TxMike Mandy Moore is still a teenager here, playing Halley Martin. Her parents have split up, her sister is engaged to be married, and overall she has a lot of things to deal with at her young, high-school age. Thus the title "How to Deal" with all those things.Her best friend has a serious boyfriend, they practice unsafe sex and she turns up pregnant right as the new school year is starting. Add to that, her boyfriend is playing soccer and after a good shot he is smiling to her as he falls dead, a victim of a congenital heart problem.Then her dad, a on-air radio personality, decides he has met his new soul-mate and plans to get married.And finally, cute boy at school takes an interest in her and she has to deal with that while dealing with two weddings and her friend about to give birth.This is not a great movie, but it is a cute movie if you like Mandy Moore. I watched it with Natalie on winter break from college. It was a good diversion on a cold day.

Amy Adler Halley (Mandy Moore) is having trouble figuring out "how to deal" with problems. Her parents have just divorced, because her Peter Pan-like father (Peter Gallagher), a disc jockey, had his eyes set on a much younger woman. Her mother (Allison Janney) is, appropriately, crushed and remote. Big sister Ashley is planning a wedding with her buttoned-down fiancé and trying to make everything perfect. If it were not for her best friend Scarlett, Halley would be out in the cold. Then, tragedy strikes. Scarlett's boyfriend dies of a heart condition in the middle of a soccer game and Halley is thrown for another loop. When she is approached by Macon, a friend of the deceased boy, she just wants to be friends. But, is it possible for Halley to keep Macon at arms length? Teens may love this movie and it does have likable stars. Moore is really quite nice as the teen with troubles. Gallagher and Janney are, likewise, very fine as the parents. Indeed, the acting of the cast members is good and not the movie's problem at all. Instead, it is the script and its contrivances that are the problem. Halley seems too worldly wise to be a teen and just boomerangs from one problem to another, in this viewer's opinion. No matter. Most young fans of the film will probably embrace it mightily. But, if you are over 30, watching the film may seem more like a chore than entertainment.

bubble_gum421 i dunno what all you's think but i reckon Macon was the best... he's hot, funny and he's got that bad boy image i LOVE. although i didn't like how he left her in the hospital but oh well, he's still a really good character and i think Trent was really good at acting this part.i know i sound Like a Stalker but its what i thwart about him. i enjoyed watching this movie and i thwart it was pretty good.now i have to think of more lines 'cause in the comments u have to have ten lines...um mm... Mandy did a good job in this also, in fact everyone was very good actors.. i like how Sandy from The O.C was in it (not that I'm keeping track with my O.C these days)! um mm.. so overall i really enjoyed watching this movie (as i said b4, repeating myself now)

jpschapira I went to see this movie with a lot of expectations. I happen to love Mandy Moore as an actress; in every role she has ever played. The last time I saw her playing a romantic role was in "A walk to remember", and she was gorgeous, so was the movie. Then I had the pros, Gallagher and Janney. There was also the idea of watching Mandy Moore with her hair cut, and other things more. In fact, the movie didn't disappoint me, but it wasn't amazing.Maybe the reason is that I'm getting tired of straight-forward movies; and this was too straight-forward. Maybe the movie was too convenient for its own good; it's not like that in real life. How can a movie be showing us "how to deal" with real issues if we can't believe what's happening in it? In these films I try to be subjective, because you have to let go a little bit. Some of the things the movie was treating were alright. It happens to me: How can I have deeper feelings for a person I care about very much? It sometimes seems impossible, even unthinkable.The plot was interesting, although it seemed to end in every scene, with beautiful and cheesy stuff. I couldn't believe all of it! When the problems arrived, I knew they were being solved in a couple of scenes. These were some of the things (including the weak script) I had to forget so I could enjoy the film; and I did. I enjoyed the chemistry between Mandy Moore (Halley) and Trent Ford (Macon); their love scenes and adequate acting. Maybe Mandy needs to choose better movies, but her performances are always decent. I enjoyed Alison Janney (Lydia) and her over the top scenes; she seemed comfortable in her role. I enjoyed Peter Gallagher (Len) and his eccentric smile, and I kind of fell in love (the translation of the title in Spanish is "Fall in love").I should remind yo can see this movie just for the hilarious Nina Foch, in her crazy and lovable grandmother role. Fun!I recently saw "The ring two" and gave it a 6 out of 10. "How to deal" is better than the previous film. It has a 6 because it doesn't deserve more for the kind of movie it is. A 7 was not possible.There's always a romantic comedy in the cinema, and you have to see it. I liked "50 first dates" when it was the only romantic comedy in the cinema, and I liked "Maid in Manhattan" even more. I didn't like "How to deal" that much, but I'm glad I saw it.