Didi

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⭐8/10

This is a coming-of-age movie about an 8th grade Chinese-American kid. I think it's phenomenal and reminded me a ton of other great coming-of-age movies like Eighth Grade or to a lesser extent Lady Bird, but because those movies already exist, I certainly found it a little harder to be blown away. An authentic depiction of the hell that is early adolescence might not be novel at this point, but I will say that this one still stood out to me a bit because it's a young boy this time, and it takes place in 2008. Hey, that little guy was me! 

I don't think I have a ton to add. I thought the writing was a little questionable to start, but gets better. I thought all of the child actors were totally serviceable and the dialogue pretty authentic to what I remembered at that age, though they tend to mix a lot of 2008 slang with modern, gen-z slang. 

Still, it's a good movie about navigating puppy love, appreciating your mom who is fighting her own battles, evening out big feelings, and finding allies when everything seems to be going wrong. No tidy resolution needed. Good movie. 


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