Daria in 'Is It Fall Yet?'

I watched the Daria TV-movie "Is It Fall Yet?" primarily because I have a friend from the Internet (won't name names) who loves the show, and urged me to see it -- and to see the episode before it called, "Dye! Dye! My Darling!" (I think that's the title).

So, I taped it and last Tuesday, I watched it. And was it ever fun! The movie features the adventures of Daria, Jane, and the rest of the crew from Lawndale High off on summer vacation. However, it's more about how Jane and Daria try to deal with their relationship, which has been tested thanks to the fact that Jane's romance with Tom Sloane didn't work out and he is now dating Daria (something which begins in the earlier episode). Daria feels torn between Jane and Tom and her cynical attitude and her guilt nearly wreck any possible romance between her and Tom! Fortunately, things work out: Jane gets over her understandable feelings of hurt, Daria doesn't lose her friend, and she and Tom try again in their developing relationship.

As I said, I really enjoyed it. The movie was very smart and funny, and it was rather deep too, as it dealt with a friendship being strained, and a romance strained by the attitude of Daria and by her own guilt. I was glad that the whole thing was resolved -- Daria and Jane emerge from this crisis with a stronger friendship than before, enabling Daria to try again with Tom. A neat subplot deals with Quinn, Daria's sister, and how she learns she has more depth and more intelligence than she may have once realized. Her seeming lack of depth is a mask -- one of the many masks or defensive shields used by characters in this movie, such as Jane and Daria.

In short, I almost wish I had seen the series earlier. I hope to see how things turn out in the fifth season.

Belle Book

"Daria," as I've said before, stood out like a rose in a cesspool among MTV's lineup. This TV movie from the fourth season takes a standard gambit in teen movies - the summer vacation - and turns it into a hilarious and sensitive tale that (unlike "Is It College Yet?," the feature-length series finale) has no padding whatsoever, and all the better for it.

"Is It Fall Yet?" has everyone's favourite introvert shanghaied into serving as a counsellor at Mr. O'Neill's It's OK To Cry Corral ("What about my feelings? What about my rights?... What about my bribe?"), while her sister Quinn spends the summer under tutorship to the horror of her Fashion Club friends; meanwhile, Kevin and Brittany are lifeguards (!), Mack is working off a debt to his father while Jody is doing pretty much everything under the sun, and Jane's going to an art colony where, among other things that bother her, she gets hit on by another woman. Not that Daria's own love life is too peaceful, with her relationship with Tom going through a rough patch...

"Daria: The Movie" (as it's also called) is the show at its best; not only is it as effective in showing us what it's like for the unpopular, non-mainstream kids as ever, but this time it actually gives Quinn some development - she and Daria are closer here than they've ever been. I've always liked Daria, but for the first time I actually found myself feeling for Quinn as well; just one of many pleasures from this TV movie. Ironic, well observed and with a merciful lack of the self-adoration that so often blights MTV, this is a treat for series fans... and even some others may find themselves agreeing with how Miss Morgendorffer concluded one episode - "You gotta admit, there are some pretty choice moments."

Having seen Daria only once or twice in its MTV days (and liking it even then), I recently became a REAL fan when I saw the show's reruns on The N (nearly the only reason that station is worth watching). I since sought out the two films, "Is it Fall Yet?" and "Is it College Yet?", I was not disappointed.

After seeing this one, I was immediately taken by the further depth and insight into the characters, particularly the title character, her best friend Jane and her younger sister Quinn. Daria opens up so far as relationships, but by far the best point is Jane's convictions of who she is and the fact that no one is going to change her mind. Outstanding. I always knew there was more to Quinn than the Fashion Club "Depths of Shallowness" (see the episode "Monster") and I was glad to see it come to the surface.

This was a great one, containing all and more of the wit and dry humor of the series. 10/10.

I have a confession. Even though I am an adult and parent of a teen, I watched all the Daria TV shows and movies when they first aired. Apparently, this show aimed at teens is something I could still enjoy--even though I am an old fuddy-duddy! Recently I bought copies of the two Daria movies. I would have bought the entire show, but so far they have not been released! How MTV could do that or allow the shows to have been rebroadcast a few years ago on Noggin (chopped up in many cases as well as only showing about half the episodes) is beyond me.

If you have never seen the DARIA television show or if a cartoon about teens isn't something that would interest you, then you might not particularly love IS IT FALL YET?. However, being a high school teacher and having two teens of my own, this insightful and funny movie is terrific.

At the onset, I need to point out that the quality of the animation for all the DARIA shows and movies is very poor--something typical of almost all the MTV cartoons. However, despite this, the writing is so good and so dead-on that I highly recommend this to anyone--especially those with an irreverent sense of humor.

First let's give a general overview of the main character, then let's discuss the film. Daria is a high schooler who is both very bright and very cognizant that many of her contemporaries are idiots. She and her best friend, Jane, are the definite odd-balls on campus as they have no interest in fitting in and they are just biding their time until they can graduate! Additionally, they spend most of their time together making commentaries about the idiocy of the students and faculty of Lawndale High School--commentaries that are extremely accurate.

This movie is about the summer before their senior year and Daria and Jane's relationship is very strained due to Daria's poor decision to date Jane's ex-boyfriend. Not unexpectedly, most of the summer is spent apart--Jane at an art camp and Daria working as a counselor at a touchy-feely camp run by Mr. O'Neill. The film not only follows their summer, but also that of several other Lawndale High's students as well.

The movie is quite angst-filled as well as very insightful and funny. Teens and parents alike should be able to see a bit of themselves and their classmates in the characters--though of course in an over-the-top manner. For example, while empty-headed jocks are something we all can relate to, finding one as dumb as Kevin is a tough assignment! The only reservations I have at all about the film are the quality of the animation (but I looked past this very quickly and it didn't in any way inhibit my ability to enjoy the movie) and a brief scene involving bisexuality. For teens, this isn't particularly a problem. As a school teacher, I know that teens talk about this a lot--probably too much. But for younger audiences, parents should be aware of this.

That movie was pretty damn funny! I was so glad to see that Daria had her own made for TV movie. I think that if you like sarcastic, sassy, brains you will love Daria. If you love QBs, cheerleaders, unintelligent life, annoying, prissy, fashionable people you are crazy and you'll love everyone else that pollute Lawndale!