Fat Kid Rules the World (2012)

Directed by: Matthew Lillard

Starring: Jacob Wysocki, Matt O’Leary, Lili Simmons, Dylan Arnold, and Billy Campbell

Rated: R

Genre: Independent, Drama, Comedy, Coming-of-Age

Based on the Novel by K.L. Going

Troy is a depressed, overweight teenager, with no friends and no passion outside of video games. Marcus is a free-spirited punk-rock musician with no home and a drug problem. Their paths happen to cross one day when, feeling like he can’t take it anymore, Troy steps out in front of an oncoming bus. Marcus tackles him to the ground, saving his life, and beginning an unlikely friendship. The two bond over the idea of creating a band together, and each helps the other in a way he never expects.

This is the directorial debut of Matthew Lillard, and I am quite impressed with this effort. His passion for the film is visible all over his Twitter account, but it is also obvious in the film itself. It truly feels like he cares for these characters, and thus the viewer does as well.

The characters are well-fleshed out. None fit into a cliché mold. At first Troy seems like the typical nerdy, overweight outcast who wants to get a girlfriend and enjoys video games. As the film progresses, he becomes more likable as he airs his issues with his weight and father. He develops a passion for music and a backbone, and he proves what a big heart he truly has. Marcus is a homeless, drug-addled sleazebag who has never known true friendship until he meets Troy. Despite their differences, these boys save each other from themselves. I also really liked how Troy’s father, Mr. Billings (Campbell), was portrayed as a real person and not just a stick-in-the-mud Marine – which is how many teen films would have played it. He is never really the enemy; he just wants his son to be happy, healthy and successful. He may be strict, but he cares very much for his sons and for Marcus.

I found Troy and Marcus to be believable, people I could meet in everyday life. I’ve known guys like both of them, and feel that Wysocki and O’Leary really brought them to life. Campbell was strong as the former-Marine-turned-cop father figure, portraying strict-yet-caring very well. Lili Simmons was cute as Isabel, and Dylan Arnold was annoying, yet believable, as Troy’s younger brother.

What I really liked about this film is that the kids acted like real kids and the adults were also realistic. The boys talked a lot about music and finding gigs, but they also bond over conflicts with parents and being different in general. As aforementioned, Mr. Billings may be a hardass, but he also has a big heart, and he cares about the well-being of all three boys. He gave up the Marine Corps for Troy’s mother, even though he enjoyed it. There is a scene where he is showing Marcus a box of family photos, and he looks longingly at a picture of his late-wife. He’s trying the best he can, and it’s obvious he still struggles without her around.

I thought Marcus’s drug addiction was handled very well too. As someone who has grown up around addiction – especially one to opiates, I found the portrayal accurate. His shaky hands, his lack of personal hygiene, his willingness to use anyone and everyone he can to get his next high. It doesn’t surprise me that his mother gave up on him – that happens sometimes, because the parent needs to distance him/herself from the pain of losing a loved one down such a dark path. Still, the kid is only eighteen, you would think they would have tried a little harder to get him help. My loved one has been in and out of recovery for nearly twelve years, it’s a never-ending battle. I do wish that could have been addressed by the film, but you can only fit so much into an hour and a half, and the important thing is that it left off sending Marcus in a positive direction.

The ending was a little farfetched, but enjoyable. I did feel like it ended abruptly, without us getting to see Troy do what he’s worked so hard for. He begins to play the drums and the credits roll. I wanted to see him rock out and show what he’s really made of. That was the one major drawback to the film; I wanted him to flaunt what he’s accomplished.

Overall, it’s a good little flick. The characters are realistic and well-rounded. The music is cool, and the dramatic elements are handled well. Recommended.

7/10

LOL (2012)

Directed by: Lisa Azuelos

Starring: Miley Cyrus, Demi Moore, Ashley Greene, Jay Hernandez, Douglas Booth, Thomas Jane, and Marlo Thomas

Rated: PG-13

Genre: Teen, Teen Comedy, Drama, Coming of Age

A remake of the French film: LOL: Laughing Out Loud

Lola (Cyrus) begins a new school year thinking everything in her life is perfect. She has two great best friends, a cute boyfriend she adores, and a brand new year ahead of her. Things get slightly derailed when Chad (Mr. Perfect) breaks up with her, and she realizes she may have feelings for her long-time best friend, Kyle (Booth). As the year wears on she experiments with pot, alcohol, and the idea of sex. Her relationship with her mother, Anne (Moore) becomes strained, and all relationships are tested. Lola and her mother are forced to face the changes in their lives in order to move forward.

