Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Gurinder Chadha
Screenplay by	Gurinder Chadha Paul Mayeda Berges Will McRobb Chris Viscardi
Produced by	Gurinder Chadha Lynda Obst
Starring	Georgia Groome Alan Davies Karen Taylor Aaron Johnson Eleanor Tomlinson
Cinematography	Richard Pope
Edited by	Justin Krish Martin Walsh
Music by	Joby Talbot
Production company	Nickelodeon Movies
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date	25 July 2008 (2008-07-25) (United Kingdom)
Running time	96 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	About £700,000
Box office	$14,924,919

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging is a 2008 British coming-of-age film co-written and directed by Gurinder Chadha. The film's lead is played by Georgia Groome, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Karen Taylor amongst the supporting cast. The story is based on two teenage novels by Louise Rennison: Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging and It's OK, I'm Wearing Really Big Knickers. The narrative follows fourteen-year-old Georgia Nicholson (Groome) as she tries to find a boyfriend while also organizing her fifteenth birthday party.

Plot

Georgia Nicholson (Georgia Groome) is a 14-year-old school girl who has many stresses in her life. She thinks her parents and little sister are embarrassing, that her nose is too big, and that she will never get a boyfriend. She is also trying to plan her fifteenth birthday party, wanting it to be cool and trendy, which is not what her parents have in mind. On the last day before the new school year, she attends a fancy dress party dressed as a stuffed olive, "to be original", but gets laughed at by the other party-goers, most of all by Georgia's rival, "Slaggy" Lindsay (Kimberley Nixon) - a pretty, blonde but spiteful, girl in the year above at Georgia's school.

On the first day of the school year, Georgia and her friends, Jas (Eleanor Tomlinson), Ellen (Manjeeven Grewal) and Rosie (Georgia Henshaw) spot two new brothers that have just moved to Eastbourne from London, fraternal twins Robbie (Aaron Johnson) and Tom. The girls all find the boys attractive, especially Georgia and Jas, who fancy Robbie and Tom respectively. The four girls follow the boys around Eastbourne as they explore the town with their friend Dave "the Laugh" (Tommy Bastow).

Georgia and Jas learn that the boys work in the local organic produce shop, and go there to buy some vegetables as a front for getting to know the boys. Whilst there, Georgia learns that Robbie is in a band, and that he also has a fondness for cats. On the way home, the girls dreamily talk about the boys, but then Robbie walks by with his arm around his girlfriend, who turns out to be Lindsay. Georgia and her friends spy on Lindsay through her bedroom window and learn that she wears a thong and stuffs her bra with breast pads to make her breasts appear bigger. Believing she has better to offer Robbie in terms of personality, Georgia then hatches a plan to get closer to Robbie. She pretends her cat, Angus, has gone missing, and asks Robbie for help finding him. The two get to know each other and talk about Robbie's band as they both look for the cat. In actuality, Jas has Angus on a leash, ready to set him loose in the park so Robbie can 'find' him, but she gets distracted by Tom playing football with his friends. Angus escapes and starts chasing a poodle, and Jas has to call Tom to help catch him. Robbie and Georgia catch up and Robbie fetches Angus from a nearby bush. Tom then asks Jas for her number, and the two soon begin dating.

Georgia returns home to find that her father has been offered a job in New Zealand, and he leaves soon after to see what the job and living out there would be like. During his absence, Georgia's mum hires a handsome builder called Jem to re-do the living room, and begins to spend increasingly longer periods of time with him, making Georgia worried as to the state of her parents marriage.

In an attempt to appear more mature for Robbie, Georgia visits the house of a boy at her school, Peter, for "snogging lessons". He is impressed by her "natural talent", and becomes infatuated with her. When Georgia and her friends get invited to a party, Peter attempts to dance with her, before leading her outside and trying to kiss her, in the process knocking her into a bush and landing on top of her, accidentally pulling up her skirt and exposing her underwear. Robbie, Lindsay, Jas and Tom arrive, and see Peter trying to kiss Georgia with her skirt around her waist. Lindsay mocks Georgia's underwear and Georgia leaves, assuming Robbie now thinks she and Peter have something going on.

The next day, Tom invites Jas to go swimming with him and Robbie. Georgia plans to meet them at the pool, bringing her little sister along as she was asked to babysit her. While in the pool, Georgia attempts to impress Robbie by doing an underwater handstand, forgetting that she had attempted to apply a self-tan on her legs, which has resulted in her legs becoming bright orange. When Robbie points this out, she is initially embarrassed, but Robbie leans in and kisses her. Georgia is ecstatic, but Robbie then leaves, claiming that he has to "sort some things out" but that he will phone Georgia later.

Georgia waits for Robbie's phone call but gets frustrated when she doesn't hear from him. She also frets that her party will be a disaster, especially since learning that Lindsay has changed the date of her own party to the same day as Georgia's. Her mum goes to comfort her in her room, and lends her the book Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, stating that she is still trying to figure boys out, referencing Georgia's father. The doorbell rings and Georgia assumes it is Robbie, but it is in fact Peter with a bunch of flowers. He tries to kiss her again, but she tells him the two of them can't be in a relationship. When he asks why, Georgia panics and blurts out "Because I'm a lesbian!"

