A reporter (Kristen Bell) quits her job due to unhappiness and contempt for her job. She decides to return home to Conneticut, and moves in with her parents. She gets her old lifeguard job back, and starts up a controversial relationship with a troubled teenager, and even alienates her childhood friends. This movie is a bit better than the IMDb rating indicates. It's certainly flawed, but the fantastic performances and the powerful subject nature help propel it over the hump. I think the reason I was able to relate to this movie, despite the fact that it left me feeling a little cold was that I'm in a similar predicament that Leigh (Kristen Bell) is in during this movie. I may not have fallen in love with a teenager, but my life fell apart as soon as I began to grow up. It's only natural to revisit the place where you last felt truly happy. My main problem with this movie is that everybody is in disarray, and they are unlikable people. Leigh only cares about herself, Mel (Mamie Gummer) is a head-case, and her husband (Joshua Harto) is a selfish ingrate, who I wanted to slap silly. His whiny character was so grating. We get the obligatory ending where everybody begins to find themselves, and all is forgiven. The storyline between Bell & Todd (The teenage love interest for Bell) was especially hard to endure. Kristen Bell is absolutely terrific. It might just be her best performance. Her character is a bit unlikable and selfish, but she is so winning in her role, that it didn't bother me all that much. I'd gladly try and help sort her life out. Martin Starr is truly impressive as the teenager, Todd. I felt for him on many occasions, even if his character background was a bit thin. I'm not sure what I fully thought about this movie. It left me in heavy thought, it engrossed me, and I admired the message, but more likable characters would have been nice. It's worth a watch
6.3/10
6.3/10