My First Mister

2001 • 109 minutes

About this movie

Jennifer (Leelee Sobieski) is a 17-year-old Goth with multiple face-piercings and a fondness for graveyards. Randall (Albert Brooks) is a middle-aged salesman with an obsessively tidy life and a fear of anything new. When these two opposites collide, the chain reaction sparks a life-altering meltdown for them both in this wickedly perceptive, critically acclaimed comedy from Academy Award-winning director and actress Christine Lahti. Desperate to escape the world of her infuriatingly cheery mother (Carol Kane) and mindless classmates, punk-rebel Jennifer impulsively applies for a job at Randall's conservative clothing store. Soon, an unlikely friendship blooms. But even as Randall attempts to show Jennifer the possibilities of her own future, Jennifer discovers the extraordinary secret haunting Randall's past. A wry, hilarious, powerfully emotional story of reaching out, making contact, and coping with the consequences. MY FIRST MISTER is an unforgettable film Leonard Maltin applauds as "Wonderful and unpredictable!"

Ratings and reviews

This movie shot to my top 10 and remains there. Excellent acting, a touching story of how two misunderstood and introverted people can teach one another how to live again, despite their larger age gap.