Anything's Possible (2022) User Reviews

Don't watch if you're going to complain that it's too "woke".

[cledakling · 7/10 · 24 July 2022]

I've been watching coming of what age movies since I was coming of age in the 1970s. This is a very nice addition to the genre with the typical best friend breakup, shifting allegiances, etc., of high school dramas seen through more tolerant, but still fraught, gender issues of today. Richie Cunningham never had to deal with such things.

I'm a substitute teacher in southwest Ohio bouncing from rural to urban schools, and if you don't think that there are LGBTQ kids in your school you're mistaken.

The actors are young and charming and the city of Pittsburgh looks great. Although as a native Pittsburgh I know those characters are on the wrong bus to get to their destinations! Look for the Billy Porter (the director) mural and stay for the High School Musical inspired closing credits.

A meaningful addition for the romantic-comedy genre!

[morano5585-731-656342 · 7/10 · 23 July 2022]

This film was well written, interesting, thoughtfully directed, and competently acted. A variety of high school issues are intelligently explored, and it's enjoyable to see the characters explore them. The movie is well-paced and an appropriate length. It successfully achieves the emotional commitment of its viewers, especially when depicting the living relationship between Kelsa and her mother. I look forward to seeing more from new director Billy Porter in the future!

If you loved Love Simon you'll love this

[lisafordeay · 7/10 · 30 July 2022]

Anything's Possible is a 2022 LGBT romantic comedy directed by singer Billy Porter(in his directorial debut) and stars Eva Reign and Abubakr Ali. A teenager named Khai(Ali) who has a crush on a girl named Kelsa(Reign) asks her out on a date (despite the fact she's transgender and is afraid of what people will think of her and Khai together).

Will Khai and Kelsa prove to people that there relationship will hold up?.

Overall I enjoyed this film as it was authentic and enjoyable.

If you liked Love Simon then do check it out.

Hope for trans teens

[trinaboice · 7/10 · 29 July 2022]

IN A NUTSHELL: This modern Gen Z coming-of-age story shines a spotlight on Kelsa, a confident high school girl who is trans, as she navigates through her senior year and romance. Two-time Tony Award winner Billy Porter directed the movie. He was most recently featured as a trans "Fabulous Godmother" in Amazon's Cinderella in 2021.

THINGS I LIKED: I had never seen Eva Reign in anything before. She definitely has charisma and does an outstanding job representing the trans world.

This is probably the first time we've ever seen a trans-girl in a high school romance being featured in a film, right? Can you think of others?

Others in the cast include Abubakr Ali, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Simon Joy Jones, and Kelly Lamor Wilson.

There is some humor but a lot of awkward moments.

Keep watching during the final credits for a little dance number by the cast.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE: People argue about how woke they are.

The protagonist gets super upset that everyone puts so much emphasis on sex and gender, yet she wears super sexy clothing in every scene.

There's not a lot of depth to the characters in the sense that we don't get to learn that much about them, only offering surface-level discussions.

Similarly, the movie touches on various subjects like gender bathrooms and society's stereotypes but doesn't dive much deeper into the subjects.

All of the teenagers are super self-absorbed, but then again, that's how teenagers generally are.

TIPS FOR PARENTS: Crude conversations Some profanity and F-bomb Teenage bullying A transvestite makes out with a guy many times We see a shirtless teenage boy Teens drink alcohol at a party Two teenage boys get into a fist fight

THEMES: Gender identity Teenage/high school life Identity Acceptance Friendship Social media Kindness Courage Romance Discrimination Single motherhood Seeing people for who and what they are Gen Z life and perspective Morally superiority and virtue signaling

Nice Try

[tenore65 · 3/10 · 1 August 2022]

I really admire Billy Porter, a super talented individual who is great at acting and singing. But given this offering, I think he should stick to acting and singing and perhaps stick to producing and finding the right director for his material. Although I was looking forward to a good movie featuring a real trans person and a good script, the whole affair was terribly derivative and so sticky sweet it bordered on nauseating. It reminded me of watching an episode of "Leave It To Beaver" or "Father Knows Best," for anyone out there old enough (and you'd have to be really old) to remember how artificial those episodes felt.

