Matthew Lillard’s directorial debut brings KL Going’s award-winning young adult novel—about a suicidal fat kid in Seattle drawn into a friendship (and a punk band) with a troubled dropout—to the big screen. It’s terrific and laced throughout with richly humane moments that nail down big, well-known concepts—the push-and-pull of family love, the thrill of live music, the shittiness of loving a junkie (even platonically)—with affecting precision. Secret weapon: Billy Campbell’s hard-ass dad with a heart of gold. (See Movie Times)