Konterr Brilliant and touching

Manthast Absolutely amazing

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

RavenGlamDVDCollector Betcha my bottom dollar (not that I have any) that Dominique Swain watched MY SO- CALLED LIFE. She channels Angela Chase in her movie GIRL (which I've only seen snippets of) and again, here in TART. She gives us teenage angst, a sense of desolation and despair, to perfection in this outing. And then there is Mischa, lovely as always, as the mean girl, and Bijou Phillips as the wild one.Problem is, what went into the mix, choice ingredients; but the cake turns out kinda bland. Many of the scenes are far-off, the entire movie is oddly distant. It could have been great, but whoever was at the helm, avoided that achievement skillfully.Is the movie true to real life, though? I have to concede, yeah. But real life is mostly about as interesting as closed circuit security monitoring on an uneventful day. The movie lacks zing. And please, if your idea of something controversial was the toilet + ice bucket scene, please keep it to yourself.The director also avoided a nude scene while delivering what the script described. The Bijou Phillips character was supposed to be dancing with her top off, instead it was filmed rather puritanically with just her jacket off. Yeah, that boy would rush out the way he did to go see a girl removing only her jacket. I'm pretty sure the script called for more, but bare flesh was circumvented (for whatever reason, lots of possibilities spring to mind).All in all, we the viewers, lost out on what could easily have been a much- better experience. This small-budget movie need not have cost much more in order for it to be great. Only a little bit more and it might have been something truly worthwhile. As it is, a weak botched attempt that only shows wasted potential.On their own, both Dominique and Mischa deserve much better scores. The vague lethargic storyline bogs them down completely. And the title of the movie would be off-putting to the intended audience, while the poster/box design hints at a sexy schoolgirl. Who is that on the poster/box anyway? Totally misleading.

VanityKills SPOILERS!I gave this film 2 out of 10 for 2 scenes that I will never forget.....by the way, my husband rented this surprising non-blow 'em up almost chick looking flick...but I guessed why when I saw the cover....girls in school uniforms....duh....lol....ah well, men if ya can't beat 'em join 'em.....;-)Bijou Philips, one of my favorites on the indie screen...too cute......not only gets into bestiality (her toy dog is the best lesbian in town according to her bubbly outrageous character)..that would be the first worthwhile scene..Then she enters a restroom in a lovely gown & goes into a stall....after a bit she gets up, goes out to the party she & the pathetically sad 'Cat' character are at,& hands a shiny silver ice bucket to the host of the party...the host looks in her precious silver ice bucket and says, "oh my god it's poo."I love Bijou Phillips myself for her creativity and unusual movie choices, this would definitely be one of them....and um, I would rent it for the poo scene if I were you.....I am not a big poo jokes fan, but it definitely puts the 'party people' in their place (they didn't look like they were having a good time anyway.....lol)...You will never forget these two scenes...hmm, but is that what we want in our databanks?....Maybe you shouldn't follow my advice at all....lolDominique Swain is kind of squirrelly & sad in her confusing nonsensical role in 'Tart'. I don't know, I can't decide if I like her because she is so into indie films?? Indie films are awesome & all but couldn't she pick a few good ones? I am going to check out a few more of her movies and reserve judgment.... but this one was, (pardon the reference to beasts) a dog.....

drydzewski This movie was dry to say the most. Frankly I don't believe Dominaque Swain is capable of taking control of an entire movie by herself. The only movie she seemed to come alive in was Lolita, but Jeremy Irons mostly stole the show on that one. I was hoping to see her mature into a better role in another movie, but this one isn't it. Frankly, I've seen better high school perfromances. I did, however, sit through the movie hoping along the way that I might be surprised, but it never happened. This is basically a story of bored rich kids and drugs and its influences on their friends/family/lives. And somehow, the writer slides in a murder into the story, which really didn't need to be added to substantiate the plot, of which I seem to fail to find anyways. But mostly, this movie is a waste of expensive film. I'm sure you'll never find it at your local movie rental store, and most probably will find it late night on HBO family channel instead. Dan Rydzewski

frostedpinkcupcake *SPOILERS (I guess)*Cat Storm (Dominique Swain) is a teenager attending Manhattan's most exclusive prep school in the 1980s. Her best friend, Delilah (Bijou Phillips) is always getting into trouble, and she has a crush on William (Brad Renfro), who is in the school's elite social group, the BPs ("Beautiful People"). When she is finally able to penetrate the BPs and finds herself escorted to a dance by William, Cat will ultimately find herself entangled in a web of clubs, drugs, and deception which will leave her longing for the quiet, unpopular status she once had. Frankly, when I started watching this movie, I was expecting a hell of a lot more drug-taking, sexual things, drinking etc. But no. There is some, just not a lot. This movie reminded me of everything from New Best Friend to Risky Business to American Beauty to Cruel Intentions. At times it wants to be a tearjerker, like the part when Cat and her mom were talking about their feelings to each other. They also had some pretty cool characters, I especially liked how feisty and rebellious Delilah was. I was up really late one night and happened to catch the movie from the beginning. I couldn't believe how Cat was being treated throughout the entire movie. I thought maybe the focus was that she was one of the BP's. I thought she would even go out with that guy for longer than that, after they spent all there time together. But it was kinda obvious after the movie progressed that he was using her, since no one else at school really liked her, because kids judged her on her looks and clumsiness. Tart is a funny movie when you overlook the cruelty that she endeavors. Just her name alone would target kids in the school. I hoped that the sequel would come out and prove that she out grew her old look and is able to be a normal kid, but that isn't in the works yet, is it? Bijou Phillips added the much needed pep to this movie. With the hot Brad Renfro only being there for maybe 15-20 minutes also helps, but the other BP's were dull and plain and boring. It seems that Cat was the leader of the pack, with the fashions and the hair and even the music that they were allowed to listen to. ALL of the BP's had blank slates on their face and Cat drew their emotions! If she wasn't the girl popular with the boys and leader of the BP's, I don't think the movie would have made it. I find it hard to believe that after having strict parents, that you go out and be the "girl that was with all the guys" on the roof!! With no one hearing you!! Unbelievable to me. I didn't see the need of having them all be wild drug-takers and hardcore party goers, if they wanted to see the world and be away from those strict and enforcers of parents, why didn't they just take the car and drive away to where they aren't know and start all over, with no attachments and worries. But the movie has some interesting points that should be discovered on your own. Add a cute supermodel Lacey Chabert (Not Another Teen Movie, Party of Five) who by the way was one of the only characters I liked a little. I also liked Delilah and William and Grace but that's about it. I have nothing really positive to say about the film except that Lacey Chabert looked attractive in the film. I guess I'm the *only* one who *kinda* liked this movie, mainly because the cast had good talent though it was quite short on script and story *sighs*. Mischa Barton, Lacey Chabert, Brad Renfro, Bijou Phillips, Melanie Griffiths and Dominique Swain are practically the only *good* things about this. I'm giving Tart a 6/10 because it's entertaining, has a great cast and performances. And for *real* quality, a 4/10.