Movie Review and Ticket Giveaway: Gimme Shelter, ends 1/30

Gimme Shelter movie review

Gimme Shelter isn't just the name of a Rolling Stones song, it's the demand of the movie's main character. The person who would be demanding, in this case, is Agnes Bailey, who goes by Apple, when she leaves her abusive mother's care after becoming pregnant. The film follows her from there, and we get to see how she's led a tough life so far.

Apple Bailey (Vanessa Hudgens) runs away from her mother (Rosario Dawson) and goes to her father's posh New Jersey house. Only one problem: she's never met her father (Brendan Fraser) before, as he left for college immediately after getting her mother pregnant. He's now married to Joanna (Stephanie Szostak) and they have two preppy, perfect children; needless to say, Joanna isn't happy about having Apple stay with them. After she tries to make Apple get an abortion, Apple runs away again, and ends up at a shelter for pregnant teens and new mothers, where she finds that maybe she can have a family after all.

I was very impressed with Vanessa Hudgens in this film. The last movie I saw her in was 2011's Beastly, and she was in Spring Breakers last year, but she's mostly known for the High School Musical series, where she plays a clean-cut young woman; you'll find no trace of that woman here, at least not until the end of the film. Brendan Fraser, who I've not seen in a movie in a while, was replaceable as her father, but Rosario Dawson also gives a standout performance here - between her stained yellow teeth and her willingness to get Apple back (but only so she can keep collecting money from the state), she makes an impression, for better or worse.

Yes, see this movie. James Earl Jones and Ann Dowd round out the cast, and it's based on a true story; at the end of the film, stay through the credits to see the real-life people and teen moms upon which the movie is based. My only complaint about the film is that I would have liked more of a backstory for Apple - we get the basics but nothing more - and perhaps more of a story as to how her father (Fraser) and her mother met, because they currently lead polar opposite lives. I'd recommend this movie for anyone that likes dramas or a good story, and hopefully its performances won't be overlooked come awards season, since it's premiering so early in the year.

Gimme Shelter is in theaters today, January 24th, and is rated PG-13 with a runtime of 100 minutes. 3.5 stars out of 5.

GIVEAWAY:

I have a pair of AMC tickets for one lucky reader to go see Gimme Shelter in theaters! First, check out the widget below:








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