This movie is brought to you by your friends at Apple/Mac, Coca-Cola, Facebook, MSN, Mentos, and Trojan Condoms. (Sorry, the blatant product placement was annoying.)

Fair warning: Parents, if you are thinking about letting your pre-pubescent daughters watch this because they adore Miley – don’t. This film has its fair share of sex scenes and a strange scene with a chicken you will find hard to explain. This is not for anyone under thirteen, and is rated as such for good reason.

Now, onto the review: I didn’t care much for this film. It is supposed to be a coming-of-age drama/comedy focusing on the life of a sixteen-year-old girl. I didn’t see what anything in this movie did to attribute to “coming-of-age.” All this film displays is a slightly strained mother/daughter relationship and Lola’s transition from one romantic relationship to another. She doesn’t really have to deal with any big upheavals in her life, she doesn’t take an educational journey, and she doesn’t change much at all throughout the entire film.

There is practically no character development whatsoever. All we know about Lola is that she likes indie rock music (and the guys who play it), writes in her journal a lot, and loves her friends. She starts out the film gossiping with her friends – they talk about underwear, boys, the “skanky post-it,” and more boys. They don’t have any real conversation, everything is superficial. When she writes in her diary it is only a sentence, and she often shuts her laptop in mid-chat with someone – these things I didn’t really understand. Also, why would you paste a condom wrapper in your journal? Ew.

All the teen girls are one-dimensional: Ashley is the attention-seeker known as “the post-it;” Emily is very curious about exploring her sexuality (and hoping to do so with her Trig teacher); and Janice has no personality at all, and maybe two lines of dialogue in the entire film.

The parents aren’t much better. We never find out what Anne does for work, although it looks like she might be some kind of interior designer. She likes wine, pot, and sex, and also has two best girlfriends with whom she only discusses men and sex. She tries to relate to her daughters but doesn’t know how, and doesn’t seem to really learn throughout the film. I did appreciate the fact that she was interested in feminism and her inner conflict of the sexually liberated woman being her daughter. I thought that was an interesting point and could have been explored further – such as maybe a discussion with Lola – but of course not. Mother and daughter actually having a real conversation could never fit in this film. Instead they communicate through texts and Facebook messages. Yes, because that’s healthy.

Emily’s mother is ridiculously overly controlling, flipping out over her daughter owning thong underwear and being irrationally rude to pretty much everyone. She has incredibly high standards for her daughter and no redeeming qualities. Janice’s mother tells her that her poor grades won’t matter because she’s pretty and can find a rich husband. (Because that’s all life’s really about.) Kyle’s father needs to seek professional help and some anger management classes.

All of the characters are boring and irritating. The romance between Lola and Kyle is cute when it’s going well, and very frustrating when it’s hitting rough patches. Anne and James (Hernandez) are also pretty cute together. Still, while they are out bonding romantically, the relationship between mother and daughter doesn’t properly heal. The film makes romantic relationships seem more important than the one between Anne and Lola. The majority of the final half of the movie is based around Lola and Kyle making up, while maybe three minutes focuses on repairing damages between mother and daughter. As someone who has always been close with her mother – I feel that relationship is far more important than any guy. Men come and go, but your mother is a permanent fixture in your life, and I feel the relationship deserves more respect than this flick gives it.

The acting was okay at best. I’ve never really been a fan of Miley’s and she didn’t impress me much with this endeavor. Her southern accent was a little anachronistic considering the film was based in Chicago, where she had lived all her life and neither parent had one. Granted, she wasn’t given much to work with, so I will have to see her in more before I can say whether I think she’s talented or not. It’s hard to make a character likable when there’s really nothing to her. Even a seasoned, talented actress like Demi Moore couldn’t keep my interest. She didn’t seem like she even really wanted to be there. The two did act like mother and daughter, to the best of their abilities, but it is hard when the script is so vague. Marlo Thomas is actually the only actor that stood out to me. Her performance as the young-at-heart Gran was amusing and I enjoyed her presence in the film.

