In My First Mister, Leelee Sobieski's pinched, white face--covered in eyebrow, nose and lip piercings--is framed by her dyed black hair. Like every other teenager, Sobieski plays Jennifer, or "J," a disenchanted, sarcastic loner who hates her overly cheerful mother and her dufus stepfather. She finds friendship in Randall (Albert Brooks), a much older store manager for a men's boutique, after he hires J to work at his store on a trial basis. Unsurprisingly, Brooks takes on the concerned surrogate father role. For most of the movie, Randall and J participate in pseudo-rebellious antics, such as lying down on graves and hanging out at fringe coffee shops. The fun and games end when Randall collapses because of his leukemia. Although it might be surprising to see Sobieski out of her usual young Helen Hunt roles, My First Mister wants to be unique but doesn't come anywhere close to being so.
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