A true underdog story, Dear Lemon Lima tells the trials and tribulations of Vanessa Lernor, a 13-year old growing up in Fairbanks, Alaska. Lemon Lima is the fictional character she writes her diary to, mainly to spill about her heartbreak from ex-boyfriend Philip Georgey. During her coping process, Vanessa is appointed captain of the misfits for their school's annual Snowstorm Survivor competition. Through thick and thin, this group of young teens must stick together to win the competition and gain respect amongst their peers.
Filled with cutesie animations and idiosyncratic transitions and effects, this film is not exactly your typical underdog story, but it's fairly close. What drew my attention to this film was the director and writer, Suzi Yoonessi, whose work I have seen on Vimeo. My favorite video of hers sparked my interest in seeing this film: https://vimeo.com/27358705
*SPOILER ALERT
I'd have to disagree with the critics categorization of this film as a "family comedy." Though it does have comedic elements, the most poignant part should negate the "family-friendly" rating. Hercules Howard, one of Vanessa's young and feeble teammates, is constantly being ridiculed by his parents. He is interested in anything but hunting, but his father tries to force the hobby onto him to make him a true man. Ironically-named-Hercules gets fed up one day with the "bullying" from his parents and shoots himself with the rifle his father gave him. His death results in his teammates understanding the true meaning of love and community, and ultimately leads to their victory in the Snowstorm Survivor competition.
Though the description sounds formulaic and predictable, there were many sterling qualities that made this story original and charming. It has likable qualities like Juno and Napoleon Dynamite. I also found this film to be useful for my thesis, which is also a coming-of-age story about a young girl. The characters and witty screenplay really drive the narrative. I would recommend it if you like films like the aforementioned two, if you have an affinity for underdog stories or if you just like cute drawings of cupcakes.
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