Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger poster & wallpaper
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Danielle Catanzariti, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Essie Davis, Toni Collette, Russell Dykstra ... see more see more... , Christian Byers

Two girls swap schools and experience some unexpected ups and downs in this coming-of-age comedy from Australia. Thirteen-year-old Esther Blueburger (Danielle Catanzariti) is a geeky misfit attending ... read more read more...an upscale private school for girls, where she blends with the rest of the students like oil and water. Esther's parents, Grace (Essie Davis) and Osmond (Russell Dykstra), have little concern for or understanding of her problems, and they're far more interested in her twin brother, Jacob (Christian Byers). After being humiliated at her bat mitzvah, Esther wanders off and meets Sunni (Keisha Castle-Hughes), a 17-year-old high school student with a spunky attitude and little concern about what others think of her, an outlook encouraged by her mother, Mary (Toni Collette), who makes a living as an exotic dancer. When Sunni discovers how unhappy Esther is at her school, she hatches a plan for Esther to attend her public school by pretending to be a Swedish exchange student. This goes over just fine at first, and Esther is welcomed warmly by her new classmates, but she discovers hanging out with an older crowd forces her to face some important new decisions, and she attracts the attentions of a boy who wants a more mature relationship than Esther can handle. Hey, Hey, It's Esther Blueburger was the first feature film from writer and director Cathy Randall. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

56% liked it

652 ratings

Critics

50% liked it

6 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 41 min.

Directed by: Cathy Randall

Release Date: March 20, 2008

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DVD Release Date: April 12, 2005

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Stats: 120 reviews

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Keisha Castle-Hughes and Nikita Adams in Hey, Hey its Esther Blueburger Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger
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Flixster Reviews (120)

  • itsjustme2004
    October 4, 2010
    itsjustme2004
    hmmm. It had its moments, I guess...hence the extra half star.
  • romy861
    March 23, 2009
    romy861
    Slow to get into, and not overy realistic, but it is quite a sweet film. If you're looking for a more realistic bullied teen film, I would recommend Welcome to the Dollhouse. I just didn't buy that the "cool" girl would find this kid amusing and take her under her wing as she d... read moreoes.
  • deano
    March 2, 2009
    deano
    Esther Blueburger, played by brilliantly newcomer Danielle Catanzariti, is a funny Aussie character I've seen since Josie Alibrandi in Looking for Alibrandi. Keisha Castle-Hughes does a good supporting performance as Esther's new rebellious friend, I was awake she has grow... read moren as a teenage since 2002's Whale Rider.
  • panta2
    December 24, 2010
    panta2
    Interestingly enough, a lot of people did not like this movie... and I am not sure why! It is a sneak peak in a life of a girl who is not very popular in an exclusive private school... a girl who will do anything to change that!

    It is awkwardly charming coming-of-age story abo... read moreut a "docile young dweeb who mixes with the cool kids, becomes an overnight badass, then gets seduced by the dark side of being popular". Someone wrote those words and I have to adopt them! There is no other way describing this Australian film for a whole family!

    It had a potential to become just one of the many cute and fuzzy teenagers flicks but the director and the screenwriter Cathy Randall skilfully turned it into a cautionary device for the realities of the 'real' life.

    "Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger" is definitely full with bumbling charm and it will please the teenagers audience with its giggly appeal. There were few odd scenes but mostly this invigorating movie strikes balance between comedy and drama.

    Main role of Danielle Catanzariti was very well done regarding the complexity of her personality in this movie, and Keisha Castle-Hughes, star of Whale Rider, fits in her role naturally.

    Watch it and fully enjoy it!
  • dukeakasmudge
    September 22, 2010
    dukeakasmudge
    Boy was I suprised when this movie turned out to be alright.Its weird but true that when you do finally fit in, You start acting like the people you hang with & thats exactly what Esther did.

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Critic Reviews

Rick Groen
July 2, 2010
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

Hey, hey, we get it already. Full Review

Jason Anderson
July 1, 2010
Jason Anderson, Toronto Star

The sometimes strained efforts at quirky humour and the more melodramatic moments in the later scenes can feel like they belong in different movies altogether. Full Review

Richard Kuipers
March 31, 2008
Richard Kuipers, Variety

Comic potential is frittered away by lazy plotting that requires Esther to jump through only the most perfunctory of hoops while hiding the secret from her family. Full Review

Mark Olsen
June 10, 2010
Mark Olsen, L.A. Weekly

The filmmaker's overreliance on oddball characterizations and easy-bake kookiness often derails her seemingly loftier intentions. Full Review

Mark Keizer
April 23, 2010
Mark Keizer, Boxoffice Magazine

Appearances by Toni Collette and Whale Rider's Keisha Castle-Hughes should draw a few curious parents to what is, most of the time, a quirky and quite enjoyable coming of age saga. Full Review

Amber Wilkinson
July 2, 2009
Amber Wilkinson, iofilm.co.uk

If you're sick of Hollywood teen movies that can't see past the end of their next tube of lip gloss, this Aussie alternative is well worth checking out. Full Review

Urban Cinefile Critics
March 19, 2008
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile

The film starts slowly, but gets an energy burst when Keisha Castle-Hughes' enigmatic spiky-haired Sunni with a single earring and provocative gaze appears onscreen. Full Review

February 23, 2012
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

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