Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.

Infobox Film
name = Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.


caption =
director = Leslie Harris
producer =
writer = Leslie Harris
narrator =
starring = Ariyan A. Johnson
Kevin Thigpen
Ebony Jerido
music = Eric Sadler
cinematography =
editing =
distributor = Miramax Films
released = Sep 17 1992 (Toronto Film Festival)
March 19 1993(USA)
runtime = 92 min.
country = flagicon|United States USA
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0104575

"Just Another Girl on the I.R.T." is a 1992 drama film written, produced, and directed by Leslie Harris. It remains Harris's only film worked on to date.

Plot

Chantel Mitchell (Ariyan A. Johnson) is an African-American, 17-year-old high school junior who lives in Brooklyn, New York. Chantel is very smart and articulate, although sometimes naive. Her ultimate dream is to leave her poor neighborhood, go to college, and eventually become a doctor. Throughout the movie, Chantel breaks the fourth wall and states that she wants to be seen as more than just another teenage black girl on the subway. Hence, the "I.R.T." in the film's title stands for "Interborough Rapid Transit Company", and specifically references the IRT Lexington Avenue Line of the New York City Subway system. However, there is only one scene in the film where Chantel is actually in the subway.

She lives with her working class parents and her two younger brothers. With her mother working during the day and her father working the night shift and hence sleeping all day, Chantel is given the responsibility of taking care of her brothers in addition to going to school full time and working a part-time job at a local grocery store.

However, she earns mostly A's and B's in school, and is fully determined to receive an education beyond her primary one. Much to the chagrin of her teachers, she wants to graduate early in order to get into college as soon as possible. Her dream is tested with her constant clashes with her school's administration, and her recent romantic involvement with her seemingly-rich boyfriend Tyrone (Kevin Thigpen).

Production

The film was shot entirely on location in New York City. With a budget of only $100,000, the entire film was reportedly shot in just 17 days [ [http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/26810/Just-Another-Girl-on-the-I-R-T-/overview Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes - The New York Times ] ] .

Reaction

The film received decidedly mixed reviews upon its release. As of March 2008, the film has a "fresh" rating of 67% at Rotten Tomatoes [ [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/just_another_girl_on_the_irt/ Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes ] ] . Peter Travers of Rolling Stone magazine was among some of the critics to rave about the film, stating that it was "A cause for celebration! Explosively funny, deeply moving . . . 'Just Another Girl' is not just another movie" [DVD cover] .

Availability

It was released on VHS in October 1993, and on DVD in May 2002. The DVD contains no special features, including subtitles, and is still in print and available to own as of 2008.

References

External links

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