Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (1992) User Reviews

The working poor, the folly of youth and the African American experience...

[AlsExGal · 7/10 · 25 October 2015]

... are explored here. The cultural references - clothes, dancing, music - are somewhat dated, but then this is not just another teen movie. The story is told through the eyes of Chantel Mitchell, a 17 year old girl living in Brooklyn with her parents and much younger brothers. Dad works the night shift, mom works days, and even then they work paycheck to paycheck. They have just enough overlap in schedule that they argue just before dad gets up and after mom goes to bed, so Chantel knows all of their problems. She is a smart girl, she has the grades, she has the plans - she wants to go to college and on to medical school. Financially, you just wonder how that is going to be possible, but she has drive and you are pulling for her. But she also has a mouth on her that gets her into trouble at work when she waits on entitled yuppies and at school when she wants to disrupt the teacher's lesson plan and get a more Afro-centric conversation going. Even her African American authority figures such as the principal say things like "a young lady should do this" or "a young lady should do that"...viewpoints that probably nobody even of my generation - I'm 57 - wouldn't have rolled their eyes at when 17.

Chantel is never going to make the mistakes her parents made and get trapped here. There is just one problem. Chantel is 17, just like her parents were 17 once, just like her parents who probably had parents that were too busy scraping a living together to give the close supervision and guidance needed, and thus she gets mixed up with a more well off boy, has only word of mouth and borrowed birth control pills to go on when it comes to sex, and she gets pregnant.

When Chantel discovers her condition she acts like so many teenagers - like this is a case of acne that will go away if she just ignores it. Then when it doesn't just go away she comes up with very unclever ways to hide her condition from he parents. Ways that are so unclever they are hilarious. Any parent would notice what was going on if they weren't so busy fighting the daily business of making a living as Chantel's parents are doing. So they don't notice.

I'll let you watch and see how this turns out. There is one thing that Chantel does at the end that made me dislike her for just a minute, and then I realized that this was just part of the panic and denial that she had been in for nine months. She just needed to get a grip.

This one is not well known but I think it is worth your time. If anything it shows you that just telling the African American community that they need to "clean up their act" is much easier said than done.

Hard To Watch(SPOILERS)

[nina-oh-nina · 6/10 · 14 May 2015]

the main character, Chantel is annoying. she is a huge Brooklyn, New York stereotype. she yells every line and her attitude stinks worse than rotten fish. at times she is unnecessarily rude with people who have done nothing to her...when she stole the money from the baby's father and spent it with her friend I was angry for him. then she attempted to talk him into putting the baby into a garbage can and throwing her away...I was pretty much done at that point. Then it cuts to her being all honky dory and back to life as if it hadn't even happened. I'm not the biggest advocate for abortion but I would have preferred she done that over going through labor and putting it in a garbage bag dumping it on the street

Earnest and heartfelt debut

[pwmoses · 7/10 · 29 May 2000]

This film has heart that overshadows many of its faults. There is a lot of overacting in this film, but a lot of substance in it as well. I remember the love scene being very, very well done and very tasteful, one of the best I think I've ever seen. The song in the background fit the scene perfectly, it wasn't any "bump and grind" type of track. Kudos to Leslie Harris for making a moving as much as imperfect film.

Interesting

[krazy982 · 9 November 2003]

I, on the other hand, do not agree with what one of the user's write stating that this movie was "just awful". If you have never lived in that environment or been around people like that, then how could you understand the movie? It might have not been a Matrix type movie but it had it's meaning behind it. Here we have a girl who grew up in the projects, family on a tight income, and deals with the pressures of teenage life in New York City. For someone to just say that it was plain awful is insulting..maybe they need to see the movie again and actually take the time out to try and understand what this movie is trying to say to our young people.

Urban Teenager in New York

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 30 September 2015]

Chantel Mitchell (Ariyan Johnson), a hip, articulate, black high-school girl in Brooklyn, is determined not to become "just another girl on the IRT" (the IRT is one of NYC's subway lines).

In the early 1990s, if you wanted to see a group of kids and some scary stuff, you probably watched "Kids". Now, that remains a scary film, but this is just as good. nay, it is probably better. It addresses AIDS, pregnancy, racism... even the geography of Africa. And it does it in a way that is not heavy-handed and will not scare off white folks who dislike "black movies".

