Other than the fact that Anika's father shows no apprehension about sleeping with a girl in her 20's, this was the scene that bothered me the most. Keira looks barely 10 years older than Chloe, yet a certified professional doesn't even bat an eye about 28 year old Megan saying she's 15/16 year old Annika's mom.
I'm telling you it's Keyser Soze!
If Megan had given a thoroughly convincing performance as Annika's mother, the counselor might've just figured she was in her mid thirties and had had Annika at age eighteen or nineteen or twenty, and furthermore just happened to be young-looking. Or maybe the counselor would've taken Megan to be a young stepmother to Annika.
Unfortunately, though, Megan's effort was rather poor, which I saw as a disappointing flaw in the screenplay and the direction. Given that Megan had a graduate degree in counseling herself, she should've been able to ace the meeting, telling the school counselor just the right kinds of things to ease her concerns.
The stepmom thing I can buy, but Megan made it clear that she was the girl's actual mother. She should have just said stepmom. That would have made the scene more believable for me.
I'm telling you it's Keyser Soze!
It is unusual but it is physically possible for a 15 year old to have a 28-year-old mother. Many people in their early/mid 30s can be confused for late 20s, which would make it even more plausible.
shareAnika's father shows no apprehension about sleeping with a girl in her 20's
You misunderstood my comment. I have no problem with couples with large age gaps between them. I even loved Magic in the Moonlight. My issue is that in romances like this, it's a nice touch if the man shows at least a little bit of apprehension about sleeping with a much younger girl. For example, Bogart is worried about the age difference between him and Hepburn in Sabrina.
I'm telling you it's Keyser Soze!
It really couldn't have happened any other way than it did, if you ask me.
Obviously you're right about Kiera not looking much like Chloe's mother, but the thing is that we, the audience, know the facts and get to watch the set-up. We know for a fact she's not who she says -- the counselor doesn't. A thing like that would be all about your expectations; you don't expect in a million years that an adult woman is walking into a meeting like that and is faking to be a student's mother.
We also don't really know for sure that the counselor isn't "batting an eye" on the inside (in fact I got the impression that maybe she did). But what is she supposed to do then and there?
I taught a bit at that level myself a few years ago, and I have to tell you: There is no way on earth I'd dare confront a parent in that situation even if I thought she looked a bit young or didn't look like her daughter. "Sorry ma'am, I don't believe you're this child's actual parent, can I see some ID?" Imagine making that accusation and being wrong...
I'd say there's a chance she would look into it later, though.
IMDb-boards would be less confusing if people would mark their signatures clearly.
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The principal might have just been glad someone showed up for Chloe's character at all. That's more than some kids have and she would know working in a school district.
shareShe did not know she was 28! She could be early thirties, I guess she just assumed she was a young mum
shareI thought it was to show how little this counselor actually cared about the student. If she had taken time, she would have known her parents were divorced and mother not around. She had to check a box and she did. She might care that she has a plan, but nothing beyond that. Not actually counseling her.
shareA typical high school counselor. There's a few really good ones, a few wretched ones, and a whole lot of mediocre ones who are just occupying a desk to fulfill a legal requirement. This one's formulaic one-way conversation about "making a plan" places her squarely in the middle of the mediocre.
A friend of mine is a counselor at a mostly Hispanic school in Phoenix. She's a kind, empathetic person, and a single mom. Many of the students have serious problems--substance abuse, suicide, domestic violence, clashes with the law--and Chloe by comparison seems like basically a normal teenager in our screwed up modern society. With all the problems out there, it's surprising she'd even be called in to the counselor's office.