This film falls into the categorization of such films like Thumbsucker (2005) and to a lesser extent Juno (2007), a film about high school angst through the eyes of an outcast. This film’s outcast is Hal Hefner, played by Reece Thompson, a shy 15 year old whose debilitating stutter leaves him leery of the spotlight. Thompson gives a fantastic performance that leaves me looking forward to his promise as an actor. His character is enjoyable to watch and easy to side with which is fortunate as Hal’s stutter could have been as debilitating to the movie as it is to his character. The film opens with the state championship debater Ben Wekselbaum, played by Hero’s Nicholas D'Agosto, fervently spouting his resolve while his partner Virginia Ryerson, played by Anna Kendrick, looks on with a mix of desire and respect. Wekselbaum suddenly is silenced by an unknown force and we are introduced to Hal. These three character’s involve themselves in each other’s lives in varying degrees eventually leading to Hal’s attempts at debating. Virginia’s character is erudite and purposeful in enlisting Hal as her partner for competition after Wekselbaum lost the championship for her in the opening sequence. Hal, not being used to the attention, let alone being stunned by the proposal of him stammering publically trying to speak, is drawn to Virginia and this incites purpose into Hal. This movie could have turned into a Rocky/Mighty Ducks-type film where the hero gets over his stutter to win the debate and save the day, but it doesn’t - and this saves the movie. The ending is perfect in its delivery giving Hal small victories in love and in life but not going as far as to ruin it by having an entirely fairy tale ending. The soundtrack, however, stripped scenes often being obtrusive and misplaced. The arrangements were sparse and somewhat spastic which made it feel like a trying rip-off of a Wes Anderson score. The dialog, on the other hand, was hyper articulate and surprisingly accurate for a high school movie.
8 out of 10: This movie succeeds with a fantastic performance and an ending that satisfies, despite its debilitating soundtrack.
Favorite Music in 2018
-
*FAVORITE NON-2018 ALBUMS*
*[30]* *Head* - The Jesus Lizard (Touch & Go, 1990)
*[29]* *Moment of Truth* - Gang Starr (Noo Trybe / Virgin, 1998)
*[28]* *You C...
5 years ago
2 comments:
i think your assessment was a bit high; this film was like Little Miss Rushmore Dynamite Juno. Have we NOT had enough quirk!? I can't take this ridiculous characters with all of their conveniently endearing but bizarre flaws. ENOUGH! These films are nothing more than mainstream pap with some forced sensitivity!
Sadly, the best picture nods that two of those films have garnered will have us up to our ears in Postal Service-scored soundtracks from here until eternity.
There is nothing entirely offense in this film, for sure but an 8 is high for nothing more than an almagamation of better ideas strung together years after the fact. I would have been more comfortable with a 6.5- fake indie is dead, long live fake indie.
Ha ha, fantastic, thanks for responding! I'll agree with the sentiment that this is nothing original. But to reference Napoleon Dynamite is a little off, I feel. Nothing in this said hipster, but I felt an honest voice from the directors past. (That sounds way too corny, but the director did have a speech impediment at a young age.) I also feel that it wallowed in its anti-message. But I really enjoyed the film, and the 8 out of 10 is based off of that ending. I was expecting the showdown, the flying-V, the knuckle puck if you will. But we didn’t even get that. I find that most movies these days lack a satisfying ending, and when I find one it inflates my rating (see the review of The Kingdom.)
Post a Comment