Straight A's (2013) User Reviews

The Return of a Prodigal Son

[3xHCCH · 7/10 · 21 March 2014]

You will not really get the whole story of this film by its title, nor by the poster. It was good that I saw this film without any idea what this was all about, not even what genre it was. I thought it was a romantic comedy. It was not exactly one. Once the film started, I thought I would not like it. But as it went along, I was pulled in, all the way to its end. This is one good little film that deserves more attention.

Put simply, the story of "Straight As" is about how the lives of the Henderson family was affected when long-estranged Scott (Ryan Philippe) makes a surprise return, supposedly because their late mother had convinced him to. His sister-in-law Katherine (Anna Paquin) is flustered by Scott's unwelcome visit right when his brother William (Luke Wilson) was out of town on business. But it was with his nephew Charles and niece Gracie that Scott made his biggest connections. However, with his foul language, cigarettes and drugs, will Scott ever be welcomed back by the family he left more than ten years ago?

The actors of this film worked very well. I loved that the acting in this film is very understated and restrained There were no big hyper- dramatic scenes as family melodrama are mostly prone to having.

I have not seen Ryan Philippe act in a lead role for a long time. His career had never really recovered since he and Reese Witherspoon broke up. He was outside his usual zone playing the black sheep of the family. I believed he played the multiple levels of his complex character very well.

I had not seen Anna Paquin act in a straight dramatic role ever since she won the Oscar as a precocious child in "The Piano"! It was a welcome break from notable recent roles with supernatural powers. I liked her subtle attack on a role which could have been a showcase of histrionics in a lesser actress.

Luke Wilson's role was rather right up his old alley, but it was good to see him in a dramatic role. The actors who played the two kids, Riley Thomas Stewart and Ursula Parker, were both very cute, natural and moving. Powers Boothe, who played the Henderson patriarch, also had his shining moments.

I liked how the whole story unfolded. Yes, the story elements were all soap opera staples, but they way they were woven together by director James Cox was interesting and involving. The musical score and the songs were all very emotionally apt to the scenes they accompanied. The cinematographer liked to play with lights and glare, which were good. As a whole, the unheralded film was a pleasant surprise which more people should know about. 7/10.

Great movie

[dumasbj · 7/10 · 19 August 2013]

Although it is classified as a "comedy" there is absolutely nothing funny in this movie. That being said, I enjoyed every minute of it. Ryan Phillipe is really good in this movie and so is the kid. The rest of the characters are somewhat irrelevant in my opinion. Without giving too much away, the ending where they're just sitting the two are sitting enjoying eachtohers company reminds me of my wife and I and really was a great moment. I recommend this movie to everyone. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I watched this film on netflix and to be honest I am kind of used to watching crappy movies on there but today was definitely a pleasant surprise.

Actually was pretty good

[krishnadyehouse-66313 · 6/10 · 11 February 2021]

I wasn't sure what to expect. Ended up being a good movie. The end left a little to be desired,but overall not a deal breaker. Deserves atleast one chance at watching.

An interesting near miss

[aGuiltySoul · 20 January 2013]

