Coming-of-age movies about quirky outsiders struggling to fit in are a dime a dozen. In the case of Azazel Jacobs’ Terri, our misfit is a fat kid who wears pajamas to school every day and lives with his Uncle James, who suffers from some form of dementia. But unlike other films in this vein, Terri is honest in a way that makes it completely engaging. Part of this is due to the time that Jacobs let’s us spend with these characters. No scenes are rushed. The actors are the other element that makes this film so great. Jacob Wysocki plays Terri with a brave confidence. He exudes stoic, sympathetic fat kid wisdom.

Backing up Wysocki is one of my favorite mopsters, John C. Reilly. Reilly plays assistant principal Mr. Fitzgerald. When he’s not counseling mentally/physically ill students, he’s doing his best to mentor Terri; teaching him hard life lessons from his own experiences. None of these meetings ever feel overly sappy or ham-fisted – Mr. Fitzgerald often ditches the conventional school principal BS and gets real with Terri. Besides, he’s got his own issues. The conversations between Terri and Fitzgerald are some of the most authentic exchanges between a kid and an adult I’ve seen in a long time. And Jacobs let’s us absorb ourselves in them. It’s excellent, satisfying stuff.

Terri features more than the inside of a principal’s office though. When Terri begins exchanging notes in class with Heather, a cute girl recently ostracized for being fingered in home economics, things get interesting. While being obese and being getting finger blasted are two different beats, Terri finds ways to relate to Heather. Terri also pals up with Chad, a disturbed young man prone to pulling his own hair out. Together, these three teens have the most uncomfortable sleepover you’ll ever see.

Fueled by whiskey and some of Uncle James’ pills, the sleepover soon spirals into a dark awkwardness that honestly made me squirm a bit. And laugh, of course, as most awkward situations with girls make me do. Chad, played by Bridger Zadina, made my skin crawl. The kid plays a great creep and reminded me a lot of Eddie Furlong.

If you’re in the mood for a realistic and human coming-of-age story, definitely check out Terri. It’s also genuinely funny. In his review, Ebert compares Jacob Wysocki to John Candy – one of the funniest and sincere overweight actors ever. I think that’s a pretty accurate comparison. If there’s any justice left in this world Wysocki will have a long career ahead of him.

Oh, and before I forget, Tim Heidecker has a very brief cameo as Terri’s gym teacher. He’s very convincing.

Terri is available now on DVD and Blu-ray.

- Oh Mars