This film seems to have provoked a lot of irritation. Personally, I can't see why. I feel it's a classic teen drama with a lot of heart and some very fleshed-out performances. Another poster got it right when they compared it to Sixteen Candles, Breakfast Club and other teen dramas.
To criticise the norms of the genre is pointless: it's like complaining that a slasher pic has too much blood and gore. It's a teen high-school drama, *of course* it's going to have jocks vs. geeks, pivotal parties and the leads getting together in the final fade. We all know the destination, it's the journey that counts.
And I'd say that journey is pretty wonderful. The film gripped me in the first few minutes. I expected Melissa Joan Hart to turn in a mannered, 'Clueless'-type performance, a pastiche of popular girl gets a heart. But in fact, there was a lot more light and shade to her character, she didn't just flip from one stereotype to another. I thought the whole cast turned in sterling performances. Perhaps they were too good and the naysayers have forgotten these people aren't actually jocks and geeks?
Whatever - I'm an old bloke who was touched by this film. It brought back memories of the hell / heaven of secondary school, of how important and fleeting those relationships are. It connected with me.
Not every film has to be 'Un Chien Andalou', you know...
To criticise the norms of the genre is pointless: it's like complaining that a slasher pic has too much blood and gore. It's a teen high-school drama, *of course* it's going to have jocks vs. geeks, pivotal parties and the leads getting together in the final fade. We all know the destination, it's the journey that counts.
And I'd say that journey is pretty wonderful. The film gripped me in the first few minutes. I expected Melissa Joan Hart to turn in a mannered, 'Clueless'-type performance, a pastiche of popular girl gets a heart. But in fact, there was a lot more light and shade to her character, she didn't just flip from one stereotype to another. I thought the whole cast turned in sterling performances. Perhaps they were too good and the naysayers have forgotten these people aren't actually jocks and geeks?
Whatever - I'm an old bloke who was touched by this film. It brought back memories of the hell / heaven of secondary school, of how important and fleeting those relationships are. It connected with me.
Not every film has to be 'Un Chien Andalou', you know...