I rather enjoyed this film. It's too bad it seems to have been given a half hearted production. The film has so much going for it, but seems to have stopped short of what it would have taken to really make a go of it, namely, cohesion and a really good edit. There were some problems with continuity too. Was Scott gone 9 or 10 years because both were mentioned and it turns out to matter. Mr. Phillippe's Scott seemed to also have had a tattoo that came and went. It's those little things that show a lack of attention that reflect a failure of…what? Talent? Devotion? Funding? I don't know. But the end product is unpolished. In fact it plays better as a series of scenes than as one film. It tells the story of one family, William(Luke Wilson), his wife Katherine(Anna Paquin), and their two young children. The marriage is struggling. They have all the trappings of wealth and status but William is constantly away on business and Katherine is becoming robotic and cold, just going through the motions. The children are responding with eccentric behavior. Charles, for instance, wears a suit and carries a brief case to elementary school. There is also William's father(Powers Boothe) living nearby who has succumbed to Alzheimer's. But most importantly for this film, there is William's brother, Scott(Ryan Phillippe), who has been missing for some years but shows up one afternoon riding a horse onto the property. This film is classified as a comedy and it is funny, but in the old fashioned comedic method of amusing circumstances rather than manic behavior or convoluted plots. The comedic circumstances all center around the character of the prodigal brother, Scott. He is definitely the cuckoo in the nest of this buttoned down family. He drinks too much, smokes pot and has very little censor. He is utterly charming man, but immature and often inappropriate, especially in his vocabulary. He soon wins over the children and has Katherine struggling with feelings she once had for him. Scott has returned home at the request, he insists, of his dead mother who tells him he is needed. And except for total lack of conformity and his habit of lighting up a joint and/or a cigarette constantly as well as trying to drink the drink cabinet dry, he's not a bad house guest. However that's not how Katherine sees it, he's rather more spontaneous than she can tolerate. Yet we see that people are like moths to his flame, and Katherine is no more immune than her children. I found the acting really well done, not surprising given the cast, but the supporting cast doesn't lag behind either. (How they managed to cast a little girl who looks so much like she could be Anna Paquin's daughter I don't know.) The musical score added much to the atmosphere. I'm a big fan of well done musical scores. I've mentioned this is funny; I laughed out loud several times while watching it. I enjoyed this film. It's been a long time since I saw Ryan Phillippe act with child actors and I want to point out that he does it singularly well. Overall his portrayal of Scott drives the whole film. But I'd have liked this effort to be more than a direct to video pass off. It seems a betrayal of all the work and talent that went into it. And last but not least the ending is a really hackneyed cliché. Hate that.

Simple family dynamics haphazardly put together

[napierslogs · 6/10 · 14 April 2013]

"Straight A's" is a simple family drama. The mysterious Uncle Scott (Ryan Phillippe) and his drug use and slacker attitude is a bad influence on the Henderson kids. Uptight Katherine (Anna Paquin) just wants him out of the house and wants her distant husband William (Luke Wilson) back home. The kids are pretty separate from all of this - they have their own story line where Scott shows them that "there's more to life than getting straight A's."

"He loves her; she loves his brother" - the tag line from the film's poster suggests that it's a comedy. Because that's just how love triangles usually play out. But here they went for drama. The drama of a marriage in trouble, the drama of strained family relations and the drama of an immature adult teaching life lessons to children. These are three different themes and stories, and the amateur editing didn't do them any favours. The parts don't add up to a greater whole even though they look like they could be fairly compelling.

The main problem as others have alluded to is that it just interesting enough. The actors are all good. Ryan Phillippe in particular is channelling a young Brad Pitt with a Texas accent, a swagger and killer looks to support that swagger. Anna Paquin is way more grown up than we've seen her before - mature with a subdued but strong determination. Unfortunately Luke Wilson is left to fend for himself since all his scenes are removed from the Southern family dynamic.

The kids are really just used as filler (and for some reason the title as well) probably to help ground the adult drama - to give their relationship dynamics more substance. But I would like to think that if the character of Scott was solidified a bit more he could have done that himself. Scott is a little strange - sees the image of his dead mother, and it's hard to say what his intentions are with Katherine. At least he's sweet and funny when he's with the kids.

"Straight A's" has some structure and pacing issues - it moves way too slowly at times. I also think that's what holds the story back. The family definitely has things to say about family dynamics; some of which get dragged out with lack of interest, some of which are a little strange but also a little bit intriguing, and some of which have been told before but there isn't much harm in telling them again. The film is a little too staid to appeal to many people but those who like the Texas/Louisiana culture with some country twang to their family drama should like it a lot.

It's a strange world

[kosmasp · 7/10 · 2 June 2014]

An otherwise ordinary drama gets spiced with some extra weirdness. Ryan Phillipe seems to be a right fit to play a role of a man, that does not seem to have grown up. That's something playing against the background of a real grown up couple being the ones having real problems and not being able to connect.

