Title: Tiger Eyes
Directed by: Lawrence Blume
Release Date: June 7, 2013
Rated: PG-13
Synopsis: After Davey’s father is killed in a hold-up, she and her mother and younger brother visit relatives in New Mexico. Here Davey is befriended by a young man who helps her find the strength to carry on and conquer her fears. (Via IMDB)
Shaunta’s Review: I recently read an interview with Judy Blume where she said that she brings tissues with her to book signings and events where she’s likely to come in contact with her fans. Her readers often have a strong, emotional reaction to meeting her in person.
I’m not sure if girls still read Judy Blume. In a world where every ounce of information you can ever imagine needing is available on your cell phone, do you need a book like Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret? What I do know is that in the late 70s and early 80s, Judy Blume was my favorite author. Her books spoke to the pre-adolescent me in a way that still causes me to have a strong emotional reaction just thinking about her stories. I am absolutely positive that if I had the opportunity to meet her, even just for a book signing, I would need a tissue.
Tiger Eyes was my favorite. I read it during the couple of really good years between when I was finally away from my elementary-school bullies and the tenth grade when my family fell apart. It stuck with me. You know how sometimes there’s a story that just kind of digs in and stays with you? A few years later, when I needed it, it was still there.
The film version of Tiger Eyes did the book such justice. It’s quiet and sad, but still somehow infused with hope. I’m really glad that the screenplay was written by Judy Blume and her son, who also directed it. It has an indie film sensibility that is just perfect. A big Hollywood budget would have ruined it, I think. It was perfectly cast, beautifully filmed, and just about as perfect as it gets. I was worried about watching a movie based on a book that meant so much to my childhood, but I wasn’t disappointed at all.
Willa Holland and Tatanka Means were wonderful as Davie Wexler and Martin Ortiz. They carried the movie. They had just the right chemistry. Tiger Eyes is about a girl coming to terms with her father’s violent death–but it’s also about how the universe sometimes sends the right person across your path at exactly the right time. Davie and Martin–Tiger and Wolf–were that for each other in the book, and it translated beautifully in the film. There were moments when the film threatened to spill over into cheesy sentimentality, but it never did.
If you’ve read Tiger Eyes, watch the movie. If you like quiet, indie films, watch the movie. It only has a very limited release, but it was released On Demand at the same time. Spend ninety minutes in Judy Blume’s world. You can thank me later.