A while later, Georgia is in the library and is asked by Dave the Laugh if she is really a lesbian. He gestures to a morose Peter, who is being comforted by a group of girls. Georgia shakes her head no, to which Dave appears relieved and mentions that Robbie said that he knew 'for sure' that Georgia was not gay. Georgia is put out that Robbie is still talking about her to his friends, but won't talk to her directly. She hatches another plan from the book that her mum gave her, which is to make Robbie jealous by inviting Dave to a gig for Robbie's band, The Stiff Dylans. Georgia reckons that by ignoring Robbie and having fun with Dave, Robbie will realize his feelings for her and "spring back" to her like an elastic band. Robbie sees Georgia with Dave at the gig and tries to talk to her, but is discouraged by Lindsay.

At school, Dave is ignoring Georgia, and when she confronts him he reveals he knows about her plan to use him in order to win Robbie back. He also reveals that both Tom and Robbie know as well, after Jas spilled the beans. Georgia is furious with Jas and they have an argument, resulting in them breaking friends. Robbie approaches Georgia after school, and tells her he was initially gutted when he saw her at the gig with Dave, but "that's different now". He then leaves her, and Georgia is left friendless.

Georgia follows her mum and Jem to their salsa dancing group, and after seeing the two together, she thinks her mum is falling for Jem in her father's absence. She then goes to her dad's job and tearfully talks to the receptionist about how everything at home is falling apart since her dad left, and she asks if her dad could come back to England, though she is left with the impression that this is unlikely to happen. Feeling like there is no point in staying in England, Georgia decides that it would be best to move to New Zealand. She starts a plan to better herself before the move out there, by eating healthily, practising yoga, listening to dolphin sounds and reading Sudoku puzzles instead of gossip magazines. Before she leaves, she goes to the beach for a walk, knowing that Robbie would be there. She apologizes to him, saying that whilst she was hurt that he didn't call when he said he would, she admits she was immature and acted out of order by using Dave. Robbie then tells her that he dumped Lindsay the night before, and that whilst he thinks Georgia's "mad", he admits that he still likes her. The two end up walking hand-in-hand across the beach.

On the morning of Georgia's birthday, her mum and sister enter her room with a birthday cake and card, in which there is quite a bit of money. Her mum suggests she buys herself something nice to wear for that evening, and reveals she is taking Georgia out dancing in a proper club. Georgia is grateful but apprehensive, as this was not what she had in mind for her birthday. They arrive at the nightclub which initially appears to be dead, but when the lights turn on it is revealed that it is a surprise fifteenth birthday party, organised by Georgia's mum with help from Jas. She is greeted by all her friends and her family, with Jas and Georgia befriending each other again. As a surprise, Georgia's father returns from New Zealand and greets her with a hug. He reveals that his boss was impressed and touched by Georgia coming to his work to ask for him to come home, and as such offered him a "great new position" here in Eastbourne. Georgia also finds out that Jem was not in fact doing up the living room, but was the boyfriend of the man who owned the nightclub, and had been helping Georgia's mum organise the party. Georgia is overjoyed, especially when The Stiff Dylans set up on stage and perform the song "Ultraviolet", which Robbie had written about Georgia. Everyone is dancing and having a good time, when the music suddenly cuts to reveal Lindsay, who has gatecrashed Georgia's party because no one had turned up to her own. She insults Georgia in front of everyone, like saying she has huge knickers and a ginormous schnozzle, and gives Robbie an ultimatum - he either chooses her, or Georgia. Robbie pulls Georgia up on stage and declares he loves Georgia, leaving Lindsay fuming. Georgia's friends then join them on stage, and Jas loudly proclaims that "Obviously, Robbie prefers his girls 'un-fake'!" before plunging her hands into Lindsay's bra and removing the chicken fillets. Humiliated, Lindsay leaves, and Robbie and Georgia kiss.

Georgia then narrates how she is very happy with her life - she has wonderful friends, her parents are happily still together, and she no longer needs to worry about looking perfect as she has the perfect boyfriend. The film ends with Robbie and Georgia walking along the Eastbourne seafront arm in arm.

