4/5 "All I Want" is all you need
  by K Reynolds (Norfolk, VA USA)
"All I Want" is not so much a quest for cool as it is a quest for identity. As a teen romance, the film flops. As an intriguing independent coming-of-age story, it soars.
The film opens with wretched cliches: freshman-baiting bullies, a blond sexpot (Debbie Harry), and Oedipal red neck intimidators. But just as the despair-factor begins to take hold, Jones Dillon (Elijah Wood) pays a visit to his neighborhood convenience store. He picks up a case of beer, a pack of cigarettes, and attempts a pickup of his unknowing new neighbor, Jane (Franka Potente).
Happy-puppy Jones follows street-smart Jane to the apartment building they both share. Disaster unfolds. Jane maces Jones as he approaches her in the front hall. A helpful neighbor (Andrew Jackson) appears with a six-shooter and an attitude. The scene leaves you wincing and laughing. Action and interest perk up from that moment on.
This is a subtle, quirky film. Off beat humor and tender scenes are enhanced by a good alternative music soundtrack. Wood has fine moments as his character learns to furnish an apartment, open a bottle of wine, and, eventually, to relinquish long held fantasies.
But the whole cast creates an ensemble of believable and empathetic characters, from Potente's edgy photographer to Mandy Moore's self-absorbed wannabe actress. Elizabeth Perkins, playing Jones' Holly-Go-Lightly mother, is a heartbreaker. But it's all held together by Wood's engaging Jones.
When "All I Want" finally takes aim, it hits the target.

4/5 All I want?
  by E. A Solinas (MD USA)
It's tough being a seventeen-year-old virgin. Especially one with an active imagination, and gallons of hormones. Or at least, it's tough for Jones Dillon, the slightly neurotic teenage hero of "All I Want," a fitful but rather amusing romantic comedy that breaks some rules and sticks religiously to others.

Seventeen-year-old Jones (Elijah Wood) arrives at a university -- unless he enrolls, he can't access the sizable inheritance his grandpa left him. But after being scared off by the roommate from hell, he drops out and heads to a local sublet apartment building. The building comes with some unusual roommates: gay cowboy Brad (Aaron Pearl), sultry aspiring actress Lisa (Mandy Moore), and sullen photographer Jane (Franka Potente).

Settling into his new home, Jones bickers with his estranged mother from Texas, and writes (very imaginative) letters to the mysterious father he never knew. But to deal with the problems of his life, this confused teen will have to face up to the reality around him -- and the women who want him. Especially when he learns that the truth is harsh, and might just break his heart.

Romantic comedies are a dime a dozen, and most of them are forgotten the moment the credits roll. In contrast, "All I Want" (original title: "Try Seventeen") manages to be pretty memorable. Different settings, different characters, and a different kind of lead -- rather than a Holden Caulfield wannabe or a stud, Jones is the kind of likable kid who lives down your street.

The script is somewhat flawed. The ending is pure Hollywood cliche. And it's hard to see why Jones would prefer the alcoholic and abusive Jane over the sweeter if sluttier Lisa. However, relative directing newbie Jeffrey Porter shows plenty of quirks and humor that you won't find in any Julia Roberts comedy -- Jones daydreaming about blasting a car with a bazooka, while blonde bombshells fawn over him, is especially funny.

Elijah Wood gives a wonderfully nuanced, layered performance as Jones, a naive teenager whose life is in a tangle. Wood plays Jones as a sweet, wistful lad with some unusual quirks, but also gets to be rough'n'tough in the delicious "revenge" scene near the end. Mandy Moore shares good chemistry with him, and gives astonishing depth to what could have been a soulless role; her Lisa is flawed, but a pleasant person with regrets and personality. And most memorable is Blondie singer Debbie Harry, as a sexy matron who invades Jones's dreams.

A fun if flawed romantic comedy, "All I Want" features excellent acting from Wood and Moore, and a likably quirky sensibility. Fun and cute, and certainly worth curling up in front of.

