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Girl in Progress

Play trailer Poster for Girl in Progress PG-13 2012 1h 32m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
34% Tomatometer 44 Reviews 53% Popcornmeter 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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Girl in Progress

Girl in Progress

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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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Critics Reviews

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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. Go to Full Review
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. Go to Full Review
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. Go to Full Review
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. Go to Full Review
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. Go to Full Review
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. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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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. See more
James B @RT54975811 Jul 19, 2025 This was a pretty good movie. See more
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 See more
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. See more
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 . See more
Oct 17, 2015 Average coming of age drama about a young girl desperately trying to fit in with people at her school See more
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Girl in Progress

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Cast & Crew

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Patricia Riggen

Director

Eva Mendes

Grace

Cierra Ramirez

Ansiedad

Matthew Modine

Dr. Hartford

Patricia Arquette

Ms. Armstrong

Eugenio Derbez

Mission Impossible

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Girl in Progress

Eva Mendes (center) as Grace and Eugenio Derbez (right) as Mission Impossible in "Girl in Progress." Cierra Ramirez as Ansiedad and Eugenio Derbez as Mission Impossible in "Girl in Progress." (L-R) Patricia Arquette as Ms. Armstrong and Cierra Ramirez as Ansiedad in "Girl in Progress." Cierra Ramirez as Ansiedad in "Girl in Progress." (L-R) Cierra Ramirez as Ansiedad and Eva Mendes as Grace in "Girl in Progress." Matthew Modine as Dr. Harford and Eva Mendes as Grace in "Girl in Progress." Cierra Ramirez as Ansiedad and Landon Liboiron as Trevor in "Girl in Progress." (L-R) Eva Mendes as Grace and Cierra Ramirez as Ansiedad in "Girl in Progress." (L-R) Cierra Ramirez as Ansiedad and Raini Rodriguez as Tavita in "Girl in Progress." Eva Mendes as Grace in "Girl in Progress." View more photos

Movie Info

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
Pantelion Films, Lionsgate 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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