5/5 Excellent film & Hilary Duff's finest performance
  by Last Son of Gotham (USA)
Just saw this film at its Santa Monica, California, premiere. It is truly a shame that the movie is not being distributed in theatres and instead is going direct to DVD & Blu-Ray. I hope the DVD contains some extras, especially a commentary, all of which were sadly lacking on the DVDs for Hilary Duff's earlier small, independent films of "War, Inc." and "What Goes Up."

For those who have doubted Hilary Duff's dramatic talent up until now, "According to Greta" should put those fears to rest. Duff turns in an unquestionably strong performance of a complicated character that will come as a surprise to those primarily familiar with her more tween/teen-oriented work such as the "Lizzie McGuire" TV series, "A Cinderella Story," and the "Cheaper by the Dozen" films. What the audience has borne witness to here is her genuine maturity as an actress and the possible paradigm shift in her career to more serious dramatic fare in the future.

Duff plays the title character of Greta, a 17 year old girl who has been "exiled" to her grandparents' home in New Jersey for the summer, given her mother's own inability to control her daughter and preference for saving her troubled marriage. Greta has decided to end her life once she turns 18, currently reflecting upon which method of death would be most desirable. Simultaneously, she has created a "bucket list" of sorts of things to experience in the final year of her life. The news of Greta's plans come as a surprise to her grandparents, especially her grandmother, played by veteran actress Ellen Burstyn. The Golden Globe- and Oscar-nominated Burstyn turns in a fine performance as Greta's "Grammy" Katherine, who is determined to give her granddaughter structure and discipline, and perhaps even aide in finding value in life.

Another surprise performance is given by actor Evan Ross, who plays Julie, a restaurant line cook with a shady past, who is committed to living as responsible and ethical a life as possible. Next to Duff's substantive performance, Ross' own poised and balanced performance will likely be a highlight of the film for viewers. In the movie, Greta and Julie become co-workers and eventually strike up a romance, one that comes off naturally, even in scenes of interpersonal character unease. But Greta's hardened attitude about life, her sharp hurtful words, and manipulative actions towards Julie, as well as her grandparents, threaten to drive those closest to Greta away, even as they all labor to help her see life's gifts.

Standing behind inter-relational tensions, is a haunting secret from the past. Will the recognition of this painful experience finally push Greta to take her life? Or can her grandparents and Julie -- or more pointedly, can she herself -- help transform her great pains into a realization for the sanctity of life? Check out the movie and find out for yourself.

5/5 Hilary's Best Piece of Work to Date
  by J. Laem (Seattle, WA)
I should probably start off by saying that I am a HUGE Hilary Duff fan but I also like to think of myself as a person who is really good at giving unbiased opinions. I understand that movie critics do not think very highly of Hilary and I can understand that since the movies she has done have kept her in the "tween category" (even though I really like those movies because they make me happy). "According to Greta" is one of the many slew of movies that Hilary has been a part of lately to help move her more in a direction of a young adult actress (others including "War Inc.," "What Goes Up," and her guest appearance on "Gossip Girl") and this is by far her best acting display. She is very believable as the rebellious, super sarcastic and suicidal teenager forced to stay with her grandparents for the summer. I have to say that I also enjoyed all of the side characters just as much in this film. Her grandmother, grandfather and boy interest were well played and allowed the film to seem very real.

It is unfortunate that it took SO long for this movie to come out (I believe filming finished in late 2007) and when it came out in theaters it was only in L.A. For this reason I encourage everyone to buy or rent this because it truly is a great film. It is an indie, low budget film but it is still very enjoyable. I'm very happy for Hilary, she is still young and can still go far places with her acting career. I wouldn't say this is her big break but it is definitely a huge leap in the right direction for her.

4/5 Greta the Great
  by Celeste (Louisiana)
Greta wants to kill herself, Greta gets shipped off to her Grandparents, and Greta spends the summer discovering who she is and why life may be worth living. Not the most original script, but let's face it, most movies end just the way you thought they would and take the path you thought they would take. In `According to Greta' it is mostly about watching the journey. We see into Greta's inner thoughts through diary sequences, a clever montage of doodles, clip art and frantic scribbles. I have to admit, it was one of the most interesting, and perhaps the only original, thing about the show.

Evan Ross shines on-screen, turning in a wonderfully understated performance, in contrast with Hillary Duff's performance, which seems just a little too desperate. (We get it, you aren't Lizzy McGuire anymore.) I think Duff does a respectable job in the role; the character is just a little much. She's smart, she's bored, and she's clever. So, just be smart, bored and clever. Don't take every opportunity to tell us how smart, bored and clever her character is.

Overall, this is a good movie. I enjoyed watching it, even if I doubt I'll ever watch it a second time.


3/5 Love Hillary Duff but this movie was way too dark and depressing for me.
  by Mrs. R. Henderson (FLOMATON, ALABAMA USA)

Thoughts of suicide are not to be taken lightly, and Hillary Duff did a great job portraying a suicical teen and is so beliveable it makes you want to cry.
Way too depressing for me.

4/5 To lose one parent...
  by Aceto (Meilhan Sur Garonne)
There are plenty of problem-child films. I had low expectations -- that we would get the usual check list of problems, causes and events. Slam them in and crank out a movie. I do not know Hilary Duff's work; I have heard the name. I can say she has done a convincing job. I can assert that the casting in general is strong.

Gretta the troubled child is put on a bus by her mother because mom is trying to stop her current husband from exiting. Gretta is an annoyance, and bloody adept at it. She is going to Ocean Grove, New Jersey, an idyllic ocean-front resort where Gretta's grandparents have lived since mom was a brat. Ocean Grove is one of the beautifully built ocean fronts in the world. Large houses where porches and upper story balconies are prized far above a lawn, to gaze on the Atlantic and breathe oh so well.

The central theme is teen suicide. There are others. The songs are a dead, so to speak, give away, The opening "I Wanna Die" might trigger the theme, but of course it is a lovely song about wishing to die in Louisiana, rather than, say, Burma. The sound track in general is thoughtfully chosen and effective in this well executed not in-your-face mode. Nice touch with this song. Another is a classic 50's summer seaside song, "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" by heart throb Frankie Avalon.

I like how the grandmother (Ellen Burstyn is better than in so many anguish-only roles), and grandfather are fully developed characters. Evan Ross is superb as the romantic interest and, more importantly, the foil to Gretta's background. He almost steals the show, but I am happy with both. We will be seeing more of him.

With all of the story, there is still a little to see of careful film making. In Grandfather's marina, do not miss the long shot of the dog paddling among the slips; he fetches what otherwise looks like merely another floating board. Nice touch, this. Next you will see his project: restoring a mahogany cabin cruiser. These are the glories of our 1890-1940 boat industry. This boat deserves to be the platform of the movie's climax.

All themes are intelligently expressed, especially the hard ones. I have only one nagging question, which is "Who am the guy in the photo at the very end?" I know his face and I am having a brain-out. Lastly, the movie has the good grace to close with an Oscar Wilde quote.