Sometimes you need a push to get back on track it seems and the movie does show us that side, with some really good actors thrown into the mix. You may not agree with the message or the way it goes to show us what it thinks is right, but the movie is about growing up and facing issues. Not only concerning the kids (really good actors too), but the adults too.

Not even close..

[roadstar06 · 3/10 · 5 February 2013]

This will be brief. The cast,with many quality proved works behind them can't be blamed for what is obviously a poorly directed, badly written and horrendously edited hack-job. The stunted and forced direction, film- school camera angles and poorly written dialogue are just too much to overcome for even this group of fine actors.

This had to be agony for the actors to sit through if there actually was a premiere, and the wasted storyline that could have been compelling or at the very least engaging was finished off by a lazy cable-network soundtrack and bad staging.

This could have been a very nice story. If this director ever gets another chance to do something like this he need to watch the last Hallmark Hall-of-Fame productions... they do this infinitely better.

Enjoyable

[alice_tang · 7/10 · 27 November 2021]

I've been a Ryan Phillippe fan since Cruel Intentions. Decided to give this low-budget a try, and it surprisingly lived up to expectations. The story line works, though choppy and predictable in some places and leaves you asking "why?" a few times. Overall likable characters and enjoyable.

slow prodding triangle

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 19 October 2013]

Family black sheep Scott (Ryan Phillippe) comes home on a horse. His brother William (Luke Wilson) is away on business. His sister in-law Katherine (Anna Paquin) was his high school sweetheart. William and Katherine have two kids, but their marriage is a shell. Scott's father (Powers Boothe) is suffering from dementia.

There is a little heat coming from Phillippe and Paquin. It's too bad that Wilson is away from home for most of the movie. The small amount of heat is never nurtured to bring on any fire. This movie moves at a snail's pace. Obviously the little boy has problems. Scott is completely inappropriate. It had promise, but no follow through.

it's okay. minor spoilers

[ksf-2 · 6/10 · 13 October 2021]

Spoilers... so many little details could have made this a much better movie. For someone with a brain tumor, who has been undergoing tests and treatment, scott has amazing abs and arms. And it takes a lot of work to care for a horse... scott took someone's horse as payment for a debt, but doesn't seem to spend any time caring for it. And he is able to walk right into his nephew's school for lunch and no-one notices? These days, i think any adult hanging around school kids would have gotten a much bigger reaction pretty quickly. The story itself is pretty sound, but all these little things keep it from becoming a great film. Written by David Cole. Directed by James Cox.

Why?

[frankopy-2 · 1/10 · 18 July 2014]

How this movie was made is understandable enough. Someone had money to spend. But why it was made, other than to distribute that money among the cast, etc., is unanswerable.

Led by lead Ryan Phillipe's putrid attempt at being some portion of Newman's "Hud," this is a certified mess. Bungled writing, directing, exposition. A horrid way to spend time, or a buck.

I'd have to sit here forever to conjure up a redeeming factor for this bilge. Giving any sort of recommendation to this film just feels wrong, and I'd find it surprising were any of the cast members top recommend their work here as anything to include in a resume.

Excellent movie

[matt-sickle · 10/10 · 19 July 2013]

I watched this movie with a grain of salt, due to all the negative reviews here on IMDb. I was expecting nothing and just killin' some time.

I had to come back to the reviews here to double check that the negative reviews were actually for this movie.

This was an excellent movie. The story is superb, like a really good short story I didn't notice the time and it was over before I realized it.

I don't know if people were expecting something like True Blood or maybe reacting to some of the character's behaviors they didn't like or what. But let me tell you what, this is one well made, well acted and well directed movie. The filming and "artful" effects are done in just enough of a way that really tied it together as well.

I was genuinely surprised that I had not heard of this movie before. I just came across it on Netflix at random.