If you grew up in the era of TLC and Salt 'n Pepa, this is the film equivalent of those songs. Well worth seeing. There is more independent film out there than Jim Jarmusch and Richard Linklater.

Useless Film About A Useless Person

[mizkwebb-1 · 2/10 · 17 February 2005]

Seldom do I see a movie which makes me scream for the death of the lead character, but this one did. I'm not quite sure if the point was to criticize the urban African-American "culture" of materialism and irresponsibility, but the net effect was to suggest that Chantel deserved all the heartache she got and then some. If you enjoy watching a totally irresponsible, self-centered, terminally attitudinal nut case mess up her life, this is the flick for you. Supposedly, she is intelligent and studious, but the film doesn't back that up, because everything she does is colossally stupid. This movie could be used by white supremacist groups to justify neglect of inner city youth; the folks in this flick don't seem to be that badly off (the high school looks positively middle-class compared to some of those in Los Angeles), but they resolutely disregard every opportunity that blows their way.

Low Budget Urban Cinema Series.

[Captain_Couth · 8/10 · 26 February 2005]

Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (1992) was an interesting movie that was neglected during it's release at the theaters and on video. I saw a trailer for this film at my local art house cinema. I enjoyed this movie very much. The budget was shoe string and the cast was filled with mostly novices but the end results were very effective. A sad tale about people who'll be swept under the rug due to ignorance about life, their economic situation or the environment where people live.

A young African-American teenager wants to make it out of the ghetto and go to college and make something out of herself. But some questionable judgment calls, a dire environment and the out spoken person that she is slowly drag her down. Can she claw her way out of her current dilemma or will she just become another girl in the projects who tried but failed?

Too bad the director never made a follow up picture or produced a sequel to this film. I would like to see if she managed to pull herself out of the poverty mire or just became another disenfranchised person on the dole or in government housing. Sad but filmed with a gritty realism.

Highly recommended.

Too Much Chantel

[view_and_review · 2/10 · 26 August 2018]

The ending credits read: "A film Hollywood dare not do." I don't know why not, Hollywood has put out plenty of terrible movies and this would just be another one.

This movie was atrocious. The main character, Chantel (Ariyan Johnson), was "smart" as she claimed. She was going to go to college and she "was not like everybody else" yet and still she had a loud mouth, very little respect for any adults, a desire the be clad in the latest gear, and also dumb enough to have unprotected sex. If she wasn't like everybody else then there's hope because that would mean everybody else is the total opposite.

There was nothing to like about this movie: not Chantel, not her friends, not her man, no one... especially not Chantel, and since she dominated the movie so it went. It was either Chantel yelling, Chantel cussing, Chantel cackling, Chantel arguing, Chantel screaming... need I say more? There was only so much ghetto fabulous chatter I could take.

Love this movie!!

[bxbabygurl201 · 10/10 · 18 July 2007]

I think people are being so0o close-minded about this movie, that its pretty sad. The director did a great job at showing urban life and how it is growing up as a teenager, because I know thats just how I am and that how it really is where I'm from. I feel like I can relate a lot to the character since I have more going for myself and I am trying to get out the hood, which I think the director was trying to show. Just because you come from poverty doesn't mean you have to stay and that Doesn't MEAN YOU CANT DRESS NICE!!! Also in a movie, nobody says you have to like the main character, so why are so many people writing that?? You don't have to agree with the things the main character does, the director is just trying to get a story across. And just because someone is BOOK SMART, it doesn't mean they don't like flashy things such as cars, because their just not used to it. And whoever wrote the comment about making $500 in a little grocery store- you are so wrong!! And Lastly, just because you live in an urban area it does not mean that you surround yourself around VIOLENCE, GUNS, AND DRUGS!! People can be so ignorant about lifestyles they never experienced and then they want to be comment negatively about it. I think the director did a great job!!

