I watched this last night on the BBC where it was listed as Surviving Summer. I thought it had potential and Hilary Duff was pretty good though I haven't really seen her in anything else to compare - I've only watched a few episodes of Lizzie Maguire. I thought the ending was a bit rushed, nothing was resolved with Julie, her mother changed too quickly and nothing was discussed regarding her dad. I gather this film has rather a small budget and limited release and I think with a few tweaks then it may have been better. It was certainly an unusual subject matter and was better handled than most. I'm glad they didn't resort to the obvious self-harming and I liked the fact that Greta chose to control her own future and not take medication. A comment somewhere mentioned she was bipolar which unless it was mentioned in the first 10 minutes or so (I switched channel late) I missed and if it was mentioned in that first 10 minutes then it was only the once which seems pointless.

I like movies with Hillary Duff. Acting is not one of her strong points, but she lookes great and sweet and beautiful no matter what movie she's in. Yet it's a pity I couldn't give 'Greta' a better vote. The movie was just really, really bad. (I'm sorry Hillary, you looked great anyway! Wondering if she's ever gonna read this...) Duff plays a sweet, troubled child called Greta who's father killed himself when she was much younger. Her mother can't handle the child growing up and sends her too her grandparents (off course, it's a Hollywood movie and therefore not very original). Her grandparents are sweet folks who wouldn't hurt anybody. Greta hides herself behind a mask of sarcasm and tries really hard to shock almost everybody arround her. She even thinks of killing herself. But that though mask of her begins to break when she meets a boy...The movie did make me smile a lot. There was a lot of melodrama and the acting was sometimes really awful (which in turn is very funny ;-)). Earlier reviewers compare the movie with 'Juno'. That is a comparison I totally disagree with. The scetches in 'Greta' vaguely remind me of 'Juno', but that is all. The acting in 'Juno' was great, the characters well played and the theme far more interesting en well thought of than 'Greta'. So, in my humble opinion, you can't compare these two movies with each other. And to end this review: Greta is just bad. That's all, folks!

When i picked up this DVD from the stand I thought since it was cheap I'd check it out, I didn't expect much, it being a Hilary Fluff film and all. The girl at the register said it wasn't much chop either, so when i got home and we put it on, I was surprised.Most reviews say the movie focuses on the blossoming and forbidden relationship between Greta and Julie. I don't believe this is totally true. It's about a suicidal girl who is shipped to her grandparents because her mother can't handle her. Romance plays a secondary role but does admittedly help in her ridding her suicidal tendencies, though it isn't the main focus of the movie.Something no-one has mentioned yet, it did remind me quite a bit of Miley Cyrus's The Last Song, a rebel daughter going to a relatives for summer, builds better relationships with family, and develops relationship with local boy, all of which makes her a better happier person. Agreement with others on the Juno and Georgia Rule similarities too.I also(even though i don't think the film focuses on their romance)want to know what happens between Greta and Julie. The ending lets it down, it could have been an extremely amazing movie but they bombed the ending.Props to Hilary for a mature movie that shows she can do more.

A very slow start, but it does get better. I thought the actors did a great job with what they had to work with. I'm sorry but I thought the writers could have done a little better job. Many parts were very "true to life" actions and attitudes of a troubled unlovable teen. I know I was one and Hilary really hit some of my emotions & reactions right on the nose. "Gramps" was a great buffer between Greta and "Grams". Julie was good match for her, I was initially weary of him, but he won me over, just as he did Gramps. The job interview needed either more or less comedy, it didn't quite fit the rest of the movie, it wasn't Hil's fault. Her waitressing was very funny though. I laughed as hard as the customers. The fish tasting scene was very sweet and really gave Julie a heart. I loved the way she handled the morning after catching Grams and Gramps in bed! The biggest let down was the ending. It left me wanting either closure or a sequel to find out how the family evolved, if she finish school back home and if she and Julie moved on.