Girl in Progress

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Girl in Progress

PG-13

2012

1h 32m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

34%

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44 Reviews

53%

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50,000+ Ratings

Grace is a single mom who is often too busy juggling her job, bills and two love interests to pay much attention to her daughter, Ansiedad. Inspired by the coming-of-age stories her English teacher introduces in class, Ansiedad decides to skip adolescence and jump-start her life without her mother. But, when the misguided plan unravels, Ansiedad and Grace must both learn that growing up means acting your age.

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Critics Consensus

Despite a well-intentioned and novel premise, Girl in Progress is plagued by jarring tonal shifts and does little to break its characters out of cliché.

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Candice Frederick

Reel Talk Online

Sep 8, 2017

B+

At its core, Girl in Progress is an endearing mother-daughter portrait reminiscent of Cristina and Flor in Spanglish that is a little bit Gilmore Girls, mixed with a dash of Mermaids.

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Nathan Rabin

AV Club

May 11, 2012

D

It wants audiences to know it's in on the joke though it's not always apparent that there even is a joke in the first place.

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William Goss

Film.com

May 11, 2012

Progress acknowledges clichs but has little interest in actually subverting them, instead growing more predictable and sentimental as it goes along.

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Debbie Lynn Elias

Behind The Lens

Nov 26, 2019

You hope for this mother and daughter to find their way. After all, at the end of the day, isn't each of us really just a Girl In Progress.

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Nicholas Bell

IONCINEMA.com

Jul 24, 2019

Painful. Awkward. Potentially damaging to your later development -- these common traits associated with adolescence are also succinct descriptions for the latest film from Patricia Riggen, Girl In Progress.

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Jason Best

Movie Talk

Mar 29, 2015

Teen comedy-drama Girl in Progress is too self-consciously quirky for its own good, but Cierra Ramirez brims with sparky charm.

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Jess L

@GreenAvocado7 Oct 8, 2026

I loved this movie the first time I watched it in 2012 and I still enjoy it in 2026. Cierra Ramirez & Eva Mendez perfectly portray the dynamics between an irresponsible single mother and the strain it puts on her oldest daughter. It's **supposed** to be cliche and portrays the message beautifully; this is a coming of age story. It's not ambiguous like "Palo Alto", not too cheesy like a Disney movie. It does favor a female audience for obvious reasons.

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James B

@RT54975811 Jul 19, 2025

This was a pretty good movie.

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Carlos T

@RT67858720 Jun 14, 2023

Minha opinião: A atriz Eva Mendes sumiu das telonas, uma pena pois sempre gostei de sua atuações. Este é um dos últimos trabalhos dela. Uma comédia teen, que retrata a falta de relacionamento de mãe e filha. Pois ela é mãe solteira. E Cierra que é filha quer se tornar adulta e independente e fugir para LA. Para isso ela cria toda uma estratégia de boa mocinha, para se tornar má e perder a vingidade e assim ir. No quisito se tornar má consta também perder sua melhor amizade que é Raini. Enquanto isso Eva é uma garçonete e trabalha na casa de um médico, que ela também é amante dele. Mas ele não tem grande compromisso com ela e sim apenas s3x0. Na verdade a protagonista aqui é Cierra. E até chegar o momento que tudo isso entra em colapso. E a verdade vem atona daquilo que estava cheio o coração. E será que o amor, amizade e familia vencerá? Roteiro e enredo é um pouco atrapalhado. Vale apena assistir? Sim Nota: 5

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darren h

@darrenhrotten Aug 15, 2021

I liked it. It doesn't quite follow cinematic norms but it was still good. The performances were endearing.

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Feb 25, 2021

While this was a good attempt at a sentimental movie, which focuses on the struggles of being a teenager and a single mother , There is nothing redeeming in any of the characters. The ending fell apart with no real pay off . It was a good attempt but fell short when it came to the writing .

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Oct 17, 2015

Average coming of age drama about a young girl desperately trying to fit in with people at her school

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Patricia Riggen

Director

Eva Mendes

Grace

Cierra Ramirez

Ansiedad

Matthew Modine

Dr. Hartford

Patricia Arquette

Ms. Armstrong

Eugenio Derbez

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Synopsis

Grace is a single mom who is often too busy juggling her job, bills and two love interests to pay much attention to her daughter, Ansiedad. Inspired by the coming-of-age stories her English teacher introduces in class, Ansiedad decides to skip adolescence and jump-start her life without her mother. But, when the misguided plan unravels, Ansiedad and Grace must both learn that growing up means acting your age.

Director: Patricia Riggen
Producer: Ben Odell, John Fiedler
Screenwriter: Hiram Martinez
Distributor: Lionsgate Films, Pantelion Films
Production Co: Dilettante, Latitude Entertainment, Oriole Leaf Films, Panamax Films
Rating: PG-13 (Drinking|Crude References|All Involving Teens|Mature Thematic Elements|Sexual Content)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 11, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $2.6M
Runtime: 1h 32m

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