Still, it is groundbreaking in some aspects and I hope to see more movies like this, albeit more realistic and with characters a bit more believable and down-to-earth.

A nice portrayal of love

[Sillyreviews · 7/10 · 19 April 2023]

It is an average coming of age film but it does has something different that almost brought me to tears. GOOD TRANS REPRESENTATION. Something that you don't see very often and especially not in these very American coming of age teen films. To give a short summary without any spoilers. It is about a young trans girl in her senior year of high school who tries to get on with her life after coming out which is a reason why she wants to move away. In all of this she falls in love with a boy who also likes her and accepts her for who she is. This film does a good job of showing that trans people deserve love and are love worthy. That transphobia is prevalent in todays society, but that despite that the world seems like it is against you (as a trans person) there will still be people who will love you for who you are and all of your beauty. If it is romantically, platonically or anything. If you are down about the current state of trans rights, if you are young and trans or if you know someone who is trans then absolutely watch this film because it will possibly bring you to tears but in a beautiful and loving way.

Hard Work

[michelleoverton · 5/10 · 22 July 2022]

You can tell some really hard work went into this picture and the actors gave it their all. Glad i was able to watch it because I learned some things that I didn't know before. No excuse to blame mainstream society for not covering your community; make a movie on your own terms!

Bigots are Big Mad

[nysmbs · 10/10 · 31 July 2022]

Love the conservative meltdown about this movie 😂😂😂 more than enough reason to watch it honestly. Like it or not, trans people are here to stay. You can be a decent human being to us or you can cope and seethe.

Decent YA film.

[autumnwil · 6/10 · 21 February 2023]

Anything's Possible is a cute young adult film. I think that it has some strengths like the cinematography, the storyline, and the costume design yet the acting falls a little flat for the main characters. Sometimes the lines would be delivered too flat and sounded amateurish. Overall it doesn't distract from too much of the film. I like Billy Porter's direction with the film and thought he tried to show a new type of romance involving a trans teenager and her life. I think the conflict was somewhat realistic but was wrapped up too quickly. I think the movie wanted to be wholesome yet dramatic but it came off as rushed. Long story short, decent film for those who love young adult romance.

Give it a miss

[pinkblueberrycat · 5/10 · 6 August 2022]

Sickly sweet romcom from Billy Porter about two middle-class high schoolers - a Black trans girl with a YouTube channel and an Iranian boy who has a crush on her, and chronicles the development of their short-lived relationship over Reddit. Unless you have a heart of ice, this film's depiction of an awkward adolescent romance will probably make you smile. However, the film has some significant shortcomings.

As others have pointed out, the biggest "villains" are dark skinned Black people, which is odd for a production so concerned with positive representations of minorities.

Anything's Possible is also over-written in places. For example, the scene where the mothers of Kelsa and her former best friend argue over whether Kelsa should be permitted in a 'single sex space' is written like a Twitter fight, not a real life conversation between two women in their 40s or 50s.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this film. It was ok to pass some time while I was resting in bed with flu, but there's so many better coming of age movies out there.

The right movie at the right time.

[MovingPitchers · 9/10 · 27 July 2022]

This isn't a great movie. It most certainly is a good movie. And as a first offering from Billy Porter there's some incredible material here. Is it fun? Cute? A nice RomCom? Yep.

It's also one of the more important topics we need to be talking about right now. Basic human decency, and the ability for people to live their truth. It's a movie, that happens to be about a trans youth. It deals with some difficult ideas, which is basically adolescence in a nutshell. If the movie offends you, the problem is not with the movie.

Recently I've seen the most disgusting violence I've ever seen in film and television... but someone falls in love with someone else and you're offended?? No. That's not the discussion we need to have. Evolution is hard, and it's going to happen no matter how much you don't want it to.

Kelsa is a modern woman, that just wants her moment to feel loved, and be seen in a world that is trying very hard to erase people like her. Khalid is a kind young man that just follows his heart, into the arms of a woman struggling for identity, a vision of her future, and the need to loved just for who she is. A love story.

If you get that, you'll get this delightful, light, and very needed little bit of comfort cinema. Keep it up, Billy.

