All The Boys Love Mandy Lane on DVD (2007)

williamsgwynfa [Highly rated reviewer] , 14/02/2008

this film is a superb horror flick. An unattainable teenage beauty whose etherial allure is so potent that it has drawn some men to their doom, goes on a weekend trip with her popular new friends with tragic results.

Sixteen-year-old Mandy Lane (played by Amber Heard) is an earthbound angel, who has been courted by every available man, in her small Texas town to no avail.

Chloe and Red invite Mandy out to Red's family ranch for the weekend. Mandy sees it as an excellent opportunity to cement her new friendships. The boys see it as an opportunity to finally get hooked up with Mandy Lane. Driving across the Texas landscape, the kids begin to gently chip away at the wall that surrounds her. A keg is stolen off a beer truck. Mandy observes it all with the gentle interest of a foreign tourist. And they love her for it.

However, as night falls and the booze and hormones etc take over, things are said and advances made which can never be reversed.

Suddenly, sweet Mandy finds herself pit in a brutal struggle for survival against someone whose interest she has rejected.

Forget reading, writing and arithmetic. In high school, learning to be yourself and not succumbing to peer pressure is the ultimate test. And this is one exam that Mandy is determined not to fail.

well worth watching.

  65 out of 66 people found this review helpful

Read all reviews

Vivacia from London [Highly rated reviewer] , 11/07/2008

'All The Boys Love Mandy Lane' is in many ways an odd film. Imagine a mixture of 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre', 'Scream' and 'Heathers' and you won't be far off. Except that description makes this film sound like a brilliant piece of movie making which sadly just isn't the case. Instead it feels hollow and incomplete, with too many elements vying for attention and ultimately just goes for the standard slasher format, much to the detriment of what may have been a very clever, unusual little film if only more had been done with it.

The premise is simple: Mandy Lane, the most desirable and unattainable girl in school, is pursued by many admirers. After an 'accident' where one of these would be lovers ends up dead she agrees to go on a weekend trip with five others to a ranch that one of their parents own. But of course when they get there it seems they are not alone, and the gate crasher has more in mind then just skinny dipping and taking drugs...

The above may sound like a boring premise, bearing huge similarities to so many other teen slasher movies. But there is some truly stunning cinematography here, and clever use of over exposed film for dramatic effect. The soundtrack is also very good, creepy melodies and reworkings of old songs adding to the edgy atmosphere. Combined with a compelling subtext surrounding conformity and self-esteem 'All The Boys Love Mandy Lane' does well to have more than just hack and slash content. But unfortunately the makers appear to either have run out of money or imagination and end up leaving these issues behind as the film descends into stereotype slasher territory.

The performances are generally convincing and Amber Heard as the titular character is very good, carrying a lot of the weight of the movie with her mysterious, almost ethereal presence. But Mandy Lane is very similar to the other characters, with little background or personality to develop sympathy with the audience. In fact this is one of the major flaws with the film, as none of the characters are particularly likable, so when they do come to their sticky end you don't feel particularly scared or upset about it. Then there's the ending, which leaves many questions unanswered. While this can be a breath of fresh air from the 'let's explain this fully so everyone understands' attitude, here it feels like a little too much is left unsaid, resulting in a vague and somewhat unsatisfying conclusion.

Fans of horror and slasher films will get something from 'All The Boys Love Mandy Lane' and those prepared to look beyond it's simplistic sheen will find themselves talking about it for some time. But it could have been so much better and that's ultimately the greatest disappointment of all in a film that could have been so much more.

  23 out of 24 people found this review helpful

Read all reviews

jonesyyyyyyyyyy from Durham , 31/07/2008

this is the worst film ive watched recently, u knew who the killer was before it even started, it was a waste of an hour, and wouldnt rate it more than 1 star

  12 out of 12 people found this review helpful

Read all reviews

A customer from Mexborough , 22/08/2008

You just guess this from the beginning.

I wouldn't bother if Iwas was you...dull

  8 out of 8 people found this review helpful

Read all reviews

AngelC80 from Leicester [Highly rated reviewer] , 16/09/2008

Mandy has suddenly become popular after becoming more attractive over the holidays. Suddenly every male is after her and she appears to be struggling to fit into a new crowd and assimilate this with her geeky best mate. She goes off to a ranch with the new friends and well... typically.. they all get picked off one by one.

This film is entirely predictable and not even remotely original. At points the dialogue between the teenagers is ridiculous and totally inane. Amanda Heard is actually a pretty good actress and the film doesn't tarnish that. The 'twist' is signposted from the very start of the film and is not a shock to anyone. It is shot a bit like a 60s classic horror mixed with a jeans advert, and the use of certain techniques like freeze-framing is too frequent and annoying.

Not scary, not funny, not action-packed and definitely not one for true horror fans. Not the worst film I have ever seen, but I'm betting next week I won't even remember I saw it.

  7 out of 7 people found this review helpful

Read all highest rated reviews

A customer from Redhill , 09/10/2008

Never actually got round to watching it. Didnt think it would be that good, sent it back.

  6 out of 7 people found this review helpful

Read all highest rated reviews