This is going to be a tough one to not accidentally give away parts of but the trailer probably already does that. I'll be careful because I think the eventuality of what happens is pretty obvious but the journey getting there definitely is not and that is what makes the movie so good.
Gary Valentine a a child actor who has learned his craft very early and made a fair bit of money from various movies he has been in. He is not arrogant per se, but he is confident enough that he speaks to men and women older than him as if they were equals.
One day while lining up for a casting he sees some sort of casting assistant woman and he finds her lovely, so he decides to start up a conversation with her.
While Gary does in fact want to get his hair just right he is really using this as an opportunity to speak to the girl. She is reluctant to give her name or any other information but Gary is pretty relentless as he approaches her in a very friendly and non aggressive sort of way. he also makes her laugh and later on when they get to the front of the line the casting director and all the other people are already aware of who he is because he is quite famous. This doesn't really totally change Alana's mind, but she does decide to meet Gary where his is having diner that night.
Their age difference is ridiculous especially at the time since Alana is 25 and Gary is 15, so Alana keeps him at a distance. There is no denying the chemistry between the two of them though because they seem to have a way with one another that nobody else has with either one of them.
Gary uses his contacts and knowledge of the agent system in Hollywood to get Alana some readings and interviews for films but she quickly finds out about how the older men in these jobs tend to take advantage of young women and use them.
Alana doesn't slut it up or anything but when things get to be too much for her to handle, there is one person that is always there to help her: Gary. She is "not allowed" to be attracted to him or in a relationship with him but she gets jealous when he starts to flirt with people that are more age appropriate.
They are always there for each other and it seems pretty evident that at some point or another they are going to have to give up on fighting that this is what is meant to be, age difference and all.
This probably wouldn't work out so well in a film sense if the sexes were reversed though, would it? haha. I hadn't really even considered that but a 25 year old dude getting really close with a 15 year old?
Should I watch it?
Oh, I forgot that Bradley Cooper and Sean Penn have bit roles in this and they are both excellent in them.
I found this film to be delightfully different, strangely touching, and an interesting take on a sort of coming of age love story (sort of). It's part expose on Hollywood, part 70's period piece, part coming of age for a teenage boy, part coming of age for a dissatisfied 25 year old woman as well.
It's strange, but somehow it just kept me glued to the screen and actually kind of disappointed once it was over.
Cooper Hoffman (Gary) won a Golden Globe for this film and strangely, this one lost a bunch of money in cinemas despite getting almost universal praise everywhere else. Probably because there are no super-heroes in the movie and it isn't retarded.