The plot as a whole felt kind of pointless. To me this was just another run-of-the-mill teen flick with nothing new to offer. We have shallow teen girls who have poor relationships with their parents and who lust after cute boys. I didn’t feel like anything was accomplished in this film. It was clichéd and predictable.

I also didn't understand why these girls treated their virginity like a disease. They couldn't wait to rid themselves of the pesky thing, apparently to seem "experienced" when they had sex with someone they really wanted to be with. I guess the days of wanting your first time to be special and with someone you love are gone. They also don't seem to realize that having sex one time doesn't make you that experienced - it often takes a lot of experimentation to find what works for you and your partner, and each partner likes different things. I feel like this didn't promote a positive message about sex to the younger viewers. Sex is not something you rush into with just anyone, especially when you've never done it before. Yet, that is just what these girls do: Emily gives it up to prepare her for someone she feels is superior to her current partner. (Also, she gives it up in the boy's bathroom, because that's classy.) 

Lola loses it to someone she does truly love, but not for lack of trying with others. Why is there such a stigma against virgins? Why promote such stigma to young viewers? I think it's irresponsible and doesn't teach young women to have any self-respect. Ugh, at least they promoted safe sex. 

One thing I did like was the band’s music. I thought the song, “Heart on Fire,” was sweet and catchy.

Overall: the movie wasn’t exactly terrible, but it wasn’t good either. It was very bland, cliché and predictable, with no developed characters. The acting could have been better if the performers had more to work with. It also doesn't do a good job promoting a positive relationship between mother and daughter, and the way the subject of sex is treated really bothers me. Skip it.

3.5/10

Cherry (2010)

Directed by: Jeff Fine

Starring: Kyle Gallner, Laura Allen, Britt Robertson, Esai Morales and Matt Walsh

Genre: Independent, Comedy, Drama

Rated: R

This coming-of-age story follows seventeen-year-old Aaron Milton (Gallner) as he enters his freshman year at an Ivy League university. He’s a highly intelligent guy, entering the engineering program on a scholarship. However, he also has a passion for art, and attends a drawing class against the wishes of his advisor and his mother. In this class he meets an older woman named Linda (Allen), whose free spirit and direct manner charm him. He soon develops a crush on Linda, but things get complicated when he goes to her house for dinner and meets her fourteen-year-old daughter, Beth, who develops a crush on him. Through this awkward triangle, Aaron learns more about himself and grows into a more confident, secure person.

When I first saw previews for this film, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. I was afraid it was going to turn out to be just another overly sexualized college flick about a guy losing his virginity, but those fears were put to rest upon viewing. Despite the name of the film, sex is not the main focus of the storyline. Aaron isn’t just a virgin in the sexual sense; he’s a virgin to the real world – having been raised by an overly protective-to-the-point-of-controlling mother. He’s unaware of the problems people face, because he’s never had to face them. He embarks on quite the adventure with Linda and Beth, and learns a lot about the world and those he cares about on the way to finding himself.

I really liked this film. The acting was very well-done, especially from Gallner, Allen, and Robertson. Gallner is a young actor that I have been following readily for some time. He’s a very talented and versatile actor, and I haven’t disliked a single performance yet. His portrayal of the somewhat naïve, nerdy leading man was both believable and charming. Allen is fun as the free-spirited older woman but she is also able to realistically portray the complexities of addiction that afflict her. Robertson furthers this with her convincing performance as the daughter of an addict. I only wish that the relationship between mother and daughter got a little more screen time, and the audience could actually see what went on between the two of them rather than just hear it described by Beth. 

The writing feels natural. While the story isn’t entirely original, it is loosely based on the director’s life, and the writing makes you forget that similar stories have been told before. The three main characters all have full character arcs and each one has something to learn – no character in this film is flawless, but every character is redeemable.

For me, everything seemed to work for this film. The indie music really seemed to fit the characters and the storyline. The technical aspects were great – the music never overpowered the dialogue, scenes were always well-lit, etc. This is just one example of professional quality independent film.

7/10