Based on the novel by Judy Blume, Tiger Eyes centers around Davey (Willa Holland), a 17-year-old girl who has yet overcome the recent death of her father. Her mother, Gwen (Amy Jo Johnson), drives her and her younger brother, Jason (Lucien Dale), from their home in Atlantic City to Los Alamos, New Mexico to temporarily live with her aunt, Bitsy (Cynthia Stevenson), and uncle, Walter (Forrest Fyre). While exploring the outdoors, Davey bumps into a slightly older Native American guy, Wolf (Tatanka Means), who becomes her good friend and, perhaps, more than just a friend. She befriends Jane (Elise Eberle), a quirky girl from school. Both Wolf and Davey share something in common that further strengthen their friendship.

      Writer/director Lawrence Blume blends drama, romance and tragedy with genuine warmth and poignancy. First and foremost, there's the convincingly moving performance by the well-cast Willa Holland. She tackles the balance of fragility and strength found in Davey with conviction, so whenever the film veers into the more poignant dramatic scenes, it never feels melodramatic. The evolving dynamics of her friendship with Wolf are explored with sensitivity and most importantly, depth. You can feel their chemistry on a palpable level from the first moment they set their eyes upon each other.

      The cinematography also adds a further layer of richness to the film while not going overboard with the picturesque scenery. Sure, the town of Los Alamos becomes a character in and of itself, but Tiger Eyes still remains a drama driven by its human characters throughout. Blume could have made the film a little darker at times instead of slightly sugar-coating or oversimplifying the innate struggles of Davey, but, to be fair, by shying away from delving deeper into those dark elements, he makes the film easily palatable for all ages. The flashback scenes with Davey's father work well for the most part. What sinks the film from being a truly inspirational experience is its rather rushed third act because Davey's transformation from an emotionally scarred, confused young woman to a happy, tranquil, wiser one happens in a rather pedestrian and inorganic fashion as if Blume were in a hurry to reach the ending. The scenes before the third act feel authentic and engrossing, though, so at least Tiger Eyes has that major strength to buoy the film.

      Violet (Alexis Bledel) and Daisy (Saoirse Ronan) may look like average, innocent teenagers, but there's much more to them than meets the eye. When not attending school, they work as assassins who dress up in all sorts of outfits, i.e. nun uniforms, while going on their killing sprees. They need to money to buy Sunday Barbie dresses that they're crazy about. Their boss (Danny Trejo) gives them an assignment to kill Michael (James Gandolfini), but that doesn't quite go the way they hoped it would when they run out of ammo, their target happens to be suicidal and even goes to the extent of baking them cookies.

      Writer/director Geoffrey Fletcher has made a dark comedy that, for the most part, provides some mindless entertainment for 90 minutes. The concept of two seemingly innocent girls committing acts of violence feels subversive, bold and fresh. Violet & Daisy sets its tone from the very first scene showing the two girls' on an assignment while dressed as nuns. Whenever the film veers into action and dark comedy, it becomes quite diverting in a guilty pleasure sort of way. When the action settles down into mere drama as Violet and Daisy get to know Michael, the film gradually loses steam along the way. Fletcher doesn't explore the minds of Violet and Daisy profoundly enough for you to be emotionally invested in their lives, and when he does briefly try to add some depth to the film, it comes across as tacked-on rather than smooth and organic.

      What keeps you from being bored during the dramatic scenes that fall flat are the decent performances by Alexis Bledel, Saoirse Ronan and James Gandolfini, each of whom is well cast in their particular role. Moreover, a twist or two later in the second act adds a layer of complexity to the film which won't be spoiled here. If Fletcher were to write a wiser, more sensitive screenplay or taken more risks, perhaps Violet & Daisy wouldn't feel so tonally uneven.