A for effort, C for execution

[elhonig-902-129896 · 4/10 · 6 February 2023]

This should have been a much better movie. It was made in 1992, and it kind of shows in terms of how it tackled a difficult subject. The topic of teenage pregnancy in a black neighborhood with a girl who has high aspirations, but unfortunately the immaturity of her age and a problematic background makes her dream of becoming a physician perhaps possible but unlikely. Some reviewers thought this movie could've been made by Spike Lee but I think Spike would've done a much better job. He kind of touched on some of these issues in Do the Right Thing, but he chose to make that films focus on racism. The acting in this movie was fair but I think suffered from decisions made by the director and a kind of unfocused script. It's worth watching but keep the expectations low.

Just another misfire on the indie film circuit . . .

[The_Film_Cricket · 11 September 2014]

Chantel, an African-American girl of 17, has dreams, which is more then one can say for those around her. Just on the edge of her high school years she is surrounded by people who have resigned themselves to a life of hanging out on the street corner.

Chantel wants a future being admired for her brain. She dreams of medical school, a husband and children and a home away from the hood. But then something unexpected happens. Chantel's future is put on hold when she becomes pregnant by her boyfriend.

The movie has some wonderful ideas. The problem is that Chantel is so hateful that it is hard to care about her plight. It is easy to understand that she would be angry and frustrated at the prospect of having to curb her dreams but she is so unpleasant to watch that it is hard for the viewer to get close to her. I don't think that every movie has to have likable characters to work, but in this case it seems essential.

I was reminded of another film 'Shallow Grave' about three hateful Scots trying to steal a million dollars. In that film as with this one it depends on whether or not we care about the people involved and in both cases we don't.

Just Another Idiot On The Screen

[torrascotia · 1/10 · 8 November 2023]

Its surprising this has such a high rating right now. This is another "hood reality" movie which is obviously getting high ratings from a liberal audience, keen to support movies not based on their quality but on box ticking.

I am a fan of good black cinema but this isn't good for a number of reasons. Firstly it plays off the black sassy female stereotype, the main character is supposed to be intelligent because she can pass exams. However her decisions and the way she treats others show she is utterly clueless.

The story is about a teenage girl at college or high school who claims she wants to be a doctor, but doesn't understand that grades aren't enough. What is bizarre about this story is that the girl has both parents and the father is a disciplinarian. Yet she continues to act out at school and at work. To the extent she verbally abuses a customer without repercussion. This is where the whole narrative falls apart. We are supposed to believe that she could actually get away with this in the real world. But if anything behavioural mistakes at that level of society are punished much quicker and more severely whether she is female or not.

As a piece of black cinema this also falls short, because black cinema usually has a positive message, whereas this one actually makes black people look worse. They are portrayed as selfish, impulsive and out of control, with no ability to plan for the future. Its also clear that the director wants people to feel sympathetic for the main character, as if things are done to her and not by her. And that is who will be voting this movie up, people who only look at race and think because of this they are deserving of sympathy. Instead of holding people responsible for their own actions. That is evident form the upbeat ending which is simply a fairy tale ending. Kevin Samuels first said it publicly, that responsibility is Kryptonite to women. This movie implies you can do what you want for any selfish reason and there will be people there to help you avoid the consequences, as long as you fit one of the so called oppressed minorities. This is an embarrassing movie and the people who have talked it up have an obvious agenda.

Excellent Movie

[alcon_s · 10/10 · 9 June 2005]

I thought this was an excellent movie. It held my attention the whole time. The only acting I saw that wasn't really professional was by Ty and some of the smaller characters. But, really, that only added to the realism.

Some people say there was overacting. To me these critics are probably overreacting to 3 things:

1)Johnson's hard accent which if you are not used to, will think is over dramatical. 2)The lingo. You have to remember this was 1992. A lot of the stuff they were doing and saying was typical then. The house parties where everyone danced in step (which by the way, the scene that had the Caribbean dance feel mixed with the NY style was very authentic. I'm referring to the party that Chantelle went to after lying to her mom about where she would be, where she first hooked up with Ty). Plus the clothes were Cross Colors style, remember those? 3)The energy of Chantelle. It may seem over the top, but I've met people like this, and some from NY no less.

