slickstu

Following the sweetly entertaining Bend It Like Beckham and the delightful corny farce of Bride And Prejudice, the next film from director Gurinder Chadha is Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging. Departing from her usual theme of the collision between Western and Indian social mindsets, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging follows Georgia (Georgia Groome) a typical 14 year old negotiating the nemeses of adolescence - bad hair, bad complexion, playground bitches and uncool parents - whilst attempting to procure that sweetheart date. She's Adrian Mole with a skirt, basically.

Based on Louise Rennison's novels, Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging and On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God, Chadha's film is nicely written and funny but sadly the performances from the central cast (which includes Alan Davies AKA Jonathan Creek) are a little stilted. This, however, will likely be lost on the target young-teen audience so it is of little consequence.

The film feels small-time for Chadha considering her previous projects, almost like it belongs on TV rather than the cinema, but it's entertaining enough and it certainly possesses a charm of its own.

7.5 out of 10.