My conclusion is: it is a very interesting story that I found to be far more real and interesting than the last 30 big Hollywood movies I have seen... Maybe more.

He was a fire-bellied toad who took a chance and became a prince for a day

[JakeRfilmfreak · 6/10 · 20 February 2024]

Straight A's is a 2013 comedy drama about a former addict who, pressured by his mother's ghost returns home to Louisiana.

This is a very good independent film about wanting to make up for mistakes and lost time. Scott portrayed by Ryan Phillippe knows that he's a screw up and doesn't want to be, but can't seem to help himself. So after discovering something he decides to go home at his mother's request to make amends with his brother, his lost love, and his father.

The acting in this movie is fantastic, with a great cast that aside from Phillippe also stars Anna Paquin and Luke Wilson. The story is quite touching and strikes a lot of the right spots making you feel for both sides of the argument as far as the characters are concerned. There's some fun moments in the film that will put a smile on your face along with some sad ones, but as a whole this is a very enjoyable movie.

If you haven't seen this before, I would recommend checking it out.

Mostly a Toad with Little Fire in the Belly

[in1984 · 4/10 · 28 March 2013]

Not even a hero riding in high on a horse can defeat this toad. There are traces of a smart idea behind this film, and the quality of cast indicates they managed to convince a few significant princes and princesses. Unfortunately, they all seem stuck inside the belly of a template Hollywood family film.

Despite the title and the importance of a couple lively kid actors, the straight A student and school aspect is just a subplot seemingly forced in, a distraction from the main focus of the film, which is the adults.

This review may be a little too harsh. I don't live in the Texas/Louisiana area where the film takes place, and it may be it's intended for that region specifically. It's definitely more educational than a Texas/Louisiana school, so it may seem like a revelation for parents and children alike in that area.

Doesn't work at all, in spite of good idea

[OJT · 3/10 · 29 August 2013]

Maybe I was expecting too much, but "Straight A's" is a low budget film with several problems. The plot is OK, but technically this film is quite amateurish. The acting is not top notch either, and Ryan Philippe's worst film so far. Besides that this is a film filled with really disgusting men, which all sweets up in the end.

I immediately reacted to the bad opening family film-music, the childish writing and then the staged opening with the cowboy riding in from the sun in slow motion. Then the meeting with the strange kids rather bad monologue when he is talking in a narrative setting. Then I reacted equally negative to the voices which seemed so artificial that I thought it was put on after-wards, after being read in a studio. Then I thought th cutting was amateurish. What a bad start! After 10 minutes I reacted negatively to the music, and then the supposedly cute kids, which are acting forced.

But some way along the little boy Charles is really starting to charm up. He's really doing his best, showing some talent when the film has passed the hour.

The plot is not bad, but everything in it is quite badly executed. Director James Cox is not up to it, and the writing by David Cle is also under average. You won't be sorry if you leave this on the shelf, or stop watching after the first minutes.

nice

[Vincentiu · 29 March 2013]

that kind of movies who rolls questions. beautiful cast. nice story. and same charm of Ryan Philippe, delicate manner to do her role by Anna Paquin and Luke Wilson with personal art to build a reasonable character. it is not an impressive film. only necessary. because it represents one of soups for soul. few drops of magic, an original character, crumbs of love and a sacrifice - the Aztecs are not only detail - as price for happiness. and, sure, adorable children. short, nothing original. only delicate scent from a slice of life. naive but realistic in few lines, it is only fly of a sparrow. or, only, its shadow. a little story about profound things. a lesson. almost pink but far to be boring.

Some thoughts

[luvdogsncats · 3/10 · 8 August 2013]

The language is disgusting by the loser uncle. Movie is slow, rather boring. But then again I am assuming its from the south and things are slow in the south I lived there for two years.

Do not understand why our society has gone so down hill in class and respect for others when they are spoken to.

It would be a difficult movie to mix two different types of classes together.

