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Paul Schneider, Zooey Deschanel, Shea Whigham, Patricia Clarkson, Maurice Compte ... see more see more... , Benjamin Mouton , Danny McBride , Bartow Church , Heather McComb , Maya Ling Pruitt

David Gordon Green, who in 2000 made a splash on the festival circuit with his independent debut feature, George Washington, directed this drama about two people entering into a mature romantic relati... read more read more...onship -- the sort that neither has been accustomed to. Paul (Paul Schneider) is a guy in his mid-'20s who lives in a small Southern town, where he earn a living fixing cars for his uncle. A man with little in the way of ambition, Paul still lives with his mother, Elvira (Patricia Clarkson), and still hangs out with his best friend from high school, rowdy Tip (Shea Whigham), and their buddies Bo (Maurice Compte) and Bust-Ass (Danny McBride). Among his friends, Paul has a reputation as a ladies' man, but he's not at all good with long-term relationships; most of Paul's romances last only a few weeks, and he's slept with nearly every girl in town who's worth having. Deep down inside, Paul senses that he would like to lead a different life, and that feeling becomes all the more clear when he meets Noel (Zooey Deschanel), Tip's teenage sister who has come back home after attending a boarding school. Noel is smarter and deeper than the girls Paul is used to, while Noel is taken with his charm, wit, and down-to-earth nature. Paul and Noel soon fall in love, but for Paul this is a different sort of relationship than he's accustomed to -- Noel is still a virgin, and her contemplative nature gives him a desire to be a better, stronger person. However, Tip doesn't approve of Paul dating his younger sister, which leads to a rift between these longtime friends. All the Real Girls was awarded a Special Jury Prize at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival; Patricia Clarkson's performance was also cited by the jury. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

77% liked it

8,458 ratings

Critics

71% liked it

110 critics

R, 1 hr. 48 min.

Directed by: David Gordon Green

Release Date: February 14, 2003

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DVD Release Date: August 19, 2003

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Stats: 812 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (812)

  • paulkoh110
    January 30, 2012
    paulkoh110
    What the hell David Gordon Green? You make the highness and the sitter instead of making more films like this?? This is actually a raw powerhouse film that shows how amazing zooey descahnel and Paul schnieder are. The story is simplistic but the acting and the direction of the fi... read morelm are what makes a contemporary classic. Huge fan of this film!
  • LoughnerWasLucid
    June 24, 2011
    LoughnerWasLucid
    Good acting, embarrassing southern accents.
  • jennifxu
    April 29, 2011
    jennifxu
    The romance is entirely convincing and awkward and many times cute, but the story was stretched a little too thin for my liking.
  • dreamfaeries
    August 29, 2010
    dreamfaeries
    Went on a Zooey movie bonanza. This one really hit home to me. I could imagine the characters being in real life. Seeing them as everyday people walking the streets. Great chemistry, but I have yet to find a movie where Zooey doesn't have good chemistry with her other half. ... read moreReally good movie... laugh, cry, and everything in between.
  • ythelastman89
    July 4, 2010
    ythelastman89
    Just a really interesting movie to watch, it's as good technically as it is well written. There's some really new ideas presented about love and relationships in it, especially when you consider that this was made long before te indie drama craze that now overpowers the market. Z... read moreooey Deschanel is such a lovable and honest person that you can't help but find her irresistable. The only reason I don't hold this in higher regard is because of the completely terrible and ridiculous confession scene where she admits that she cheated on him, it makes the movie more melodramatic that it should have been.
  • LWOODS04
    December 29, 2009
    LWOODS04
    PAUL SCHNEIDER, ZOOEY DESCHANEL, SHEA WHIGHAM, PATRICIA CLARKSON, DANNY MCBRIDE, MAURICE COMPTE, BENJAMIN MOUTON

    Twenty-two-year-old Paul lives with his mother and works as a mechanic in a sleepy North Carolina mill town. Charming, smart, and unambitious, he has a devoted circ... read morele of rowdy friends and a reputation as a callous heart breaker. When he meets his best friend's sister Noel, fresh from boarding school graduation, the two fall into a perfect, real, but terrifying love.
    Love the simplicity of how real and raw the love story in this movie is. The characters are very realistic. You relate to one of more of them on many levels. This is not your typical Hollywood movie. These characters are every day people. They are someone you may know, or may actually come across in a small town. The two main characters are relatable for those of us who have had their first true love and all the happiness and strife that comes with it. Great cast. Zooey Deschanel is just amazingly good. Paul Schneider is very talented. He was brilliant in this movie. He also co-wrote it. I thought the scene with him and his mom in the hospital was hilarious, and also the scene with Zooey in the bowling ally is just priceless. Loved this movie.
  • DrZeek
    June 29, 2009
    DrZeek
    Paul: I just want to make sure that a million years from now I can still see you up close and we'll still have amazing things to say.

