The Hairy Bird never wound up in theaters, but a little while later it did end up back in the pages of the movie magazines with the new title Strike. Again, it never saw a release. Unlike most movies that sit on the shelf, this one was not a troubled production. Instead, the problem was that distributors were weary of the profit potential for a movie aimed at teenage girls. No one with distribution money believed in the project.

And so, in the best tradition of independent cinema, the filmmakers have decided to release the movie themselves. It has another new title, All I Wanna Do, and it opens exclusively at the UA Union Square Theater in Manhattan on March 24. If all goes well, a wider release might be possible. Certainly the film deserves one. The distributors who felt All I Wanna Do would only appeal to teenage girls couldn't have been more wrong. This is a sweet, intelligent story that speaks to a broad audience.

The setting is Miss Godard's Prep School for Girls, a New England institution now run by headmistress Miss McVane (Lynn Redgrave). As the movie opens, a new student arrives at the school. She is Odette Sinclair (Gaby Hoffmann), and her parents have sent her here because she tried to have sex with her boyfriend Dennis (Matthew Lawrence). Odette doesn't want to go to Miss Godard's, although she soon finds herself some new friends. They are: Verena (Kirsten Dunst), Tinka (Monica Keena), Tweety (Heather Matarazzo), and Momo (Merrit Wever).

Gaby Hoffmann and Kirsten Dunst have some fun in All I Wanna Do

The girls have a secret club called the Daughters of the American Ravioli. Their aim is to create a united sisterhood by helping each member achieve her life goal, no matter what it might be. Most of the girls have a big dream (Verena wants to start her own magazine, Momo wants to be a biologist). Odette, meanwhile, just wants to finish what she started with Dennis. The D.A.R. sets up a scheme to reunite her with the boy back home. There are two problems: 1.) the impending merger of Miss Godard's with an all-boy prep school called St. Ambrose, and 2.) Abby Sawyer (Rachael Leigh Cook), the snooty girl who takes it upon herself to "monitor" the behavior of everyone else.

The idea of merging the two schools divides the girls (some are boy crazy while others prefer the unity sisterhood provides). Although the members of the D.A.R. initially squabble, they eventually re-team to make a statement about the school and themselves.

All I Wanna Do works on several levels. As a comedy, it is very funny. I laughed often at the antics of the girls (Odette's encounter with a can of spermicide is a particular belly laugh). I also found amusement in Snake (Vincent Kartheiser), a young photographer of roadkill who also steals hats and romances Tinka. Of course, the way the girls sabotage a school dance to make the boys of St. Ambrose look bad had me laughing pretty hard too. What makes it work is that the humor is character-based; you laugh because of the reactions of the characters, not because the gags are cheap. The actresses create vivid personas that enhance the humor of the plot's situations.

Aside from being funny, the movie is quite poignant. The message is that young women are often given conflicting signals. On one hand, society tells them to be strong and independent, with minds of their own. On the other hand, society also expects them to adhere to the idea of being demure and "ladylike." All I Wanna Do is in some ways a call for young women to think for themselves, stand up for themselves, and challenge themselves.

The cast is all-around perfect. Most of the performers have gone on to more high-profile projects (Dunst was in Wag the Dog and Dick, Cook starred in She's All That, and Keena was a regular on "Dawson's Creek"). Still, this clearly represents each of them at their finest. There's a real believability between the characters; you buy them as friends. The lone veteran of the cast is Lynn Redgrave, whose quietly stoic performance as Miss McVane is worthy of a Supporting Actress Oscar nomination. She is a tower of strength for the girls at Miss Godard's. Although it is her job to be an authority figure, Miss McVane also identifies with the girls at some other level. She recognizes the potential in each child and seeks to encourage it. Redgrave is superb in the role.

Although listed as "a film by everyone who worked on it," All I Wanna Do was written and directed by Sarah Kernochan, who co-wrote 9 1/2 Weeks and Sommersby. She brings an obvious passion to the movie, which was based on her experiences at a prestigious boarding school in Greenwich, Connecticut.

It has been a long, hard road getting this picture to the screen. Kernochan and producers Ira Deutchman and Peter Newman obviously believe that All I Wanna Do deserves to be seen. So do I. This is a wonderful film, filled with big laughs and heartfelt performances. It's a genuine sleeper.

( 1/2 out of four)

All I Wanna Do is rated PG-13 for language and sexual content. The running time is 1 hour and 34 minutes.