DVD Review: American Teen
Director Nanette Burstein Explores High School Life of Five Teens
Jan 14, 2009
Brief Synopsis of American Teen
Set in Warsaw, Indiana a few years ago, American Teen takes a close look at five very different students, all of them attending Warsaw Community High School. This being their senior year before hopefully heading off to college, these five teens have lofty goals for themselves. Be it to get a basketball scholarship, to be accepted into dad's alma mater, to get a big break into film school, or to finally kiss a girl, the five individuals highlighted in this touching flick couldn't be any more different from each other (while under the watchful eye of a documentarian, naturally).
Hannah Bailey is the typical school rebel, whose ambition is to move out of what she sees as a dead end town, to pursue of dreams of becoming a successful movie director, getting away from her dysfunctional parents. A break-up with a boy early on in the school year has a serious impact on her emotionally, and her prolonged absence compromises her potential graduation come next summer.
Mitch Reinholt is your above average good looking high school renaissance man. Respected by all cliques, having a hand in the success of the school's basketball team, Mitch ends up smitten with Hannah later on in the docu. However, peer pressure being what it is in senior high, he ends up dumping the poor girl via text messaging. His story is covered to a lesser degree in the film.
Megan Krizmanich is the popular pretty girl every average student loves to hate. The preppy, well-to-do, conceited little princess, Megan considers herself queen of her realm, and that of her friends. Considerably stuck up, she is also dealing with the stress of whether she will be accepted by her father and siblings' alma mater, Notre Dame. Though she blames most of her bitchy behaviour on this life changing event, her unredeemable antics make her the villain in many of the film's situations.
Popular jock Colin Clemens is going through the same problems. With his lower middle class family unable to cover the expenses of a college education, Colin's only chance at avoiding the Army is to obtain a scholarship based on his basketball prowess. That being said, he spends much of the season trying too hard to impress scouts, compromising the team as a whole, and jeopardizing his potential acceptance. Whether he will reach his goal remains up in the air for most of the film.
As for loner geek Jake Tusing, the poor kid spends much of the school year trying to ask a girl, any girl, out to the dance, to the movies, or to the prom. His obsession with collectable action figures and online video games (not to mention his overly timid and awkward demeanor) poses a serious challenge in getting any girl to pay attention to him. His is the sad story, that of a poor, well meaning kid who does his best to be noticed, but who remains invisible in the eyes of others.
Analysis of American Teen DVD
Advertised as a modern-day Breakfast Club by Paramount Vantage as the film made its way to the Sundance Film Festival, Nanette Burstein didn't fail to deliver on the hype. Very much like the John Hughes movie which inspired it, Burstein's comprehensive search of over a hundred seniors over ten high schools (before deciding on Warsaw High) delivered five very different stories, which are intricately intertwined, given the modern day high school dynamic. And so, the audience is left to root for the rebel, the jock, the cute guy, the nerd, and the princess.
Anyone who's lived through the experience of high school in the past 30 years will find him or herself identifying with any or all of these kids, who have real problems and real pressure, despite the camera following their every move.
Yes, the film's scenes often feel a bit too convenient at times (there were no hidden cameras, and so the film crew was omnipresent), and so it's impossible to deny that the students in question must have felt the overwhelming urge to kick it up a notch for the cameras, to further their own agenda. That being said, the end result nevertheless remains the same, providing mostly honest glimpses into the simple lives of kids who just want to make it to graduation.
Thankfully, the credits roll and provide a much needed "whatever happpened to..." follow-up to their exploits, where the audience can get a refresher of what came of their life plans, post-movie. To have done otherwise would certainly have been a downer across the board.
American Teen is a decent piece of film, which shamelessly throws viewers back to the hellish years of high school life, personal politics and all. Its modest success can be attributed to its core audience, anyone who's gone through the same thing. A sure bet indeed.
6.5 put of 10 for being a refreshing and modest litle documentary that could, despite the unavoidable feeling of a possible staged faux cinema verité feel
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