And thanks I agree even on Wikipedia they ruined Under The Dome by telling what will happen.

When two worlds and cultures collide would have been a great title.

Really, really, poor

[Srosxi · 1/10 · 5 July 2013]

I thought I'd heard most vulgar and profane language. I even thought I'd heard it often. But this film took the prize for having the most often, and most varied, use of bad language I have ever seen. Truly. I have seen hundreds of movies, and never have I been so dismayed.

I'm not a hypocrite, I have been exposed to it. I did choose to watch it. I have used bad language in my youth. But to use it gratuitously for no reason, with young actors and actresses being exposed to it? Yeah, eventually they will hear it. But for a parent to agree to letting their son or daughter be in a film of such language? Sorry, I could not do that kind of damage to my own.

The director, had no sight at all of what he was doing. Netflix said it was a Romantic Comedy. Uh, sure. Netflix described it as an Indie film, and that was true. The director had 4 previous films to his credit. And it showed abundantly. This film was for an audience that I could never be included in.

Those that enjoy it, please, do not let me take that away from you. Those that have values, morals, ethics, then beware.

A surprisingly good low budget sleeper that deserves a bigger audience then it will get. I really enjoyed this. I say B+

[cosmo_tiger · 8/10 · 8 February 2013]

"Mom told me to come." After his mother tells him to visit the family he abandoned, Scott (Phillippe) surprises his sister in law (Paquin) and her kids. Decidind to wait for his brother to come home Scott stays and begins to form a relationship with Katherine's kids in spite of her requests. When Scott begins to act like his old self she wants him out, but he is determined to listen to his mother's advice...even though she is dead. I know what your thinking, a man hears his dead mother and listens, that can't make a good movie. You would be wrong. The acting in this is really good, but the story of each character is so well written and thought out that it really makes the movie that much more enjoyable. 99% of movies like this are very predictable and for the most part this one is too, but there is a twist in this I did not see coming, which also adds to the enjoyment of the movie. This is a surprise sleeper that is very much worth seeing. I recommend. Overall, a little low budget movie that proves good movies can be made with a good script. I give it a B+.

Summation quote from film

[dymbryrx · 5/10 · 3 February 2022]

After five days of rain, the sun is finally shining. George and I had dinner with Katherine and William and baby Charles last night. He gave us wonderful news; I'm going to be a grandmother again. I remember the day when Katherine said she was pregnant with Charles. It brought so much joy to our family. We threw all the calendars out the window, even though the time Katherine last saw Scott and started seeing William was only the difference of a few weeks. Katherine was my second son's first love, and my first son's true love. Charles was born nine months after Scott left. Our family never mentions this. If you don't say it out loud, then it's not true.

One week that changed this fractured family.

[TxMike · 25 June 2013]

I am always interested in why a movie is named the way it is, and this one comes from a simple line half-way through. The young boy is fretting over an extemporaneous talk he has to give at school, because he has straight A's and doesn't want to break that string. His reprobate uncle looks at him and says "Straight A's aren't everything in life."

That reprobate uncle is Ryan Phillippe as Scott in a quite different role for him. He plays the younger brother that had left their home in Dallas some years earlier, no one knew where he was, and his older brother had married Scott's high school sweetheart and they now had a boy and a girl. Now, on Tuesday he comes riding up on a horse. As he explains his drivers license was revoked and riding a horse was a way to get around. He had come all the way from Memphis.

The former high school sweetheart and now sister-in-law is Anna Paquin as Katherine . She is living the non-working Dallas (actually filmed in Bossier City, Louisiana) socialite life and is surprised when Scott shows up while her husband is out of town on business for the week.

The husband, and brother of Scott, is Texan Luke Wilson as William . He has his own troubles, in the casino bar after a day on the job he confides to a friend that he is planning to get home and split up with Katherine. It just seems that the excitement has gone out of their marriage.

