"Jeremy" is a most endearing and realistic teen love story filmed in early 70's New York featuring a musically talented but shy high school sophomore Jeremy Jones who falls for a junior who is an intense new student and ballet dancer Susan Rollins. It is by no means a barnstormer, more a gentle fly-on-the-wall but yet extremely accurate look at all the awkwardness and agonies of adolescent first love. Almost anyone over the age of 14 could relate to the faltering, tentative attempts Jeremy makes to meet and then go out with the girl he falls for.
What I really like about this movie is the fact that the lead actors (Robby Benson as Jeremy and Glynnis O'Connor as Susan) are the exact same age as their characters. This gives a compelling sense of realism to their blossoming relationship. Too many movies today cast young looking 20+ actors as mid teenagers who may look the age they are cast for but they bring an unrealistic edge of emotional maturity and poise that comes after traversing adolescence. Benson in particular realistically portrays how a 15/16 year old boy approaches his first real love affair because he was that age AND he and O'Connor were an item off set at the time so that gives some realism to the later love scenes. Benson was nominated for a Golden Globe for Most Promising Male Newcomer for his performance in "Jeremy" being only his second lead acting role.
The movie features a few odd scenes given the shy character of Jeremy that clearly demonstrate that the director must've wanted to cash in on Robby's then emerging status as a teenage heartthrob by showcasing his famous model quality physical attributes. You can't blame the producers for wanting to get as many teenage girls to view their movie! Of additional interest is that Benson sings the title song at the beginning of the movie "The Hourglass". Benson sung a number of songs for movies he acted in and enjoyed a brief period of separate relative fame in his early 20's as a folk singer, a feat rarely matched by other teen idol movie actors.
Benson went on to star in well received roles in "Ode to Billy Joe" (where he again took the co-lead acting role with O'Connor) and "Ice Castles" but he was unable to expand beyond his teen idol status into more serious critically acclaimed roles in his 20's.
What I really like about this movie is the fact that the lead actors (Robby Benson as Jeremy and Glynnis O'Connor as Susan) are the exact same age as their characters. This gives a compelling sense of realism to their blossoming relationship. Too many movies today cast young looking 20+ actors as mid teenagers who may look the age they are cast for but they bring an unrealistic edge of emotional maturity and poise that comes after traversing adolescence. Benson in particular realistically portrays how a 15/16 year old boy approaches his first real love affair because he was that age AND he and O'Connor were an item off set at the time so that gives some realism to the later love scenes. Benson was nominated for a Golden Globe for Most Promising Male Newcomer for his performance in "Jeremy" being only his second lead acting role.
The movie features a few odd scenes given the shy character of Jeremy that clearly demonstrate that the director must've wanted to cash in on Robby's then emerging status as a teenage heartthrob by showcasing his famous model quality physical attributes. You can't blame the producers for wanting to get as many teenage girls to view their movie! Of additional interest is that Benson sings the title song at the beginning of the movie "The Hourglass". Benson sung a number of songs for movies he acted in and enjoyed a brief period of separate relative fame in his early 20's as a folk singer, a feat rarely matched by other teen idol movie actors.
Benson went on to star in well received roles in "Ode to Billy Joe" (where he again took the co-lead acting role with O'Connor) and "Ice Castles" but he was unable to expand beyond his teen idol status into more serious critically acclaimed roles in his 20's.