Looking for something a bit different I found this on Netflix streaming movies. Clean and interesting.The setting is summer camp, filmed in Georgia. There is a history at this camp, bullies will take a target kid to a small island in the lake, called "Goat Island", them strip them and abandon them. In this story we have two campers who get stranded at the same time, a boy Chandler Canterbury, probably about 12 during filming, as Howie, and a girl Annalise Basso, about the same age, as Grace. Both of them wear glasses and get picked on by the older kids.Grace is almost hiding, shivering, wondering what to do, but Howie is different, he encounters her and right away devises a plan to get off the island and take a hike through the woods. Grace can't swim so he gets a large dry tree branch to act as a float for her and off they go.More than anything this is a coming of age story for the two kids, forced to use their wits to get down the road, to find something to wear, something to eat, places to sleep. Through the experience they become best of friends, and eventually picked up by parents.SPOILERS: It turns out Howie was an orphan, he had a rough young life and didn't look forward to going back there. He and Grace kept in contact, she got a letter that he was adopted by a nice family, it seems things are turning out well for both of them.

I was just stunned, totally speechless. How come this movie is not so popular is a million dollar question asked myself. This movie must reach everyone especially the family audience and the kids. A best children's movie I have seen after a long time, maybe after 'Bridge to Terabithia' and 'A Little Princess'. I mean I liked many others between these movies but this one gave me kinda rare experience to feel the depth of the problem that faced by the tween kids. Yeah the movie talks mainly about the physically weak kids who are easy targets to bully. From their perspective 'Standing Up' tells the victims self discovery.If there is an award for children's movies in Oscar similar to animation movies and foreign movies, I would give to this one without thinking twice. This movie is not only a simple movie but a fine message deliverer like the rare movie like 'October Baby' etc. These kinda movies require more recognition, sadly fails to do as commercially. But if you get a chance to see don't miss it and recommend to others as well.'Standing Up' was based on the young adult novel called 'Goat Island'. It centers around two characters Howie and Grace who are the victims in their summer camp prank. These two are stripped naked and left alone in an island by their mates. Instead returning back to the camp in the morning they run away in order to avoid the humiliation. During their journey to nowhere they successfully achieve that what have to be done to survive. They find the strength in their unity and also the self discovery. The journey that changed their lives forever.Both the lead kids were supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. I felt they already gave their career best performances in their early age. Excellent direction from the director of 'Eagle Eye'. I don't know what others say but I consider it is his best movie so far from his filmography. The background score was very catchy and melodic, perfectly fitted with the presentation. The second half was emotionally appealed a lot and music was one of the reasons for that. There was a scene I liked the most in the movie where Grace phones her mother and her mother says something about Howie. On that particular scene she turns towards Howie, wow, that was the amazing one, emotionally touching. There are only a few movies in the world that makes us to have more and more and never want to end. Yeah this movie did that to me. 'Standing Up' is rare and must see movie, hope y'all won't miss after reading my review. An highly recommended by my side.9.5/10

This movie left me wondering if the author and/or director are pedophiles. I thought this was a family movie but was horrified to watch it with my children. The sexual tension between these 12 year old kids throughout the movie was just plain creepy. They start out being left naked on an island. the girl wakes up the next morning on the shore of a river, having been covered by the boy with a blanket. They steal clothes to wear and the girl pulls her pants down far enough to prove to the boy that she is not wearing panties. There is a sexually charged scene where preteens are slow-dancing at a summer camp, groping each other and making out. The boy and girl wind up spending the night together in a motel room in the same bed (no implication that anything happens). There is a shot of the girl in the shower. Any positive anti-bullying message was completely overshadowed by the inappropriateness of depicting children as sexual beings. This movie was just plain sick and should be viewed by no one.

This movie is sweet and heartfelt. The two leads are beyond adorable and charming and if they so chose they could have done nothing else, but they don't don't rely on their charm to tell you their story. They each show you how their characters are tough, scared, outcast and united; All of these things that you aren't sure children can feel so keenly. They teach the audience how kids think and they tell you that cruelty (even unintentional cruelty) can really hurt and shape how a person behaves. The starting plot is sad and makes you really feel for their characters but the two kids quickly show you that they can handle what the world throws at them and you forget the harsh melancholy that overcame you. Their independence and confidence grows as the movie goes on as does their comfort with each other.The setting is beautiful; the camp sites are full of colour and lush nature that just seems so serene and peaceful. You don't find yourself worrying for these kids as they travel through the undergrowth because they've proved that they can take care of themselves but you do root for whatever it is they want to come from this. I phrase it that way because the kids don't really seem to want anything tangible; they just want to stay together. And who can blame them? They are the only two people at camp who know what they have been through (humiliation, hunger, etc.) and before this experience they were each alone.Its really an amazing story because you see how the two grow to rely on each other and by the end of the film they have broken down the wall of just plain politeness/cold truce because they really care for each other and are very invested in each others lives. The ending wraps up the story nicely (something changed from the novel "The Goats" on which this was based) and you just know that these two kids will be all right.Overall, I was impressed with the adaptation and I would watch it again and again and again. 9/10