I thought it was cool to show how Chantelle did try to hold up this self image of being so strong, but really she needed a male role model. That was evident when she couldn't believe her father hit her, or when Ty initially called her a bad word and stuff. She acted like she couldn't believe it happened after she put so much trust in them. That is very typical. A female needs a good man to be around and when they don't have it, they try to assume some of what they think are a man's characteristics. All that bravado Chantelle gave off with her mouth and actions? It was what she thought she needed to succeed in this harsh world.

A comment was made that the family and Chantelle didn't look "poor" enough. That was dumb. What did the user want, Chris Rock on the crack in New Jack City? I've seen plenty of lesser income areas where from the outside, I was scared to enter. But, on the inside, their area was neater that my own house. Reason being, just because you have lesser income, doesn't mean your living quarters will be in shambles. Also, since you have less money and area to live in, you are almost forced to be neat. Lastly, everybody has problems like these from the rich to the poor. Comparing this movie's lower income area to "ones in LA" was another dumb comment. You can always find one area that is supposedly worse than another. Just like you can always find an area that is supposedly wealthier than the other. Those comments made me angry.

Excellent movie. Where is Johnson? I don't know.

2 last things:

Back then, they didn't do director's commentary but that would have been nice to put on the DVD. I can't stress that enough.

Johnson's commentary would have been REALLY good. Johnson, if you are reading this, please let us know where you are and comment. Or e-mail me.

Third, they didn't really stress HIV/AIDs. But, I guess that is what the movie KIDS was for. Another NY movie. I remember the Nikki D song "Daddy's Little Girl" from the back in the day. That was always fresh, house mixed with rap.

Brooklyn!!! I love it.

Self-defeating

[mrm1138 · 5/10 · 21 March 2002]

Let me say that I would imagine that I am the target audience for this film. By this, I mean that I am not a young, economically challenged African-American woman living in an urban area, since I would imagine that that particular demographic does not need to be made aware of the difficulties they face on a day to day basis. That said, I did not feel Leslie Harris did the best job in trying to bring these issues across. As others have said, I found the main character to be thoroughly unpleasant. While flawed characters can be more interesting to watch, their character strengths should be far less superficial for them to merit any sympathy or empathy from the viewer (i.e., just being intelligent and ambitious is not enough for me to like a character).

Also of note is the amateurish acting, which truly detracts from the viewing experience. The documentary-style camerawork could have added to the feeling of verisimilitude, but coupled with the acting, it constantly draws attention to the fact that the viewer is watching a film. I understand certain allowances must be made when watching low-budget independent films, but the filmmakers should have realized that today's audiences are spoiled and have little patience for elements that feel unnatural.

I also take issue with the film's ending, which rings completely false in light of everything that has preceded it. One person compared it to the seemingly tacked-on happy endings from melodramas of the past. The problem with that logic is the fact that those endings were imposed by the studio and sometimes by censors. This is an independent film (one "Hollywood dared not do") and can take the risk of having the ending that fits best.

I have heard it suggested that all the elements I have called attention to were aesthetic choices by the filmmakers. To that, I must say that, if this is so, it causes the film to be rather self-defeating. To call attention to the film's artifice, thereby pulling the viewer out of the story, causes them to view it as just another light show on a screen. It can be safely viewed as just a film, all thoughts of it depicting reality left aside.

Films are often attacked for being too manipulative. Here is a film that is not manipulative enough. If a filmmaker wants an audience to be able to identify with a situation she/he should take great pains to make certain they are not taken out of the film throughout. While I admire the fact that Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. tries to show me a world I have minimal knowledge of, it did not involve me enough to give the subject matter much of a second thought after the credits rolled. Instead, I just kept thinking about its quality as a film.

Intriguing Film with Excellent Dialogue & Unique Characters

[D_Burke · 8/10 · 19 March 2008]

If there was one truly great thing about "Just Another Girl On The I.R.T.", it's the incredibly realistic dialogue. This fact is especially remarkable when considering that most of the film's cast haven't acted in a film previously, including Ariyan A. Johnson, who plays the protagonist, Chantel Mitchell. Not only is the dialogue funny at times and poignant at others, but it's almost as if you're in New York City listening in on real people's conversations. Any other movie with as low a budget or as unknown and as amateur a cast would have had dialogue that was wooden or may have sounded forced.

