I enjoyed treating SunnyStefani to her first Enzian-dinner eating-movie watching experience. She loved the theatre and had a great dinner. She just wasn’t too keen on the movie–Terri. (Read SunnyStefani’s review here.)
I, on the other hand, really enjoyed this movie.
Perhaps it’s because I am closer to the subject matter. Going through high school as an overweight male misfit with an overdeveloped sense of morality, I found myself identifying with the main character.
But that’s not what made this movie good.
What made this movie good was the sensational performance of John C. Reilly. I suspect if you asked your average movie goer, they may or may not recognize the name of John C. Reilly. If they see him, on the other hand, there’s a good chance that they will recognize him from one of a plethora of screen roles. Off the top of my head, I remember first seeing him in What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and then also Anger Management, The Perfect Storm, Chicago, The Aviator, A Prairie Home Companion, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby–just to name a few! What a range! He’s an actor who is as comfortable handling a lead role as he is taking on a bit part.
In fact, he is such an outstanding performer he is one of the few actors for whom I will go watch a movie just because he is in it.
And Terri was no exception. For me, the most memorable moment in this film happened towards the end. John C. Reilly was playing the assistant principal who was trying to help Terri deal with his issues of low self esteem. At one point, Terri catches Reilly’s character in a small, white lie. The lie was innocuous and meant to be helpful, but catching him was enough to shatter Terri’s faith in him. Reilly’s character then gives a tender, heartfelt monologue using the example of how his secretary will lie to him about feeling sorry that someone she did not know has died while, internally, she’s happy that she will now get a promotion. “We’re all doing the best we can,” Reilly’s character proclaims.
And when John C. Reilly does the best he can as an actor, well, that’s a performance worth going to see!
(Just don’t take SunnyStefani with you.)
Lance Around Orlando 
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