Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

ozjosh03 This is an infuriatingly hackneyed entry in the idealistic-teacher-saves-disadvantaged-students sub-genre. It desperately wants to be hip and socially relevant, but is relentlessly and embarrassingly dull. It's a classic example of what happens when film funding bodies like Screen Australia become preoccupied with ticking all the politically correct boxes. Aboriginal content and cast. Tick. Female writer and director. Double tick. Lead character tailored for an American star (however awkwardly). Tick. Story geared to a younger demographic. Tick. But none of these elements ever comes together, and the result is a lame mish-mash that attempts to sell us Aboriginal students energised by Shakespeare, Christina Ricci battling racism and exploring her sexuality, and a morally confused criminal sub-plot that weirdly shifts the focus from the central characters. To make matters worse, the depiction of inner-Sydney's Redfern - which is given an LA ghetto makeover (complete with burnt-out cars and fires in the streets) - is dishonest and laughable to anyone who actually knows it.

MartinHafer Christina Ricci is a very difficult Hollywood actress to categorize. While she has been involved in quite a few projects that are very commercially oriented (such as the god-awful "Sleepy Hollow"), she also has chosen many odd projects with far less mass appeal (such as "Pecker" and "Pumpkin") and has deliberately avoided the typical starlet persona. So, I wasn't all too surprised to see her, of all things, in a micro- budgeted independent film from Australia...yes, Australia.In many ways, Around the Block is a lot like the old Sidney Poitier film "To Sir, With Love" combined with "Hamlet". I know this sounds strange--but the similarities become obvious as you watch the film. Like "To Sir, With Love", the main character in the film is a well meaning and super- idealistic foreign teacher who has come to work with disadvantaged city kids. Some might find this sort of idea a bit paternalistic--like it takes some American-type to come save the poor children of the world. And, while this might be one interpretation of the film, there is far more to it than this. This is because the teacher herself is a bit lost--and the movie is bound to turn a few heads with Ricci and the subplot involving her struggle with bisexuality. Again, I see this as Ricci walking to her own drummer in playing this character--and her rather steamy sex scene with a woman she meets in a bar will probably offend a few folks and inspire others. I definitely do NOT remember this sort of plot element in To Sir, With Love!As far as the "Hamlet" element goes, you get it in double doses. First, this teacher wants to put on a production of this Shakespeare play using the inner city students from her school--and there is a widespread belief that these kids could never appreciate the play or rise to the occasion to successfully put on the play for the community. Second, the kid playing Hamlet, Liam (ably played by Hunter Page-Lochard) is in a position to recreate the play in his real life. This is because his father is in prison--and the jerk is pressuring his sons to avenge him by killing the man responsible for his incarceration. I liked this angle, as it made me realize for the first time that in the classic play, Hamlet's dead father actually could be seen as THE villain in the play, as he destroys his son in order to achieve revenge. On top of these themes, you add a lot of hip-hop culture and discussions of lost Aboriginal youth and you have this film.So is this melange about two characters searching for a sense of identity any good? Well, I liked it. It managed to take familiar topics and make them quite unique and original. It also gives you insight into bigotry and dissatisfaction that folks outside Australia might not even realize exist. It's answer to all this might seem to be a bit simplistic, but at least it does address these problems and challenges the viewer. In other words, the film might offend you but at least it gets you to think and won't bore you.

Stephan Lorenzen I'll admit I downloaded this based on the fact that Christina Ricci was the lead in it. To my surprise, it was the acting of the supporting cast that really led the way here. It is a very different character for Ricci, who has been sort of typecast as an oddball since her early Addams Family days. As a viewer, you are immediately taken in by the boy Liam who has secured the role of Hamlet in the school play. If you are a Shakespeare buff like I am, you will love the Hamlet plot lines and dynamics running throughout the film. You can see hints of that from the trailer but I didn't know just how central to the story Hamlet would be until I saw it for myself. It's a modern twist on an age-old tale, and with that, Around The Block is able to bring something new to the table.

Amari-Sali I don't recall seeing Christina Ricci's face since when she was on The Good Wife and Pan Am back in 2012, so it's nice to see, two years later, she is still working. Though with this being your usual white Savior type film, it does make you wonder if this was really that good of a choice for her. Well, read below to find out.Characters & StoryDino (Christina Ricci) has just recently returned to Austrailia, after going to college there, due to her boyfriend Simon (Daniel Henshall). But, just because she may have moved to a different country for a man, don't think she doesn't have aspirations. Dino seems very into videography, and has a background just right for a local school, which mostly caters to indigenous kids, that is on its last leg.Enter Liam (Hunter Page-Lochard) who plays the poor, unfortunate student of which Dino focuses on. Liam lives with his mother and brother Steve (Mark Coles Smith), and his father is in jail. Though with how Steve is steering his life, and tries to steer Liam's, it seems eventually his mother maybe living in their home alone. But Dino tries to prevent this by getting Liam involved in her Hamlet production. However, with Steve wanting to pursue revenge for his uncle's death, and wanting Liam to help, will Dino get to save this one kid or will he fall through the cracks?PraiseHonestly, when I was writing this I placed what is in the criticism as praise. But, thinking about it, honestly with every bit of praise I can fathom comes some form of disappointment. So while it is nice that Liam and Dino got some slightly developed stories, at the end of the day the film sort of ignores what would make two great movies on their own and sadly combines them.CriticismFor those of you who watch Orange is the New Black, like that show this movie has characters which are, for a lack of a better term, people of color who are far more interesting than the white lead. Liam, for example, has quite a rich story that I wish was more focused on. For between the relationship he has with his family; his friendships, which are sadly unexplored; and this romance he has with Williemai (Madeline Madden), you can see a lot of what could have made the story a bit more compelling was traded in so that Ricci's character maintained dominance.And while it may sound like I'm implying Dino wasn't interesting, the truth of the matter is that I just felt that with the potential Dino and Liam's story had, mixing the two was just a waste for both of them. For Dino has had quite a life herself. Between her dad's suicide, lesbian affairs, and her being closeted, I feel like neither Liam nor Dino got justice for their stories for it was watered down into a white savior film.Overall: TV ViewingThis is the type of film which simply has wasted potential. It has two perfectly good stories, both which warrant their own film, but in order to fit the mold of a white savior film both stories get diluted and end up ultimately disappointing. But, even with that said, the pieces we are given are interesting enough to warranting seeing this. So, this is being labeled as TV Viewing.