Dear Lemon Lima (2009)

Dear Lemon Lima: Directed by Suzi Yoonessi. With Meaghan Martin, Shayne Topp, Melissa Leo, Beth Grant. Vanessa gets a dose of reality when Philip, her one true love, ends their relationship, again. The quirky teen enrolls in his school to win him back, but ends up making matters worse. Downgraded to social outcast, Vanessa struggles to reclaim Phillip’s affection. Luckily, when Vanessa is declared a captain for the school’s Snowstorm Survivor competition, she assembles a team of likeminded misfits to prove they deserve to compete and hopefully win her love’s heart again.

“I attended the World Premiere of u0026quot;Dear Lemon Lima,u0026quot; one of the highly anticipated u0026quot;buzz films,u0026quot; at the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWritten and directed by Suzi Yoonessi, this classic coming-of-age story is told through the diary writings of 13-year-old Vanessa (the brilliant Savanah Wiltfong). As a young womanu0026#39;s world is bigger-than-life, the widescreen (2.35:1) format serves to enhance the u0026quot;no boundariesu0026quot; view that one experiences as a child. Cleverly quirky snippets of animation add humor where appropriate and were an audience favorite.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSet in Alaska, where her high schoolu0026#39;s Snowstorm Survivor competition reenacts rich Eskimo traditions, Vanessa and her unlikely band of teammates will battle against all odds to achieve greatness — think a female u0026quot;Revenge of the Nerds.u0026quot; u0026quot;Dear Lemon Lima,u0026quot; has the look of a big budget film, with surprisingly high production values and top-notch art direction capturing perfectly the lush landscape and palette of natureu0026#39;s colors which few ever experience in this outlying region of America.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAcademy Award nominee Melissa Leo (u0026quot;Frozen Riveru0026quot;) is a delight as a teammateu0026#39;s mother and Shayne Topp is just this side of obnoxious as Vanessau0026#39;s would-be boyfriend (he just took home the jury award for Outstanding Performance at the festival). Watch for Beth Grant as the over-the-top conservative school principal — youu0026#39;ll swear sheu0026#39;s reprising her role as Kitty Farmer in the classic u0026quot;Donnie Darkou0026quot; (a fact which she unashamedly admitted to me after the screening). Writer/director Yoonessi explained in the Qu0026amp;A that Seattle subbed for Alaska due to budget constraints and beneficial tax credits, but it was important to cast a half-Eskimo actor to portray the character, and she was lucky to find young Wiltfong to fit the bill.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eTrue family movies have become a rarity, and u0026quot;Dear Lemon Lima,u0026quot; is good, clean fun for all ages. Itu0026#39;s clear that this movie was a labor of love for cast and crew.”