AMERICAN TEEN
RYAN: The new documentary “American Teen” follows four high school kids during their senior year in a Mid-western town in Indiana.
CAROLINE: It’s supposed to be sort of the real life “Breakfast Club” although the Judd Nelson character wasn’t really represented. Though I guess that one kid Jacob represented elements of both the Judd Nelson and Anthony Michael Hall characters. I found him so frightening that I thought at one point he might shoot up the school.
RYAN: [laughs’ I kinda know what you mean. I loved this movie, and it actually made me cry. I honestly walked out of it feeling like it was a real movie and not a documentary. During the scenes with the jock kid’s basketball games, I was actually as passionate about it as I would have been watching a dramatic sports movie. I almost want to say how well performed the movie was; but it wasn’t, ‘cuz it’s reality. I’d recommend this as a really good indie movie vs. as a documentary.
CAROLINE: One thing that impressed me early on was the style in which it was shot. It looked a lot better than some documentaries we’ve seen. But I’m so jaded by the fakeness of reality shows on TV that I couldn’t help but wonder if some of the scenes were staged. I don’t think they were, but who knows?
RYAN: It did remind me of “The Hills” at one point. They reenacted a phone call and it was very obvious that it was reenacted because there was no way that person’s voice would have been that clear on the phone. But most of it seemed pretty real, and I loved how they used animation to illustrate the kids’ dreams and goals.
CAROLINE: These kids are facing the same issues we all faced in high school. They go to a pretty big school where all the usual stuff is important – sports, being popular, parties and dating. I found that fun to watch as an adult since we’ve all been through it. It was also painful to watch at times, and I was cringing with the memories of the awkwardness of that age. All I could think was that these kids are going to kill themselves for letting cameras follow them at this point in their lives. Some of them say and do really stupid things that they’ll clearly regret.
RYAN: Totally! Like the popular girl who spray-painted a nasty word on someone’s window. But it’s a good thing in a way. The one thing I wished they’d had was the gay, struggling musical theater kid like me in high school. Aside from that, I just loved it. Every character got equal amounts of screen time and it really showed how even though they were from different socioeconomic backgrounds and levels of popularity, they each have their own triumphs and failures and family drama. Not to mention the usual expectations and pressures that come along with being a teenager. I wanted to tell them, “Honeys, just wait till you get out into the real world. It doesn’t get any easier.”
CAROLINE: I think it does in terms of people’s acceptance of one anothers’ differences. High school is such a mess in that way. I did get a little bored toward the end of the film. I think they could have wrapped it up a little sooner. But I definitely felt invested in each of their stories, and I did tear up when one of them got into college.
RYAN: Me too. Bottom line?
CAROLINE: I enjoyed this movie, though I don’t think it’s a must-see by any means. It’s an interesting concept, but I started to get really creeped out by the loner/nerd kid, Jacob, after a while. His disfiguring acne was unbearable. I know it’s not his fault, and of course I felt sorry for him, but it was just so unfortunate. Plus his haircut was beyond terrible. I felt like there were several things he could do to improve his situation and he wasn’t doing any of them. It frustrated me and it took me out of the movie a little bit.
RYAN: You were actually putting your hand up to the screen so you wouldn’t have to look at him. That was a little dramatic; he didn’t look that bad. He was even a little cute in some scenes.
CAROLINE: Please. Did you notice that there were several scenes that seemed to be out of chronological order based on the severity of his acne? Like, in one scene he was a total pizza face, and then in the next, his skin was practically clear. It made me question the veracity of the chronology of the film.
RYAN: That was a little weird. But enough about his skin; here’s my bottom line: I really liked this movie. I totally related to it and identified with these kids. It was uncomfortable in parts because it reminded me of how miserable my middle school experience was. It’s a real great slice of several lives. I’d recommend it on its entertainment merits as well as its being a good documentary.