No one can critique this film without mentioning the character who represents "Just Another Girl", namely Chantel. Chantel is certainly not "just another girl", as she makes perfectly clear when she breaks the fourth wall. The best thing about Chantel, and what some critics (especially on this site) don't seem to understand about her, is that she is a complicated, round character. At her best, she's ambitious, hard-working, clearly very smart, and incredibly charismatic. However, she clearly makes some wrong choices in this movie which most viewers probably look at in dumbfounded awe. The reactions that Johnson reflects upon realizing those wrong choices are very familiar and genuine.

There is unfortunately very little written about Johnson's life and background anywhere on the Internet, which may account for her strong, believable debut performance in this movie. However, Johnson plays this complicated character so convincingly that it's hard to believe this is her feature film debut. She has since had noticeable supporting roles in two critically acclaimed features ("Bulworth" in 1998, and "The General's Daughter" in 1999), but hasn't acted in a movie or TV show since 2004. To say she is an underrated actress is indeed an understatement, and I would love to see her appear in another film sometime soon.

Of course, the plot is something which other reviewers on this site have been critical about. Although it is true that the plot is somewhat unusual, it's not exactly a bad thing when the plot of a movie can't be explained in one sentence. If anything, plot complication can be a valuable asset to a film, and "Just Another Girl on the I.R.T." is certainly no exception.

But then again, a number of Spike Lee's films had similar non-linear plots. This film reminded me of something Spike Lee would have directed not just because it had a majority African-American cast. This film drew parallels to "She's Gotta Have It" with a strong, independent female protagonist, the constant breaking the fourth wall and addressing the audience, and the frank discussions about sex. It also reminded me of "Crooklyn" and "Do The Right Thing", along with a number of character-driven films by Jonathan Singleton.

I'm not so sure if this was a film "Hollywood didn't dare to make", as stated in the closing credits. After all, Spike Lee revolutionized black cinema, and is still no stranger to controversy with the messages in his films. Plus, the issue of teen pregnancy has been dealt with in cinema before (e.g., 1989's "For Keeps") and since (2007's "Juno"). So what Leslie Harris meant by that statement is unclear to me, and did actually come off as a bit cocky.

Still, this film deserves a lot of credit for its dialogue, characterization, and uniqueness in its own right. Ariyan Johnson brought a lot to this film which other actresses with her experience may not have been able to handle. It's too bad director Leslie Harris didn't make a follow-up feature, or even a sequel. But still, to make a mark on Hollywood with a film like this, even if it's only one time, is quite the accomplishment. I just wish more people could see this film.

I was fortunate to find a used DVD of this film in a local music store. I only paid about $7 for it, and it remains a priceless addition to my DVD collection.

Terrible Acting, Awful Dialogue

[alphaglobedancer · 1/10 · 2 June 2022]

I wanted to like this movie; was really rooting for it but despite my hopes, it started out bad and just got worse as it plodded along. Too bad, as the implicit message was an important one, but the film couldn't overcome the great deficits of an irredeemably off-putting lead actor playing an unsympathetic character sorely in need of development, the clumsy overacting of all the secondary actors playing her schoolmates, and the embarrassingly nonsensical dialogue, even by street standards, of all of them.

Bad acting

[lukegrifpa · 17 April 2003]

The actress playing the main character had some charisma, but otherwise the acting is really terrible, even for an indy. The actors themselves are clearly inexperienced, but the director apparently didn't know how to work with them to pick up the pace, and probably didn't have the budget to do more than one or two takes. The cliche dialogue didn't help much either.

I just fell in love with this movie!

[klwc1 · 9/10 · 13 October 2005]

Just Another Girl On The IRT is one of my favorite movies. I was introduced to this movie about ten years ago and fell in love with it. I thought it was well acted and I could relate to Chantell's character.I love the music and I just loved the movie I know ever word by heart.I think so many other teenage girls can benefit from seeing this movie. All the things she goes through with being a teenager is reality. Chantell deals with trying to live a life of her own but also having to take responsibility for her family life as well. But as she learns trying to live a life of your own also has responsibilities that you must own up to. So I high recommend that all teenagers check this movie out and maybe you'll learn something.

