Gracie and Jennifer were best friends. But Jennifer died in a tragic automobile accident in which Gracie was apparently the driver. The problem is that Gracie has no memory of the accident.
The film juggles flashbacks with scenes in the present when Gracie is due to report to prison for manslaughter. Gracie's kind mother was convinced that this was the best option to avoid a trial and the potential of her daughter serving a much longer sentence.
A conceit of the film is that the Ghost of Jennifer appears to help Gracie reconstruct the day of the accident that included a party in which Gracie became intoxicated. While the ghost convention sounds like a cliché, it was well-handled due to the sassy and wise-cracking interpretation of Jennifer. Some much needed levity was brought to an otherwise depressing scenario.
One of the themes explored was what Jennifer refers to as "badassery." Utterly blunt in all of her observations, Jennifer helps to steer her friend to a reconciliation of the truth of what happened on the fateful night of the party. And she does so in the way of tough love.
The performances were first-rate, especially the synergy of the two friends. The arc of the narrative was in the direction of a coming-of-age film. But it also was imbued with a profound sadness of a loss that will never be recovered.
The film juggles flashbacks with scenes in the present when Gracie is due to report to prison for manslaughter. Gracie's kind mother was convinced that this was the best option to avoid a trial and the potential of her daughter serving a much longer sentence.
A conceit of the film is that the Ghost of Jennifer appears to help Gracie reconstruct the day of the accident that included a party in which Gracie became intoxicated. While the ghost convention sounds like a cliché, it was well-handled due to the sassy and wise-cracking interpretation of Jennifer. Some much needed levity was brought to an otherwise depressing scenario.
One of the themes explored was what Jennifer refers to as "badassery." Utterly blunt in all of her observations, Jennifer helps to steer her friend to a reconciliation of the truth of what happened on the fateful night of the party. And she does so in the way of tough love.
The performances were first-rate, especially the synergy of the two friends. The arc of the narrative was in the direction of a coming-of-age film. But it also was imbued with a profound sadness of a loss that will never be recovered.