Cast

• Georgia Groome as Georgia Nicolson: The main character, a 14-year-old girl who falls in love with Robbie and tries to get him to be her boyfriend throughout the film.
• Aaron Johnson as Robbie Jennings: Georgia's love interest, he is in a band called The Stiff Dylans, and is initially Lindsay's boyfriend at the beginning.
• Karen Taylor as Connie Nicolson: Georgia's mum, she is 'old-fashioned', and scares Georgia as it seems she gets very close to Jem, but also attempts to maintains a close relationship with her daughter.
• Alan Davies as Bob Nicolson: Georgia's loving dad, a bit 'old-fashioned' too, as he does not want Georgia to have a party in a club for her birthday. Has to travel for work which upsets Georgia and her family.
• Eleanor Tomlinson as Jas: Georgia's best friend, very girlish in understanding, and wants to get a boyfriend just as much as Georgia does. She worries about her lack of ample cleavage. She starts to date Tom, Robbie's fraternal twin brother.
• Manjeeven Grewal as Ellen: Georgia's friend, in 'The Ace gang' along with Georgia, Jas and Rosie. She is the vulnerable one of the group. In the end, she dances with Dave and they kiss.
• Georgia Henshaw as Rosie: Georgia's friend, fourth member of 'The Ace gang’. She is the experienced one of the group because she already has a boyfriend.
• Kimberley Nixon as Lindsay (Slaggy Lindsay): Georgia's rival, is the main antagonist of the film. She is slim and very good looking but she is a complete bully to Georgia. She is seen as 'the slag of the century'.
• Sean Bourke as Tom Jennings: Robbie's brother, later Jas' boyfriend.
• Tommy Bastow as Dave "The Laugh": Georgia uses Dave to make Robbie jealous, which makes him feel very hurt. Dave is one of Robbie's best friends. He had feelings for Georgia until the party. He dances with Ellen and they share a kiss.
• Liam Hess as Peter Dyer (Saliva Boy): He likes Georgia a lot, though the feeling is not mutual. He gives girls lessons on how to snog, charging five 'quid' for a session.
• Matt Brinkler as Sven: Rosie's crazy boyfriend, an exchange student from Sweden.
• Eva Drew as Libby Nicolson: Georgia's 6-year-old sister, very eccentric. Likes to dress up her cat Angus.
• Steve Jones as Jem: He remodels/decorates a room in Georgia's house and Georgia thinks her mother is falling for him.
• Stiff Dylans as themselves (with the extension of Robbie).
• Ray Shirley as Woman with the Poodle
• Benny & Jimmy as Angus: The cat of titular distinction.

Production

Chadha was originally brought into the project as a scriptwriter:

When the project came to me, the studio, Paramount, had had it for five years and even though they're British books they had these two American guys adapt the book and they couldn't get it to work. I read the script and thought how weird, this is a sort of LA male's version of an English girl's childhood and then I read the books and I thought wow, there is something here that relates to me growing up that I hadn't seen in the script. I thought this could be a British genre film or be like Clueless or Mean Girls in England and I liked the idea of doing a British version of those films. Then it clicked that it should be like Sixteen Candles.

Most of the scenes were filmed on location in Brighton and Eastbourne. Others, such as the gig scene and some interiors and exteriors for Georgia's house, were filmed in and around Ealing Studios, London. Areas in nearby west London like Bishopshalt school in Hillingdon and the Liquid nightclub in Uxbridge were used as well. Other sites include locations in Teddington and Twickenham. Costumes included green blazers and kilts borrowed from St. Bede's Prep School in Eastbourne, and props included Eastbourne's signature blue bins to add to the effect and continuity when filming in multiple locations.

Release

The film was the first movie produced by Nickelodeon Movies to receive a PG-13 rating.

Reception

The film received positive reviews. Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 71% based on reviews from 24 critics. The site's consensus states: "Based on two of British writer Louise Rennison's popular books, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging is a pleasant and funny tween comedy, comfortable for UK audiences as well as stateside crowds."

Critics noted the strong central performance of Georgia Groome, who was praised for her "super-engaging" and "endearingly natural" performance.

Box office

The film has earned $14,924,919, which includes $10,627,381 (£6.6 million) from the UK alone. The film was in the top 40 in the UK and Ireland and Malta 2008 box office. The film was not released theatrically in the United States, but instead had its U.S. premiere on Nick at Nite and TeenNick, where it was rated TV-PG, and later was released on DVD.

Music

1. "She's So Lovely" - Scouting for Girls
2. "Girls and Boys In Love" - The Rumble Strips
3. "The Show" - Lenka
4. "Naïve" - Lily Allen
5. "She's Got You High" - Mumm-Ra
6. "Who Needs Love" - Razorlight
7. "Your Song" - Kate Walsh
8. "Mad About the Boy" - Ava Leigh
9. "Young Folks" - Peter Bjorn and John
10. "Toothpaste Kisses" - The Maccabees
11. "Sugar Mouse" - Oh, Atoms
12. "Ever Fallen in Love" - Stiff Dylans
13. "I Found Out" - The Pigeon Detectives
14. "In the Morning" - The Coral
15. "Pull Shapes" - The Pipettes
16. "Great DJ" - The Ting Tings
17. "Ultraviolet" - Stiff Dylans

Some songs played in the film were not included on the soundtrack:

1. "Out of Time" - Stiff Dylans
2. "You're The Best Thing" - The Style Council
3. "True" - Spandau Ballet
4. "I'm Your Man"- Shane Richie
5. "Mr. Loverman" - Shabba Ranks
6. "Dance wiv Me" - Dizzee Rascal featuring Calvin Harris and Chrome
7. "Teenage Kicks" - Nouvelle Vague

External links

• Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging at IMDb
• Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging at AllMovie
• Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging at Rotten Tomatoes
• BBC Slink goes behind the scenes of Angus Thongs... A round of up videos from and about the film