Kirsten Dunst, Lynn Redgrave, Rachael Leigh Cook

When Odette (Gaby Hoffman) gets kicked out of her coed school for plotting to lose her virginity (All I Wanna Do is set in 1963), her parents send her to Miss Godard's Preparatory School, an a...( read more  read more... )ll-girls school that tries to instill independence in its students. Her roommates turn out to be the school's troublemakers--Verena (Kirsten Dunst), Tinka (Monica Keena), and their friends Tweety (Heather Matarazzo) and Momo (Merritt Weaver). Though Odette initially resists (not because she wants to stick to the rules, but because she hates the whole school so much she won't even join the rebels), she gradually becomes part of the rambunctious circle. Due to financial trouble, the school's trustees decide to merge with a nearby boys' academy, despite the furious protests of Miss Godard's headmistress (Lynn Redgrave). Verena echoes the headmistress's sentiments and launches an offensive of pranks to discredit the visiting boys, even though the struggle splits apart her own social group. Though All I Wanna Do is being marketed as a goofy romp, it walks a line between a coming-of-age comedy and a young feminist manifesto (as one might imagine from the movie's previous title, Strike!). It's a tricky combination, but writer-director Sarah Kernochan succeeds--she also wrote Impromptu, which similarly mixed tart yet sympathetic humor with subtle political commentary. The direction is tight and the script allows its heroines a surprising complexity. The cast of rising young stars, also featuring Rachael Leigh Cook, is superb throughout. Strongly recommended. --Bret Fetzer

Flixster Users

69% liked it

8,443 ratings

Critics

64% liked it

11 critics

PG-13, 97 min.

Directed by: Sarah Kernochan

Release Date: September 4, 1998

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DVD Release Date: June 6, 2000

Stats: 407 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (407)


  • December 20, 2008
    All I Want To Do is the story of the rebellious girls of Miss Godard's Preparatory School. Miss Godard's is an all girl's academy in 1963. All I Want To Do, is a coming of age story about finding out who you are, realizing the importance of true friendships, finding those lasting...( read more) relationships, and fighting the system for what you believe in.
    Sarah Kernochan wrote and directed this 1998 movie. She did a very good job. I think there is something here that everyone can identify with, be it the school trouble maker, finding and believing in who you are, or the head mistress who can see the good in each and every one of the girls.
    The cast is a great one, including Lynn Redgrave, Kirsten Dunst, Rachel Leigh Cook, Gaby Hoffman, and Heather Matarazzo.
    All I Want To Do is a good "stay at home because it's snowing and curl up on the couch" movie.
  • October 8, 2008
    First half... lame. Second half... funny and cute. It was worth a watch.
  • February 18, 2007
    Cute movie about a girl's school in the 60's going coed. I didn't like the puke scene in the middle of their concert, though!
  • March 9, 2009
    Lame and pointless.
  • July 23, 2008
    I feel like less of a man for watching this movie. I'm not even sure if women will enjoy this. The smart kind anyways.
  • August 25, 2009
    my sisters favorite movie
  • July 22, 2009
    An exciting young cast and a sense of nostalgia fuel this invigorating film. In a private girls' school, four protagonists form a club to be true to themselves and their school, which is in dire financial straits. Fun, funny, dramatic, and beautiful realised by a stellar cast.
  • March 5, 2009
    "They think I'll be safe surrounded by high walls and lesbians. This is the end of the world. One look tells you, this place eats the hairy bird."
  • February 25, 2009
    released under the title 'the hairy bird' in nz.

    it was just like it said on the front... dead poets society meets clueless... throw a wee bit of the St Trinians plot in and we have this film.....
  • December 24, 2008
    really cool, makes fun

Comments


  • hiivymae
    February 14, 2008
    isnt this movie called the hairy bird?!
  • NZfilmBUFF
    September 16, 2007
    Up your ziggy with a wa wa brush

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Strike! (All I Wanna Do) Trivia


  • In what movie would you find the phrase "Up your ziggy with a wawa brush"?  Answer »
  • "Up your ziggy with a wa-wa brush" is a quote from which teen chick flick?  Answer »

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