A Birder's Guide to Everything | Full Movie | Movies Anywhere

The lead teens in particular give the material a realness that may not have been there on the page, and the filmmakers know enough not push the quaint story beyond the safe parameters it operates in.

This familiar-feeling coming-of-age tale benefits from an authentic script and believable performances.

The trek through the serene, beautiful woods highlights the banter between the quartet as truths are unveiled and friendships strengthened. The young actors shine revealing lights on their characters.

That tidy resolution is telegraphed from the outset, but the energetic, never-mocking tone of all involved allows the film to stake its place alongside some of the genre's stronger and more enduring touchstones.

That very rare thing, a movie about teenagers where the characters actually seem like real teenagers, as opposed to mini posing adults.