Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger (2008)

50% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
56% of users liked it
(653 ratings)

Two girls swap schools and experience some unexpected ups and downs in this coming-of-age comedy from Australia. Thirteen-year-old Esther Blueburger (Danielle Catanzariti) is a geeky misfit attending an upscale private school for girls, where she blends with the rest of the students like oil and… More Two girls swap schools and experience some unexpected ups and downs in this coming-of-age comedy from Australia. Thirteen-year-old Esther Blueburger (Danielle Catanzariti) is a geeky misfit attending an upscale private school for girls, where she blends with the rest of the students like oil and water. Esther's parents, Grace (Essie Davis) and Osmond (Russell Dykstra), have little concern for or understanding of her problems, and they're far more interested in her twin brother, Jacob (Christian Byers). After being humiliated at her bat mitzvah, Esther wanders off and meets Sunni (Keisha Castle-Hughes), a 17-year-old high school student with a spunky attitude and little concern about what others think of her, an outlook encouraged by her mother, Mary (Toni Collette), who makes a living as an exotic dancer. When Sunni discovers how unhappy Esther is at her school, she hatches a plan for Esther to attend her public school by pretending to be a Swedish exchange student. This goes over just fine at first, and Esther is welcomed warmly by her new classmates, but she discovers hanging out with an older crowd forces her to face some important new decisions, and she attracts the attentions of a boy who wants a more mature relationship than Esther can handle. Hey, Hey, It's Esther Blueburger was the first feature film from writer and director Cathy Randall. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 41 min.
Directed By: Cathy Randall
Genres: Drama, Musical & Performing Arts, Comedy

In Theaters: Mar 20, 2008 Wide
On DVD: Apr 12, 2005
Studio: Monterey Media

Critic Reviews

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail
Hey, hey, we get it already.
Jason Anderson, Toronto Star
The sometimes strained efforts at quirky humour and the more melodramatic moments in the later scenes can feel like they belong in different movies altogether.
Richard Kuipers, Variety
Comic potential is frittered away by lazy plotting that requires Esther to jump through only the most perfunctory of hoops while hiding the secret from her family.
Mark Olsen, L.A. Weekly
The filmmaker's overreliance on oddball characterizations and easy-bake kookiness often derails her seemingly loftier intentions.
Mark Keizer, Boxoffice Magazine
Appearances by Toni Collette and Whale Rider's Keisha Castle-Hughes should draw a few curious parents to what is, most of the time, a quirky and quite enjoyable coming of age saga.
Amber Wilkinson, iofilm.co.uk
If you're sick of Hollywood teen movies that can't see past the end of their next tube of lip gloss, this Aussie alternative is well worth checking out.
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
The film starts slowly, but gets an energy burst when Keisha Castle-Hughes' enigmatic spiky-haired Sunni with a single earring and provocative gaze appears onscreen.

Read all 7 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Cynthia S

hmmm. It had its moments, I guess...hence the extra half star.
Nicki M

Slow to get into, and not overy realistic, but it is quite a sweet film. If you're looking for a more realistic bullied teen film, I would recommend Welcome to the Dollhouse. I just didn't buy that the "cool" girl would find this kid amusing and take her under… More
Slow to get into, and not overy realistic, but it is quite a sweet film. If you're looking for a more realistic bullied teen film, I would recommend Welcome to the Dollhouse. I just didn't buy that the "cool" girl would find this kid amusing and take her under her wing as she does.
Dean M

Esther Blueburger, played by brilliantly newcomer Danielle Catanzariti, is a funny Aussie character I've seen since Josie Alibrandi in Looking for Alibrandi. Keisha Castle-Hughes does a good supporting performance as Esther's new rebellious friend, I was… More
Esther Blueburger, played by brilliantly newcomer Danielle Catanzariti, is a funny Aussie character I've seen since Josie Alibrandi in Looking for Alibrandi. Keisha Castle-Hughes does a good supporting performance as Esther's new rebellious friend, I was awake she has grown as a teenage since 2002's Whale Rider.
Panta O

Interestingly enough, a lot of people did not like this movie... and I am not sure why! It is a sneak peak in a life of a girl who is not very popular in an exclusive private school... a girl who will do anything to change that! It is awkwardly charming coming-of-age story about a… More
Interestingly enough, a lot of people did not like this movie... and I am not sure why! It is a sneak peak in a life of a girl who is not very popular in an exclusive private school... a girl who will do anything to change that! It is awkwardly charming coming-of-age story about a "docile young dweeb who mixes with the cool kids, becomes an overnight badass, then gets seduced by the dark side of being popular". Someone wrote those words and I have to adopt them! There is no other way describing this Australian film for a whole family! It had a potential to become just one of the many cute and fuzzy teenagers flicks but the director and the screenwriter Cathy Randall skilfully turned it into a cautionary device for the realities of the 'real' life. "Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger" is definitely full with bumbling charm and it will please the teenagers audience with its giggly appeal. There were few odd scenes but mostly this invigorating movie strikes balance between comedy and drama. Main role of Danielle Catanzariti was very well done regarding the complexity of her personality in this movie, and Keisha Castle-Hughes, star of Whale Rider, fits in her role naturally. Watch it and fully enjoy it!