Daria: Is It Fall Yet?

MTV's delightfully disheartened animated adolescent Daria Morgendorffer steps into the mainstream with a feature-length effort incorporating much of the regular half-hour show Daria's charisma and charm. Is It Fall Yet? finds Daria, her family, and Lawndale friends embarking on very different summer excursions. Unlike her sister Quinn (who hires a tutor to help raise her PSTAT scores--secretly, of course, so that her fashion club won't think she's intelligent), her best friend Jane Lane (who spends two months at an artist colony), or her other school friends (taking summer jobs such as lifeguard or ice cream man), Daria has no immediate vacation plans…until her mother insists she find work. In a wonderfully ironic twist, the generally subdued, indifferent and somewhat caustic in her 'tude Daria signs on as a counselor at the It's OK To Cry Corral, a day camp for vulnerable kids run by two of Daria's most hilarious high school teachers. As Daria takes awkward steps toward becoming more open and trusting of others, she embarks on a budding relationship with Tom (a son of affluent Lawndale folk and former beau of Jane), while dealing with the standard teenage torments of dense jocks and cheerleaders, financial arrears with parents, and politically correct handling of unwanted bisexual advances. An accurate and hilarious peek into the adolescent psyche, this is sure to be popular and is highly recommended. Aud: P. (J. Williams)