The young son is Riley Thomas Stewart as Charles and the young daughter is Ursula Parker as Gracie . Young Ursula is a "natural", she was so good in her role, but I also found out she is an accomplished violinist at her young age. A quick youtube search on "Ursula parker violin" will generate a number of results, and worth the effort if you want to see how good she is. Really good!

Anyway the story spans a week, from Tuesday to Monday of the next week. Lots of things come out, lots of things happen, and some healing is accomplished. I wouldn't consider this a great movie, but a pretty good one. I was impressed that Phillippe handled such a different role quite well and believably. In fact all the actors were fine. Including Powers Boothe as the old dad who seemed to be losing his mind gradually.

SPOILERS: There is a telling scene where "Uncle" Scott is attending Charles's presentation and at the end he stands up, claps, and shouts "That's my boy." Katherine's reading of the deceased boys' mom clarified things. As it turns out Scott really was the father, the boy was born 9 months after Katherine last saw Scott before he disappeared, and then she began seeing William. She was pregnant when they got married, but neither of them considered it a "shotgun wedding" because they really were in love. Now they find Scott has been secretly suffering with a brain tumor, after he made reconciliation with his dad and brother, he died and the married couple reassured each other of their love.

Disappointing

[francescabalzani-26183 · 5/10 · 28 October 2023]

This is the story of a love triangle within a family of wealthy southeners. The black sheep is Scott, the brother/uncle/ex-boyfriend who turns up unexpectedly after many years.

Scott, played by Ryan Philippe, is the best character: funny, charismatic, intuitive, unpredictable, charming. The whole film stands just thanks to him.

The rest of it is dull, pointless: Katherine (Ann Paquin) and William (Luke Wilson) are going through a marital crisis, which seems to have no real cause and is also solved in a quick and unclear way. As quick as the time needed by Katherine to replace one brother with another.

It might be because of this that I do not sympathise with this character at all. I get no feeling out of her, in the same way as I get no feeling out of William.

I hated the end, it was an easy way out, but also a sad one.

Straight A's is a fail

[bk753 · 3/10 · 14 April 2024]

Yeah, this one wasn't very good.

It could have been. Well, maybe not good, but certainly better. Other than the kids, there's not a likable person (other than the gardener) in the entire film, and that's the kiss of death for most movies. And when there aren't worthwhile characters, there better be a good script and great acting to save the day. Sadly, not here. The script feels muddy and awkward and, despite the fact that there is legit onscreen talent, there's not much they can do with the pointless material.

A romantic triangle between two brothers and the girl they both loved appears inevitable. Sadly, the director chose to make one brother (Scott) too crass and buffoonish to relate to, and the other (William) too bland to care about. Stuck in a miserable middle is Katherine, sadly too frigid to warm up to. So instead we have what seems to want to be a "romantic comedy" with zero romance and absolutely no laughs.

When I quibble over IMDBers ratings, it's usually because they undervalued a film I appreciated. Not this time. The rating here is far higher than it deserves, and I'm mystified by anyone giving "Straight A's" anything higher than a D+. Pass on this.

Kind of a stinker....

[jim_bob-63677 · 3/10 · 24 April 2021]

Movie was kind of a stinker...The acting wasn't great which in turn brought down the acting of everyone else. Overall movie was a stinker.

Soundtrack was pretty good.

Only the Editor needs to Walk the Plank

[robdavis381 · 8/10 · 20 March 2013]

The movie was choppy in places and the ending "scene" was sloppily done. Otherwise it was a charming little movie devoid of violence and gore. I don't understand the R rating as all I saw was a few curses and one joint-smoking. This movie isn't something children would enjoy anyway; it's what years ago would've been marked as M for mature. One brother brings home a girl and the other brother ends up marrying her - then many moons later the story we see begins (as the poster already suggests).

Ryan Phillipe and Anna Paquin were good in this movie; Luke Wilson seemed strained the whole time, though. I enjoyed the plot, the story and the locale. I don't watch Hallmark TV novellas so I don't know anything about them; this was a sweet trip through a nice story.