Reviewed by Elliot V. Kotek
(Moving Pictures special 2008 Cannes issue)
Director: Nanette Burstein
Starring: Hannah Bailey, Colin Clemens, Megan Krizmanich, Mitch Reinholt, Jake Tusing Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance - and winning the Directing Award (Documentary) for Burstein - American Teen is one of the most innovative, engaging and endearing expressions of filmmaking of any year. It has the potential to land a social documentary within the big box-office rankings if Paramount Vantage's plan to go "wide" on release bears fruit. More importantly, this is a documentary with the potential to break new ground as a mainstream hit that does not preach solely to the politically converted. Yes, American Teen will appeal to film lovers who want to see a great (true) story, but it will also absolutely attract their key demographic children as well. And those kids will want to bring their friends. This is a film for the OMG generation. It's set in a high school in Indiana. Burstein filmed the teens daily for 10 months to get the footage, and found herself with a winning hand: the geek, the jock, the popular girl, the good-looking guy and the artsy girl who fits everywhere and nowhere all at once. To suggest that this starting five - Jake, Colin, Megan, Mitch and Hannah, respectively - are as shallow as their monikers, however, is to miss the basket entirely; the complexities facing our cast are forceful and fantastic. No stranger to parlaying unique technique to storytelling success, Burstein found acclaim - and a shared Oscar nomination - for the boxing doc On the Ropes, and made a creative dent in the indie industry when she introduced Hollywood producer Robert Evans to a whole new (MTV) generation of audience with the amazingly entertaining The Kid Stays in the Picture. While American Teen showcases Burstein's storytelling talents to scintillating satisfaction, the fronts and centers of the film are the five high-schoolers whose lives will be irrevocably interrupted as a result of this piece of art. The poster's Breakfast Club positioning may be lost on the younger audience, but word of mouth on this movie is going to be massive. The characters are so compelling and so incredibly individual that every audience member must marvel at the fact that any kid - regardless of their level of popularity or acne scarring - could even manage to survive high school. American Teen is as funny as Napoleon Dynamite, as touching as Juno, and may even be better than The Breakfast Club. Photos courtesy of Paramount Vantage.
http://www.americanteenthemovie.com/ Filmography links and data courtesy of Internet Movie Database. |
