This is a pretty awesome coming-of-age, indy-influenced, nostalgic movie. The acting is excellent (Kristen Stewart is convincing, but at some point you realize she's just making the same tortured-look-while-slightly-opening-her-mouth-and-closing-it-again-and-looking-away expression the whole movie), and the writing is surprisingly original and fresh. The core story itself works well, though most of what makes the movie unique comes from the details and the environment.
On the downside, the main character is ridiculously smooth and witty, and although it makes the movie a lot of fun to watch, it leaves the story progression feeling a bit unrealistic. But, who cares, right?
In a sentence:
A fresh new take on a very tired genre that manages to inject a surprising amount of originality and heart into the slightly dodgy core story.
