burdened with adult responsibility, but did we need to humiliate the actor playing him by forcing him to carry the weight of a writer's insecurity ("quirkiness")? Couldn't his personality sell the central conflict of the character just as well as making him kill small animals or refuse to leave the extreme comfort of his pjs? The character/actor relationships were kind of swell, but the indieness of it all held the film back.

Funny in a nicely relaxed, nonchalant way. It's a great role for Reilly, and the kids are good, too.

What the hell is wrong with that principal? Is he a closet paedo? Why are the reject kids competing for his creepy attention? What is wrong with Heather? Why is the class babe itching to meet the fat kid's uncle of all things? Terri is a weird little film, which makes it off the beaten path for teen cinema but at the cost of none of the characters making any sense.

This is something that starts off with vibrant and beautiful things to say about youth and being a misfit, but eventually it starts straying too far from its original premise and ends in thoroughly unsatisfying fashion. Reilly's vice principal character is compelling, but his own exploration just gets abandoned at some point as though it weren't important to understanding his relationship with Terri. The other kids he befriends don't do anything to accentuate Terri's experience.

As with Cedar Rapids from earlier this year, John C. Reilly is great in this and is pretty much the only reason to see this movie.

Pretty typical indie fare. Terri is having problems with his life, gets to know someone who helps him through, all while being a dramedy. There's nothing special here but there's nothing truly awful either. What these types of movies need to do most of the time -- for me, at least -- is have a few really funny moments (this had minor chuckles here and there) and some really emotional parts (nothing really got me that much). So hence, it's pretty good, not very good or great.

MubiUskudar

Dark coming of age comedy is put across by strong performances, particularly the ever-reliable Reilly as a vice-principal who has a thing for misfit kids. Unfortunately, the script is a hodge-lodge of coming of age tropes and Indie quirks, and some of the character motivations make little sense, but it’s sensitive with honest moments and a few genuine laughs.

I love Reilly now. Both the Wysocki and him showed great acting in this film. The film feels genuine and I loved pacing, it was just right. Characters feel a bit unreal and exaggerated in its qualities (how expressionless can get), but hey, that's why we watch films and not real life. I think they overdid the skinny kid, that didn't feel genuine at all. Overall, the flow of the money is great and I enjoyed watching this indie flick. Some great lessons too (fake help is help too).

Starts off well by putting you in the shoes of Terri, and depicting his relation with his quirky principal, but then obviously needs to involve the school's hottest girl to create contrast/unbalance. What a waste.

Too twinkly and familiar to make much of an impact, but I found Heather's (totally clichéd and implausible) arc compelling for some reason and felt weirdly tense during the getting-fucked-up scene.

(...) Irgendetwas in Terris Leben spornt uns an, genauso zu sein, wie wir sein wollen. Obwohl Terri sein Glück noch nicht gefunden hat, lebt er das bereits. Terri und auch die übrigen Charaktere werden nie eingeschränkt durch die Konventionen einer "Story". Alle fünf habe ich so nie in anderen Filmen gesehen! Sie werden mit Hingabe und Sympathie (...)

Jacob Wysocki is outstanding in the lead role in this film. John C. Reilly is also a delight to watch with another excellent performance. The plot is simple but there are a lot of real and interesting moments. I would recommend this movie.

why the hell is alan arkin getting all of creed's roles

http://gorgview.com/terri

John C. Reilly might well be America's most underrated talent; Jacob Wysocki is more than up to the formidable challenge here, imbuing his Terri with an honesty all-too-rarely seen in screen teenagers. A wonderful snapshot of the kind of person you don't see studied often enough. Bridger Zadina and Olivia Crocicchia are superb in supporting roles, too.

I really liked john c reilly. This movie did things right that even good movies fail at, and then missed such easy things that it never really 'got there'. I've since rewatched this and liked it more the 2nd time.

Left me with a beautiful feeling, well worth a watch.

#12#, story, reviews

I liked Terri quite a bit. It's not an exceptionally dark or morose movie, but to me it felt like the filmmakers keep putting the characters into scenes that were inherently sad or uncomfortable. John C. Reilly plays his character a little big, but Jacob Wysocki is a very subtle counterbalance to that. Most surprising is Creed Bratton. He's mostly known as the old creep from The Office, but his portrayal of an Alzheimer's afflicted uncle is very convincing.

That scrawny kid angered me more than I should've allowed. Seriously though, huge cock block there kid. Jacob, John, and Creed all did very well.

easily one of the best written&shot climaxes of the year actually.

My Thoughts: "You were either a Terri in school, if not, you probably knew one. That's what makes this film so great is that the character's are realistic. These are people you could know, or maybe even be like. Jacob Wysocki gives a fantastic performance as Terri. Terri is a bit of an outcast because of his weight and he is a bit of a loner. He has no friends and no real adult supervision or guidance besides an Uncle James. But unfortunately Terri takes care of James instead of vice versa beca

Jacob Wysocki is great and John C. Reilly is excellent. The best scenes come when they talk to each other. Don't expect a comedy, it isn't funny at all.

A teenage misfit movie that I really wanted to like because it has its heart in the right place. But while the performances are good, the rest is strangely unaffecting.

"A teen-misfit dramedy of innate decency and few surprises, with a trio of young pariahs enduring emotional wounds that fade rather than scar." - Bill Weber

Fairly typical 21st century indie flick carried by a great performance by John C. Reilly.

Very slow moving movie. The first hour drags and it rather painful to watch.

I don't really know why this is considered a comedy, it's a black comedy at best, and even then it's mostly just a drama. I couldn't help but think the actions he decided to take were just shooting himself in the foot. I mean he could at least try to fit in. John C Reilly was great in this. The 3rd act was pretty bad though, once they decide to get wasted, the movie kind slows way down and just gets boring, and then the ending was just nothing. Didn't even make you think.

I couldn't help but find most of the characters irritating or annoying in their sudden dramatic changes. The forced romance should have been left out entirely: it takes a real stretch of the imagination to believe that within a week Terri could have a girl wasted on his floor, but she is kind of a skank, so should I be surprised? Reilly was great, for all of the 5 mins he's actually in the flick...