Looking For Alibrandi

It's funny, has an authentic feel about it and introduces a stunning new actress in Pia Miranda. And just to add more appeal, at least for Aussies, Looking For Alibrandi is an Australian movie.

And it's an Australian movie that doesn't pretend that we're yobo idiots.

Based on the novel by Melina Marchetta, and on her adapted screenplay, Alibrandi centers on 17 year old Josie (Pia Miranda) , a Sicilian Australian who lives in Sydney. She lives with her single Mum (Gretta Scacchi) and has close ties to her relatives especially her grandmother (Elena Cotta).

Josie reckons that it's the Italians, especially her Sicilian relatives who keep the phone companies in business. Her aunties are always on their mobile phones repeorting on her to her mother and her Nonna (grandmother).

Josie has won a scholarship to a posh North Shore private school and is hoping to become a lawyer but has to cope with racism and snobbery from some of the other students, as well as the more usual challenges presented by being 17 years of age.

She's besotted with the son of politician played by (Mathew Newton), but another boy from a state school, engagingly played by Kick Gurry, has Josie in his eye. Will Josie pass her exams? Will she win in love?

There have been hundreds of run of the mill films made about teenagers in their last year of school and most of them follow a very well trod road, usually ending at the "prom" or end of year dance.

Looking For Alibrandi extends these themes largely by sympathetically involving Josie's family in her story and by managing to do this in a light and nimble fashion.

This script just skips along, recognising that even the worst of life's tragedies are less overwhelming if they are seen as being just part of life's fine dance, especially if Nonna gets involved, and most especially if we keep a sense of humour.

The film is enlivened with a bubbly film score that is often reminiscent of a French (?Italian) farce and if your Sicilian isn't quite up to Nonna's fractured Australian, well just ask your teenage children about the details.

They've probably read the book at school.