Carrie Pilby

What is the target audience for this particular brand of cotton candy? Teenage girls dreaming of first love while sipping cherry pop?

A core of substance and a fine cast are squandered in the relentless hard-sell perkiness of this mild comic drama.

A golden example of what can go wrong when a coming-of-age story shares the same insecurities as its lead character.

As the title character, Bel Powley is so enormously compelling that she breathes life into Carrie's quirks and the story's contrivances.

Ms. Powley is a miracle worker.

In her directorial debut, Susan Johnson balances the character's haughty brilliance and aimless privilege with an underlying vulnerability.

Carrie Pilby is an upbeat comedy that is a comfort to anyone who has ever felt alone in the city.

[A] humorous journey.

Although there is a formulaic quality to the film's structure, smart casting and an impressive restraint shine through, allowing the bittersweetness of Carrie's ever-frustrating quest to let her emotional maturity catch up with her mental prowess.

Watching Carrie Pilby try to navigate her life is often cringeworthy for me in particular, but that desire to cringe and cover my face with embarrassment attests to the strength of the character and of Powley's performance.