Cute story

[hecyeahhh · 2/10 · 23 July 2022]

Terrible acting. It's awesome to see Trans representation but the acting makes it hard to focus on how cute the story is. The quality and directing is good unfortunately this movie is background noise. :/

A lot of misses

[pronitmallick · 5/10 · 8 September 2022]

Anything's Possible is a movie that begins with a slightly intriguing concept trying to make us invest into it from the get-go. Right in the first act thing that mostly catches your attention is the plot and until the end of the third act that pretty much stays the same. The characters play their part as good eye-catcher but most of the time misses the shots. Talking about the story everything that gets thrown at you gets easily unfolded, where most of it either stands quite predictable and the rest of it stays a bit obvious. Director Billy Porter tried to gather some vibrant resources and form a stable harmony but it keeps getting startled as it moves on from the first to the last act. Editing and screenplay needed more time to invest in along with the writing department. All in all Anything's Possible stands as something you can try adding to your list to watch but it will probably be added as a one-time watch.

Cute

[comicmcfly · 4/10 · 3 January 2024]

Not really sure why I decided to watch this movie but I did. Is it a good movie or is it a good script? Are they good actors? No but is it cute? Is it aROM_ COM yes if that's what you're looking for, hey there you go it's not going to win any awards.

PS the biggest issue I had was Khal wearing the same outfit I don't think he changed clothes until the end of the movie drove me crazy. I also wanted to see a little bit more of the relationship like the issues that they're going to have later on if they stay together. I also feel like the movie is very unrealistic especially dealing with someone of a East Asian background having parents being so open about them dating a trans girl that's not how it works but it's still very cute.

A brave coming of age tale about love, courage, and friendship

[sepehrhs · 10/10 · 22 July 2022]

I smiled through this whole movie. I grew up watching most of the coming-of-age movies of my generation. We had Clueless, American Pie, Project X, Mean Girls, 21 and Over, and many more. They all have these hidden but beautiful messages about courage. These movies touched on themes such as love, friendship, the feeling of the unknown approaching fast, and the struggle each of us had with moving on to the next step. Anything's Possible touches on all these themes and does it well. It is an excellent story about self-awareness, identity, and acceptance. It tells us to look beyond the expectations of our society, parents, friends, and even ourselves. To be brave and take a leap to love, and believe that being loved and falling in love does not know any boundaries.

The lead actress and the supporting cast are incredibly talented. The actress playing the mom is fantastic. Eva Reign is not only gorgeous but a skilled actress not afraid to showcase her raw emotions and tell us about her generation's struggles.

The script does not to be too complex and Billy Porter masterfully tells the story of finding love in senior year and going through all the drama that comes with being different. My advice to my fellow movie lovers is to look at this movie unbiasedly and focus on its intended audience. This movie focuses on friendship, love, acceptance, and growth. It does not try to force any messages down our throats or pander, so even boomers may enjoy it.

My biggest struggle growing up was to be accepted. Growing up as a minority and not being represented in my community was very tough. It makes me so happy to see that a young black woman and a middle eastern boy are the lead in this movie. Things are changing for the better, and I pray for acceptance and love for all.

Meh

[andragvasile · 3/10 · 24 March 2024]

Kelsa's acting was really flat. On another note but with the spotlight on the same subject, I understand that someone in Kelsa's position might feel misunderstood or mistreated, but her immediate support system was strong. She played the victim quite a bit, was selfish and called out those who stood by her unconditionally for having ulterior motives (ie wanting to be the centre of attention or wanting to being seen as morally superior) and many other unfounded claims which lead to many eye rolling moments. Khal's parents reaction was unrealistic, especially as he initially is worried that they won't accept a trans girlfriend.

Beautiful story!

[fmhbfhgh · 10/10 · 28 July 2022]

One of the most beautiful young love/ coming of age stories I've ever seen! The acting was great, the characters were lovable and fun, and it was refreshing to see trans representation in a story that wasn't centered on trauma. LOVED it!

Beautiful, fun story with fantastic performances and directing

[bradyjoynerfamily · 10/10 · 24 July 2022]

Ignore the 1stars (which as you can see aren't accompanied by a review because they were submitted by bots that didn't watch it - that's on you IMDB for accepting them). This film was super fun, had great - and fresh - acting, and showcased how important it is that we see stories like this. I literally smiled the entire film, aside from the few scenes that were intended to show - and highly successful at highlighting - the casual transphobia and homophobia present in society. Bravo to Billy on a great first feature, kudos to Renee who played the supportive mom to perfection, and I can wait to see what these actors do next!