4/5 Very Good Teen Movie
  by Emily (Pennsylvania USA)
Over all, this is a very cute and entertaining movie. Elijah Wood is a 17 year-old who is out on his own in the world. He leaves college after only one day and gets an apartment where he meets two girls whom hate each other. Elijah is adorable (as usual) and you really feel for his character. Franka Potente is very good as well. While she seems crazy at first, she ends up being a very lovable character. Mandy Moore, on the other hand, was very unconvincing and had very wooden acting. I liked her in "A Walk to Remember" but she was just plain horrible in this. Besides her stinking up the movie, it is very lovable and I reccomend any young adult to see it.

3/5 All I Want...is a little more
  by Juliana Farel (Englishtown, NJ USA)
Darn it, but I wanted this to have a better ending than it did! "All I Want" (Try 17) starts out wonderful. Elijah fans will love the way this film starts: lots of fun, lots of sexual tension, the Thurber-like fantasy his character slips into as a way to treat the jerks he encounters (hey, we all could use a bazooka now and then ^_~), it's all quite fun and quite funny. The film has an R rating for the language and sexual situations (though you don't actually see anything!). Elijah plays this gawky teen (who seems to have come into just enough inheritance to let him live comfortably and not have to work) who drops out of college on the first day. There's just enough slapstick to keep you wanting to see if he indeed can carry a comedy, and a physical one at that. He finds am apartment in a boarding house that has several quirky residents, all with their own little stories. When he is about to be deflowered by the used furniture store lady (Debbie Harry is a hoot!) you keep expecting Samwise Gamgee to come running in and rescuing him. But now that you've totally gotten "Frodo" out of your mind (and you will after Elijah comes to from this particular fantasy), you can sit back and watch Elijah's character lust between his two lovely neighbors in the boarding house.

Elijah's character narrates now and then as he types his feelings and fantasies down on paper (some of these fantasies are very funny), using his dad's typewriter (was he going to become a writer, then? there's a hint of that)in letters that he saves, because he doesn't know where to send them; mom won't tell him. Very touching actually, clinging to a past life he wants to hang onto, but one that his mom has not interest in. I would have liked a bit more of the back story about his wayward parents (or lack of dad and why he calls his mom by her first name) but that didn't distract me too much as you will get more details, of course, towards the end of the story.

The downstairs cowboy neighbor is refreshing and unfortunately fades out of the film. Miss Mandy and Miss Franka are excellent in their respective roles of ditzy blonde actress and deep brunette photographyer (yay for deep brunettes!!). You will be surprized at the ending (just who will our adorable old blue eyed hero end up with, if anyone?), or maybe not, but also perhaps a bit disappointed. I felt there could have been more, not so much as to suddenly make this light fluffy comedy take a right angle into drama, but just have a bit more substance at the end. I wanted to get the feel for where these characters are now headed, and while the ending is neat and tidy, it's all of a sudden 'the end'.

Worth buying/renting for most of it, and it's so fun to see Elijah playing a little tonsil hockey (well, maybe ~more~ than a little). And it's great to see him growing up and maturing into an excellent actor who can play comedy and drama as an adult, act as well as react in his scenes. If you're making your Elijah library, this one makes a fun addition, while you dream up your own alternate endings in your own fantasy world.

3/5 Worth Watching
  by
At times reminiscent of both "The Graduate" and "Tea and Sympathy," "All I Want" is an entertaining, quirky coming-of-age story. Profound plot it may not have, but its winning cast more than makes up for that. Elijah Wood, with his expressive face and captivating eyes, simply mesmerizes every moment that he is on screen. Franka Potente gives a believable, natural performance and has a palpable chemistry with Wood. Elizabeth Perkins does a great job with her relatively small supporting role, and Mandy Moore was surprisingly good. In fact, the talent of the cast is somewhat wasted as the characters could have been developed much more. I think the biggest weakness of the film, though, is the ending, which gives in to Hollywood cliché. Yet in spite of these negatives, I found it an enjoyable film and I'd definitely see it again. One more plus: A fantastic soundtrack!