REMAKE THIS MOVIE

[aljones-24593 · 10/10 · 26 January 2018]

This was a very good movie to me as a teenager and contained real life situations most teens faced backed in that day. The storyline is still prevalent today, just with more technology. I think this film would do great as a reproduction with modern technology, like iPhones, Snapchat, etc.. You know the saying there is nothing new under the sun or same stage different players. Teenage pregnancy is still an issue. To see an African american girl that is relatable made the movie more realistic. The end still has a positive outcome/ It is a great show of determination and there are many girls of different ethnic backgrounds doing the same thing today and may think they are alone.

Bombs at the ending

[jjispi · 2 August 2002]

While this is a very good debut for the writer/director, the end falls apart. The story revolves around a seventeen year old girl living with her parents and brothers in the Brooklyn projects. She is a good student, and spends the majority of her time working and hanging out with her friends. She meets a guy at her school, and soon becomes pregnant. Her decision to hide her pregnancy and the lengths she goes to while doing so take up the second half of the film. As good of a film as this was, I feel it really fell apart at the end. It wrapped everything up nicely, and denied the viewer the emotional payoff that the film promised. In the end, she did become 'Just another girl on the I.R.T.

I just watched this on google

[juanmuscle · 10/10 · 22 February 2021]

It was worth every penny , yo one question why is this lady not doing more work! yall come on now! This was an incredible piece of lifetime history that transcends art , yes the Baldwin type ending is rough but it works , everything works in this gem I highly recommend it big time , I really think its a major tagedy that this lady who created this is not doing tons of stuff, this is who should be making some superhero movies to make them fun and give them some cool humane themes and all that good stuff!

Chantal, Smart, a daughter and Mother.

[blanchard-adrian · 10/10 · 30 March 2020]

The movie, Just Another Girl on the I. R.T. recreates a story about a teenager known as Chantal who is 17 years old and pregnant with her first child thats a girl. She lives temporarily with her parent's that are married, and two brother's. Both parent's are professional's. Chantal is in the 11th grade in school, and also works at the grocery store as a cashier. She is on the Merit Roll in high school, and is dating both Gerard and Tyrone.

Great Debut

[skillz · 28 September 2000]

This project was done away from Hollywood. In "Just Another Girl..." it focuses on an aspiring college bound student. Who has to cope with her plans being detoured.

The characters were a little materialistic. Question: is someone that drives a Benz, Bimmer or an SUV more man than someone who rides the subway? Go figure! Though this story had an urban theme; it did not have a plot that revolved around violence, guns and drugs. Because Leslie Harris didn't go the Hollywood route; the big screen depiction of her story was told how SHE wanted it to be told. She did not compromise her craft; which justifies why the film made a killing in the after market!

just another girl on the irt

[mossgrymk · 8/10 · 10 July 2023]

Let's see. The sound quality sucks (I could, at most, understand sixty per cent of the dialogue), the cinematography is merely ok, the acting's hit or miss (fortunately the two leads are hits), the breaking of the fourth wall is both annoying and un necessary, and, most egregiously, the screenplay has big problems that range from scenes that are missing that should not be, like Chantel telling her folks she's had a kid, to gaping story holes like a girl giving birth to a healthy baby without physically manifesting any signs of pregnancy.

So why did I like this film so much? Simple. I was interested in and cared about the title character, a mouthy, bratty, extremely intelligent teen from Brooklyn named Chantel who cannot manage to get out of her own way. Throughout the film, thanks to the directorial talents of Leslie Harris and the acting skills of Ariyan A. Johnson, I was hoping that somehow Chantel would get her act together and friggin grow up! Also worthy of mention is Kevin Thigpen playing a character who you would bet the brownstone is a complete and utter scumbag but who ends up being the most admirable person in the film. Nice story twist by Ms. Harris that partially makes up for the writing lapses cited above. Give it a B.

Just awful

[Beast-5 · 27 November 2002]

Just saw this movie in my Contemporary Film class...the main character is the human equivalent of fingernails being scraped across a chalkboard in slow motion...