Peek into Gen Z's perspective

[larielle-91264 · 10/10 · 22 July 2022]

This movie gave everything this generation needs. It captures the journey of a present day teen who falls in love. Despite gender or sexuality the film is relatable in that there is adversity. It's humorous and clever. Billy Porter did an amazing job with this film. I'd watch it again and again!!!

Real coming of age

[panteragypsy · 10/10 · 26 July 2022]

I believe Billy Porter did good job and I'm glad he touched on issues for transteens. This only lightly skims the surface though and I would've liked to see more character development. I won't spoil the end but I was disappointed at the end after everything the main protagonist went through. This was heavier on the LGBTQ issues vs romance.

Overall good movie and I hope to see more like this in the future. I love it when bigots get their prejudice feathers ruffled and call everything they dislike "woke", lmfao.

A modern and well crafted love story

[Cwellt · 10/10 · 8 August 2022]

Renée Elise is always an asset, she's the icing on the cake in this story. Most of the reviews I've read over-compensate for one reason or another. This movie is a solid 6.8, but honestly I rated it 10 to compensate for an oblivious homophobic sentiment among IMDB fan critics.

Deserves a better rating but you already knew that

[orange_x_tiger · 10/10 · 2 August 2022]

This is a cute teen romance movie that reminds me a bit of Heartstopper. The characters all seem very real to me. Kelsa is a thoughtful and likable person. Khal is the classic nice boy but is still unique and interesting enough. I really liked the character and he felt more like the main character to me although it's definitely both of their story. I felt the parent dynamics (important in any teen movie) were spot on and never over the top.

I loved how this movie wasn't afraid to get awkward. Teen romance is super awkward! I cringed so hard at their first make out but it stood out as so realistic to me (that grass slide lol). The conflicts were easy to watch and resolve which I appreciated. This movie, while having some drama, isn't a drama and I think we need more happy stories. I loved the ending of this movie! I don't want to spoil anything but I'll just say it was the right choice for the movie and the characters. I left feeling hopeful and happy and that's all I think you can ask from a movie!

It's pretty obvious why this movie has such a low rating. So many 1 star ratings but none of those people bothered to write a review... I wonder why... The majority of the reviewers liked this movie and if you've made it this far you probably will too.

But yyyyy ma?

[bigdeb48-77-274140 · 10/10 · 2 August 2022]

Its because I am tall, very tall, and very wide(like a mac truck, but Idon't judge) yess anything IS possible, (becuz growing up I was always thought of as a amazon) but then I grew up, thought of a real lady, woman, girl. Yeah I was born that way (a female) just too big and tall not fat, hour glass shape (fa real female.) But she cute af. I liked her story. And its a big10-4 👍🏾

Really enjoyable film

[santinaturowski · 10/10 · 22 August 2022]

I really liked this movie. I will definitely watch again. Everyone deserves to be seen, heard and validated (except bigots- y'all are some of the worst!) I really enjoyed the diversity and representation in this movie. I would like to see more movies like this. I think the movie is probably technically an 8, I loved all the cliches, like how self absorbed teens are (but it's true! Lol) someone said in another review it's good to see trans joy and/or LGBTQ joy, I agree. I rated it 10 to offset all the bigots. (Sorry my review is all over the place, I couldn't organize my thoughts.)

The coming of age/love story trans youth need

[thegrumpyenby · 10/10 · 29 September 2023]

This is what we need to see more of. A normalisation of trans love stories that just makes them... love stories. The story picks up on some important issues we face but it doesn't make it all about that. It's about these two teenagers falling in love in an adorable way. It also leaves so much room for trans joy!

It's well written, well acted, and the production values are much higher than I expected before I realised Billy Porter was behind this. Also yay for a racially diverse cast, although I would've loved to see people with disabilities represented as well.

All in all, I love the film. It's so important for trans kids to see themselves represented on the screen like this. And it's probably, definitely, healing something inside of us older trans folks too, showing us the teenagehood we should've gotten to experience. <3.