My American Cousin

Winner of six Genie Awards, this lighthearted Canadian film about a young girl's coming of age revolves around the effects that the arrival of an American cousin from California has on a small Canadian town in the summer of 1959. Written and directed by Sandy Wilson, the autobiographical slice-of-life narration is provided by 12 year-old Sandy Wilcox: her parents don't understand her, her siblings irritate her, and her body--in the manner of 12 year-old bodies, fueled by adolescent dreams--has betrayed her. Enter 17 year-old Butch, a blonde California boy, who drives up in a cherry Cadillac. While the storyline is fairly predictable (yes, Sandy develops a crush; yes, Butch has to return to California in the end), individual scenes are handled quite well: one marvelous sequence has Sandy and her friends taking an absolutely googoo-eyed spin in Butch's Cadillac. Margaret Langrick and John Wildman are both excellent in the leads, and Richard Donat and Jane Mortifee turn in creditable performances as the beleaguered parents. Overall, an engaging portrait of the problems of growing up circa 1959. Recommended.