This movie has been a long time coming. After waiting a year for Miramax to release it in the US, I picked up the DVD via Canada. Although not perfect, it was sweet and very well acted. Ms. Stiles continues her skill of creating a new personality for each of her screen appearances, and she has NEVER looked better. Her range is amazing. She once again delivers a very powerful performance. In fact, all of the actors were impressive. Shirley MacLaine's role is more than a cameo, and she delivers. Randy Quaid was a pleasant surprise. In a role where he could easily have gone over the top; he didn't. Azura Skye did a great job and had several very memorable moments. I look forward to seeing her again. The child actress chosen to play the young Carolina is an uncanny young version of Ms. Stiles. Along with the acting, the dialog was consistently smart and sharp. Miramax should release and promote this film for no other reason than it contains some of the all-time great movie lines. Not every aspect or scene worked for me, but most did. I enjoyed and recommend it.

Carolina (Julia Stiles) might be termed the sane one in an Addams-like family. Her grandmother (Shirley MacLaine) is notorious for doing and saying what she likes in their southern town. Sister Georgia is single and pregnant from a one night stand and sister Maine is a rocking horse-riding, lottery obsessed girl. The family's father is a semi-recovering alcoholic who turned to drink after the mother's death. Oh, and Aunt Marilyn is a madam. Only Carolina seems to be the white bread type, having a job in television and a British businessman for a boyfriend. However, Carolina has a long relationship with the handsome writer next door, Albert (Alessandro Nivola). It has been a friendship; could it ever be anything else? Amid the chaos of a very strange family situation, a nice love story emerges. Stiles is wonderful as the beautiful young lady who loves her family but hopes to live a more sedate life. MacLaine is really quite nice, also, as the eccentric grandmother and the other cast members are fine. However, the story is a stroll down life in extremes, careening from one bizarre incident to another. Maybe there are families like this one but, if you ever meet one, run for your life. That said, if you wish to locate another sorta-romcom for the evening, you might try this one, especially if you have seen most of the other light comedy-and-romance films that are out there.

The "troubled teen gets tough love" genre is a well-loved genre, ever since The Blackboard Jungle in 1955. I watch a lot of these movies, and Carolina is a pretty good one.

The troubled teen in this one is actually an adult, but it's still the same type of movie. Julia Stiles, whose "too cool for school" attitude is perfectly plastered on her perpetually sourpuss face, is mad at her family because they're eccentric and she's trying to mature into a mainstream young woman. Her name is Carolina because everyone in her family is named after the state in which they were born, and she despises her name just as much as her eccentric relatives.

If you've seen a lot of these movies, like I have, you pretty much know the formula. Carolina doesn't stray too far from the typical mold, but if you're in the mood for a little cheese in your movies and relatives who are too wacky to be realistic, give this one a whirl.