How To Deal (2003)

At least this uber-saccharine teen romance has one worthwhile aspect: Allison Janney. The ''West Winger'' plays Lydia Martin, a down-in-the-dumps divorcee trying to deal with her daughter Halley, a cynical, sour teen whose greatest fear is the L-word -- played unconvincingly by Mandy Moore, a self-professed ''romantic'' in real life. Though Moore is endearing when her true aw-shucks demeanor occasionally breaks through her flippancy, it's Janney's courageously honest portrayal of a woman scorned that shines in this otherwise melodramatic chicklet flick.
EXTRAS If you're in the market for gigglefests during director Clare Kilner and Moore's commentary, a pedantic doc titled '''How to Deal' With Young Adult Literature,'' and a nauseating profile on the wonders of Mandy Moore, then knock yourself out.