American Teen
The five real-life stars of American Teen
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Tuesday, 03, Mar 2009 07:27
Directed by Nanette Burstein, out March 6th in cinemas, starring Hannah Bailey, Colin Clemens, Jake Tusing, Megan Krizmanich, Mitch Reinholt, running time 85 mins.
In a nutshell...
Five go mad in high school.
What's it all about?
Nanette Burstein's documentary follows five students - jock Colin, geeky Josh, queen bee Megan, misfit Hannah and heartthrob Mitch - through their senior year of high school. With college scholarships to be earned, friendships and relationships won and lost and peer and parental pressure combining, how will our five cope with the terrifying thought of adulthood approaching?
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Who's in it?
Non-actors. Hannah Bailey may be smart and beautiful, but doesn't fit in at her Indiana high school while Megan Krizmanich has popularity and power but huge expectations from her Notre Dame graduate father. Meanwhile, Colin Clemens' entire future is at stake as he tries to win a basketball scholarship, Jake Tusing is struggling to find the girlfriend he thinks will complete him and well-liked Mitch Reinholt's social status could be at threat when falls for a girl from a different clique.
Director/producer Nanette Burstein's NYU thesis film On the Ropes was nominated for an Oscar and won her a Directors' Guild award and the Special Jury prize at Sundance, while in 2002, she earned critical acclaim for The Kid Stays in the Picture, about the legendary Hollywood producer Robert Evans.
As an example.
"You look like Magic Johnson." - Colin
"That's what my mom says." - Team-mate
"Like today... not when he was thin and hot." - Colin
"She just moved here, so she hardly knows anyone at all... so I might have a chance with her." - Jake
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars
Burstein's previous work may have been recognised but despite some intriguing visual touches, there's far more serious and worthy work around within the documentary genre.
What the others say
"Burstein could be faulted for occasionally staging her 'plot points,' but she can't be accused of making anything but a riveting piece of film." - Jean Lowerison, San Diego Metropolitan
"The kids' mistakes make you cringe - often with laughs of recognition - and, during the film's most involving moments, makes you long to comfort them through their trials and cheer on their triumphs." - Michael Ordona, Los Angeles Times
So is it any good?
Though there's some suggestion that scenes in American Teen have been "created for entertainment purposes" - as with the markedly more artificial likes of The Hills - the fact that Burstein's cameras seem very conveniently placed at times doesn't detract from the overall success of this absorbing and amusing documentary.
The director splits screen time cleverly between her entirely watchable leads - though the ambitious and spiritedly individual Hannah is the one we're always eager to return to - and with an audience-friendly soundtrack, some innovative - if indulgent - visual flair and character arcs that are all the more involving because of their reality, it's a film that will make you glad to have left the pressure cooker of senior school.
Thanks to some real, flawed and human subjects, a terrifyingly manipulative pantomime villain in the shape of Megan and some hilariously geeky moments from Josh, American Teen is a return to puberty you won't want to avoid.
7.5/10
Lewis Bazley