All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006)

[lvbalgurl]

This might by my favorite slasher film of all time.  Why?  Because:

• I see so much of myself in Mandy Lane.  I was a tomboy who ran track in pigtails.  In between all of that, I had no idea that I'd somehow become attractive to the opposite sex.  My best friend from junior high would tease me about the collection of books I'd gather from the library.  I was a nerd and I was happy being a nerd.  I never wanted any attention.  I just wanted to do well in school because whenever I gave my parents a great report card, they were happy.  They approved of me.  When I started high school, I was close to a fellow bookworm from junior high for about a week or so, until I'd met who would soon become the popular kids (we sort of created that clique together) and left her behind. 
• Amber Heard has never been more beautiful than she was in this role.  I watch this film and actually marvel at how naturally stunning she is in this.  I totally buy that the guys in school were completely infatuated with her.  It wasn't simply because she was gorgeous; she was elusive and unattainable.  She was mysterious.  She'd apparently never hooked up with any of the high school boys and didn't seem to have the same hang ups the other pretty popular girls had, nor did she exude their desperation for male attention.  All they knew about her was that her parents died and that she lived with her aunt, and that her best friend had convinced a popular kid to jump off a roof in her name.  She was quiet and reserved; I'd venture to guess that she had the same personality as she did before she became the teen queen.  Everything else was imposed upon her by those who pursued her.
• Oh high school.  The scenes in which Chloe puts Marlin down for being "fat" and Marlin goes in on Chloe for not trimming her vaginal hair.  It just brought back all of the stupid high school hateful bullshit.  It was so reminiscent of aspects of my high school experience.  I think back and I'm like, "Man, we were such bad friends to each other.  We repeatedly tore each other down.  And for what?"
• Fuck it,
  Spoiler

  I like that Mandy got away with everything.   I'd guessed it from the start, hugely b/c of THE TRAILER, that she was killing everyone.  So, I went in thinking she was the mastermind somehow.  But, I appreciate that they made Emmet the active killer, because it actually threw me off for a moment or two.  Partly because of the "stalker/peeping tom" scene of Mandy undressing early on, and also because the killings went on while Mandy seemed to be la-di-da hanging with the popular kids at the house.  I love that she drove off with Garth in the end, the only person in the entire film who saw her as an actual person.  It was perfect.

  There are many more thoughts I have on this film but I'd love to hear everyone else's.

Edited March 16, 2019 by lvbalgurl

[CrazyDog]

I'll chime in! I'm not sure how I came across this film, but I also really enjoyed it. The 70s look and feel was cool, and the music was great. It wasn't anything groundbreaking, but it was entertaining. I don't think we need spoilers on it, since it's so old, but just in case....the one thing that I kind of liked, but was also a bit frustrated by with the ending, was:

Spoiler

We never really learned *why* Mandy was part of this huge killing spree. Was she just born that way? Did it have anything to do with her parents dying young (did she have anything to do with that)? I liked her turning the tables on Emmet at the very end, but I was also positive that when poor Garth rolled up, that there was no way he wouldn't have seen her kissing Emmet right before. That was a little weird. I'm glad Garth survived though 🙂

[lvbalgurl]

It wasn't exactly groundbreaking, but I don't think I've seen many teen films portray the beautiful teen queen as more than the vapid mean girl, or super social and carefree.  When you're a pretty teen but you don't quite embrace it, and are befuddled as to why guys are suddenly hitting on you, and are quiet and reserved - that's a real thing that I'm not sure has been addressed in teen film.  In Mandy's case, she was in the popular crowd but held disdain for it.  They weren't really her friends.  The girls saw her as an object to procure favor with the guys; the guys simply saw her as someone to be conquered.

Spoiler

I think that's why she did it.  She was disgusted by who they were.  She saw them as the sickly cowherd; in her eyes, they were poison and tainted, and needed to be put down.  When she saw that Emmet wasn't much different from the other guys, that, for him, it wasn't about putting down the sickly herd, it was so he could finally have her all to himself - to die with him, whatever - she was disgusted with him as well.  So, she turned on him.  Garth was the only one who saw her as an actual person, and not an object of desire, or someone to use or possess. 

This film was really meant to be a social commentary - and perhaps it could have been more eloquently done, but I love it all the same.