    A well made drama about two people that fall in love, however its not that simple. The performances are solid, the dialog propels it further, an... read mored the subtle approach steers the film away from being melodramatic. Its slow paced but well told.

    Paul Schneider and Zooey Deschanel star as Paul and Noel. Paul is a man who's been womanizing since his early teens and Noel is his best friend's sister, recently back from boarding school. The inevitable turn involving the best friend finding out is part of the plot, but another turn is what truly turns this film around.

    Director David Gordan Green has a naturalistic style that provides this movie with the right mood and sense of thought. Nothing is ever over emphasized in this movie, I found it very real and easy to relate with for various reasons.

    The supporting character also add to the film, including Patricia Clarkson as Paul's mother. Its the extra padding of these characters that certainly keeps the film interesting.

    Even though I've been vague on where the plot goes, this is a good story, maybe not appealing to all, but well acted and made.

    Paul: Do you wanna know a secret that I didn't tell anybody ever?... You know how ducks fly home in a V? It's like a v-shape when they get home? I was walking my dog and I looked up and there's this big V above me, there's all these ducks flying back to their home. And right when they flew above me, I saw 'em and, they crashed into a big house! The whole V! And then, they hit the ground, and they just kinda curled up. You ever fucking see that? Have you ever seen a mistake in nature? Have you ever seen an animal make a mistake?
  • MovieGeek13
    March 19, 2009
    MovieGeek13
    Captures young romance in an honest and surreal way that few films are able to.
  • djdemersseman
    February 4, 2008
    djdemersseman
    I'm not sure where this movie takes place, but apparently the state flag is a dribbling, slouched-over kid in a wheelchair.

    On a related note, I'm a big Deschanel fan, but this was atrocious. I understand that she doesn't want to be typecast as the snarky, intelligent type and h... read moreer acting is still decent here, but this doesn't work. I know, I know, everyone in the film is retarded. I get it. I just don't get why we need another sub par film on the subject.

    But you know, I'm probably just missing something pointless and trivial here. There's probably something vaguely poetic in the random plot progression, constant fade transitions, and completely innocuous landscape scenes where nothing happens? I honestly don't know.

    "You'd think moviemakers would have run out of new [ideas]" and then you just stop thinking. That's when you know you've watched this movie.
  • tsigur
    December 10, 2007
    tsigur
    I was surprised by this movie. Deshanel is great.

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Critic Reviews

Roger Moore
June 6, 2003
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Undisciplined, unfocused, overimprovised and unevenly acted.

Joe Baltake
May 23, 2003
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

The characters just sit there and talk, and you start to feel you're trapped not at a movie but in a tiny diner somewhere, eavesdropping on a lot of uninteresting conversations. Full Review

Eleanor Ringel Gillespie
April 10, 2003
Eleanor Ringel Gillespie, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Much of the film, which so much wants to seem natural and unforced, comes off as contrived and slightly precious. Full Review

Robert Denerstein
April 4, 2003
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News

There's something missing from this slowly paced story of young love, like a painting that's still waiting for its subject to be dropped in.

Gary Dowell
April 3, 2003
Gary Dowell, Dallas Morning News

A love story for those who cannot tolerate the phoniness of Hollywood romance movies, one that deftly avoids melodrama and manipulation in favor of raw emotion. Full Review

Stephen Hunter
March 28, 2003
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

It's about people who have no idea what to say, how to say it, what it means, where it leads: They just blunder through, clumsy and hopeful and tongue-tied and so human it breaks your heart. Full Review

Bill Muller
March 28, 2003
Bill Muller, Arizona Republic

After a while, you feel like you're watching natural interactions rather than a scripted performance.

Desson Thomson
March 28, 2003
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

It's a movie of deft impressions and telling human moments. Full Review

John Monaghan
March 27, 2003
John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press

It's a beautifully realized and assured work packed with the kind of raw emotions that rarely make it to the screen. Full Review

Steven Rea
March 27, 2003
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

A smartly acted, achingly simple love story.

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All the Real Girls Trivia

  • All the girls acting as participants in the Little Miss Sunshine beauty pageant , Except Abigail Breslin ,were veterans of real beauty pageants. They wore the same costumes ,including hair and make up and performed the same talent routines as they had in real life ?  Answer »
  • All of the girls acting as participants in the "Little Miss Sunshine" beauty pageant in Little Miss Sunshine (2006), with the exception of Abigail Breslin, were veterans of real beauty pageants.  Answer »
  • I've been in: Elf, Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy, Bridge to Terabithia and All the Real Girls....  Answer »
  • Which pair was in both "All the Real Girls" and "Lars and the Real Girl?"  Answer »
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