(For the most part.)Here are some things to know about this movie:Gia Coppola (Francis Ford Coppola's granddaughter) directed, her first outing. She also wrote the screenplay based on James Franco's short story collection also entitled "Palo Alto." She was 25-years- old at the time.Emma Roberts who plays April and was 22-years-old when this film was released in 2013 is Julia Roberts' niece. Her father is Eric Roberts (467 credits as an actor).Palo Alto, California is an upscale Silicon Valley community and home to Stanford University.Franco, who plays soccer coach Mr. B, is from Palo Alto. He has a degree in English with a concentration in creative writing from UCLA.There are no helicoptering parents in this movie.Initially I had a lot of trouble watching this because of all the unnecessary cigarette smoking apparently as product placements. It's sad that some producers can't get funding without taking big tobacco's money. However, I'll give that a pass since some of the smoking had relevance to the story—or "stories." The viewer can see that Coppola cleverly weaved parts of Franco's various stories and characters into a mostly coherent whole that plays as a larger story.The other problem for me was the intensity and raw teenage emotional abandonment depicted. This is life lived in the fast lane when you're still living at home and have an incredible need for experiences, sometimes regardless of the consequences.--Dennis Littrell, author of the movie review collection, "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote"

I have read some other reviews that were not positive and I have to wonder why. For my generation this film was 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High', a good film, that told yet another 'coming of age' story, but sort of got the kids right. Fast Times was a bit moralistic though, and though it had some great scenes and lots of humor, and launched some careers, it did not achieve true authenticity.Palo Alto has pretty teen actors (many of whom actually look their age), but it is not the typical hindsight re-telling of someone's first love/realization of adulthood. It dwells in the lost world of the teen but does not try to make sense of any of it or neatly package it for us, the viewers. There is an edge here, of uncertainty and danger, that rings true. These kids do stupid unpredictable things and make dumb mistakes, which sometimes have real consequences, and sometimes don't. The film does not try to gloss things over with humor or eventual redemption, which I really appreciated. These kids are trying to make sense of the world around them that is trying to process them through to adulthood. Sadly, most of the adults portrayed are very poor role models and offer little help or insight. In response, we see the main characters shift between being kids, and the safety that comes with that, and trying to act like adults, which they are not quite ready to be.What I liked about the film is that it just lays it out, much like Pheobe Gloeckners "Diary of a Teenage Girl", which moves away from typical American cinema by letting the viewer decide what to make of what they're seeing. Gloeckner's film is a bit more raw and maybe more difficult for some, but both of these films portray an aspect of youth that most films, and perhaps many adults, would prefer to step over and not think about.Some people might not like this film because the actors are pretty and it portrays a teenage love story, but these are minor flaws and don't detract from the fact that Coppola is a gifted director and has told a story worth telling in a way that will reach your heart if you have one.

I do not recommend this movie. I didn't have high hopes for this movie considering its ratings but it seemed like at least watchable teen movie. Oh, how wrong I was... The movie has a great cast but the story is weak, barely linked and developed, but also very weird and creepy at times. I like Emma Roberts but her acting in this movie was mediocre. I was hoping that the story will eventually get better or have a good ending at least. During the movie I was thinking should I continue watching or just quit. I watched the last half hour just because I knew it will end soon (and still hoping that something will improve). When the movie ended, I felt regret because of losing so much time on it 'cause the ending was as bad as the whole story or even worse, I can't even decide. I wanted to give this movie a 3 but it would be too generous.

From what I can tell, James Franco really cranks them out. From what I have seen, however, most of those efforts fall flat. It is as if his mind works so fast he just has to get product out there, no mater how half-baked it comes off.This is yet another story of his about how truly messed up the Millennials are. I am no spring chicken and can reference "teen angst" films all the way back to Cheaper by the Dozen. We had James Dean and Brando; we had The Beats, the Hippies, the Brat Pack, the 90210-ers, and now the Millennials. All I can say is, with the other groups, they at least seemed to WANT to grow up. Millennials on the other hand don't seem to have the slightest desire to. Cliché, cliché, cliché. I have never understood the fascination with filmmakers to film so-called teens trashing someones' house at a party as if it is expected of them. Of course the teen hostess makes the obligatory plea to behave or her parents will kill her. All that was missing was the pizza rotating on a stereo turntable (flashback to the 20th Century. Sorry.). I was very popular in high school but never attended a party where we would entertain wandering off into a parents' bedroom for a hook up. Nor did we sit around and play games giving away sex secrets (if we even had any such secrets). There was such a thing as SHAME.Of course, as with most teen movies, we never really know where the parents (adults) are and if we do see them, they are just extended versions of adolescence - nobody ever wants to be "old." None of these kids "problems" seemed sympathetic unless you realize they did not get this way by themselves, that there were actually generations BEFORE them who set the scene.As I said, I have seen a few Franco films now, particularly an attempt at comedy where the world came to an end (he played himself in that one). Atrocious.Most teen angst films focus on the teens' desire for respect as adults from adults; anxiety about the future, etc. These kids in Palo Alto could not seem to care less. It is all about them - NOW. Tomorrow? What is THAT?