Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger

This film could be described as the Jewish slapstick comic version of "Looking for Alibrandi", the archetypal Australian girl growing up story. Esther, a tiny but bright 14 year old Jewish girl, is shunned by the other girls at her... Full review

Esther Blueburger (Danielle Catanzariti) is thirteen. She's from a Jewish family and attends a private school where she's an outsider. Her classmates cartwheel, dance and eat with geometric precision, while the victimised Esther spends her lunchtimes watching them from the... Full review

This was an excellent film, it was funny, sad, and at times dramatic, i loved this movie and Ester's little duck, i have the soundtrack and there isn't one song i don't like in it a truly great Australian film.I... Full review

Esther Blueburger's (Danielle Catanzariti) quest begins when she escapes from her Bar Mitzvah party and is befriended by Sunni (Keisha Castle-Hughes), the effortlessly cool girl who is everything Esther thinks she wants to be. With the help of Sunni, Esther... Full review

Hey Hey it's Esther Blueburger is a cool flick telling the story of a young teenage girl's attempts to fit in. Esther, played wonderfully by the pixie like Danielle Cantanzariti, is trapped in a life of non-recognition by an idiosyncratic... Full review

The shifting perspective and perceptions are what gives the film its edge as Esther, played by impressive newcomer Danielle Catanzariti, slips unobtrusively from her lonely, claustrophobic existence to Sunni's unpredictable, unstructured world. There's a lack of communication in Esther's dysfunctional family life (Essie Davis and Russell Dykstra are intentionally stilted and aloof as her appearance-conscious parents), while Sunni's mum Mary (Toni Collette) is spontaneous and warm as the hip, strip-club pol ... Full Review

Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger has its problems, the most significant being a fairly abrupt and (perhaps) unnecessary change in tone and direction in the final act. In attempting to strike the balance between quirky/edgy and heartwarming coming-of-age story, Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger walks a fine line and occasionally waivers ... Full Review

Small, spectacled and Jewish, the quietly cheeky Esther Blueburger (Danielle Catanzariti) is an outcast at her snooty private school. Randall freely adapts the conventions of the modern teen movie to her own purposes, and the approach suggests children's television with a touch of the demented: this is a film that devotes a montage to the making of fairy bread, but also one that contains the line, "I don't want to be a 14-year-old virgin" ... Full Review

Together they hatch a plan: Esther borrows Sunni's spare school uniform and secretly changes schools, fooling her parents while exploring an exciting new universe that includes hanging out with the cool kids and Sunni's hip, laid-back mother, Mary (Collette. ... Full Review

Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children, Toronto's only film fest for the younger set, unspools April 18 to 24 with 70 films from 22 countries. ... Full Article

Today, the Washington Jewish Film Festival returns for its 19th year, with more than 59 offerings at seven venues. The films range from the serious feature (the tale of friendship between a Palestinian woman and the wife of the Israeli... ... Full Article

Maria Pennisi (NSW): Being of Italian heritage, school was difficult.After a few yuk, whats that?I threw my salami sandwiches in the bin.I was embarrassed of my parents, but I now embrace my heritage. ... Full Article

Zing!Bright lights!Zip!Big egos!We know the locals love the validation a gen-u-ine Hollywood film crew provides.If it's good enough for Harry Potter, it's good enough for us. ... Full Article

I've been pretty down on Australian films lately. This isn't so much my fault as it is the fault of Australian films, as they've been decidedly not great. And hey, as I've said many times before, I'm going there wanting ... Full Article

It happens every single time. You stumble out of a bad Australian film and think a new absolute measure of cinematic badness has just been established. ... Full Article