by MARK SLUTSKY

A quiet, pretty movie with little plot to speak of, All the Real Girls is, simply put, a movie about falling in love. The second feature from director David Gordon Green (his debut, George Washington, was widely lauded, though it never made it to Montreal theatres) goes at its own pace, scenes flowing into each other with a free-associative idleness. It’s a charmer, a movie that slowly wins you over with its subtle humour and its depiction of the great, stupid little moments that characterize the beginning of a relationship.

Set in an unnamed small town, presumably in the American South, All the Real Girls has a real autumnal feel to it - yellows, reds, browns and the hint of green dominate the screen. In this dreamy industrial town lives Paul (Paul Schneider, who co-wrote the story with Green) who’s slept with pretty much every girl in town, and who lives with his mom (Patricia Clarkson). Schneider’s best friends with a fellow hound dog, played by Shea Wigham. As the movie begins, Wigham’s sister (Zooey Deschanel) has just returned from boarding school. She begins to date Schneider, causing Wigham serious consternation, as he knows very well Schneider’s caddish past.

That’s about it for story. More stuff happens, of course, but the movie’s real focus is on Schneider and Deschanel’s relationship. It’s full of great little scenes that seem to capture the particular way people talk when they’re starting to admit they’re falling for each other, and the un-self-conscious way they act (like when Schneider asks Deschanel to turn around so he can do a little "Running Man"-style dance of joy). Both leads are excellent, both unafraid to look goofy or vulnerable. It seems like Deschanel in particular has been waiting for a role like this to come around - she was so super as the sister in Almost Famous, and until now nothing she’s done since that has really equalled that performance.

Keep All the Real Girls in mind if you’re planning on going on a date any time soon. Even if you’re not, check out this charmer of a movie - it’s a perfect summer escape.

All the Real Girls opens Friday, June 27

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