Cinemazlowski As movies transition from summer to fall, an optimistic film emerges in 'God Help the Girl'

Sep 12, 2014

The transition from summer movie season to fall is easily the worst stretch of the year for film fans, with Hollywood using the first week of September to scrape the dregs from the bottom of its creative barrel. Families have one glimmer of hope this weekend with “Dolphin Tale 2,” the sequel to the much-loved “Dolphin Tale,” and can be assured that it’s good clean fun for anyone.

But I’m going to try and draw attention to one more underappreciated effort, “God Help the Girl,” an unusual musical from the vivid imagination of art-pop mastermind Stuart Murdoch, lead singer and songwriter of the Scottish pop duo Belle & Sebastian. It’s only out in a few big cities right now, but is available on Time Warner Cable systems as a Video On Demand (VOD) order and should be viewable that way across the country.

Murdoch’s music comes squarely from the sugary side of the pop spectrum, with plenty of strings, bouncy beats and perky lyrics about love and romance. He has built a huge cult following both in America since forming his band in 1996, so crossing over into making movie musicals seemed like a logical step, and it pays off beautifully with the movie’s absolutely addictive music and glowing performances from its unknown cast. 

But what really makes him special is that he is an unabashed Christian who openly discusses his faith and the fact he’s a regular churchgoer. His lyrics are filled with themes of God and Heaven and striving to be good in life, and that certainly applies in this musical.

The story of the movie is fairly simple. An insecure teenage beauty named Eve (Emily Browning) sings about her frustrating life while stuck in a mental hospital, where she appears to be recovering from an eating disorder and possibly a suicide attempt. She escapes early in the movie and runs off to Glasgow, where she soon meets a music-making dreamer named James (Olly Alexander) and another singer named Cassie (Hannah Murray), and the three decide to form a band. 

Lacking a safe place to stay, Eve moves into an extra room in James’ apartment, although the relationship is strictly friendly. She does, however, fall under the spell of a wilder teen rock singer, with whom she engages in a brief make-out scene that nonetheless features a few passionate kisses and his hand fondling her clothed breast.

It later shows that she wakes up in bed, with implied nudity due to shadowed bare shoulders, next to the wild guy – but she’s filled with guilt, and this leads to the good boy making a strong declaration of his frustration with her, and saying he’s going to church to pray and tells her that’s where people go to get rid of their bad behavior and strive to be good again.

While James, Cassie and Eve strive to make great music together and make a name for themselves on their local music scene, they are thrown off balance by Eve’s secret affair coming to light. Can James overcome his secret unrequited love for Cassie, or can he at least deal with the anguish of being rejected while still leading the band effectively? Is Eve really happier now anyway? 

These simple yet angst-ridden questions are answered with charming song and dance numbers that veer between cutting-edge style and the old-fashioned hokey fun of Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland’s “let’s put on a show!” musicals. But with the luminous Browning going for broke in both her more serious moments of suffering and fear — which are the movie’s only realistic moments amid tons of magic — the movie has an amazing presence to center around. 

The one other thing to advise about is that there are brief bursts of foul language with about 6 F-words total in two quick scenes. It’s generally fine for teens and certainly adults.

Alexander and Murray are also terrific in this movie’s nonstop array of musical numbers, which often feel timeless in a most intriguing way. Let it be clear, however, that if you don’t enjoy unbridled optimism and sunny dispositions, “God Help The Girl” isn’t for you. But in a world that’s going ever crazier and more violent by the day, I’ll gladly tout it as extremely happy therapy for the soul.