I'm not a fan of the teenage/high school genre, which seems to be a uniquely American thing. Thus I approached this with some trepidation and whilst my worst fears were not confirmed I remain unconvinced about the genre.
There is little by way of plot; just a few months in the lives of the characters who range across the usual types to be found in this type of film. As with teen movies the focus is firmly on the males - they are the only ones allowed any variation of character. The girls always seem to be the same one-dimensional cardboard cutouts whilst the males are allowed to range from crazy to lazy and nerdish to pervish. In particular, the scenes immediately before and after a visit to the abortion clinic suggest that undergoing such a process leaves no physical or mental scars and is about on a par with a visit to the dentist for a check-up. Thus it's fair to say that the film is sexist - surprising given that it's directed by a woman.
On the upside there are some good lines - particularly the comment about romance in Ridgemont: "In Ridgemont? It's not even easy to get cable TV in Ridgemont" (or something like that). And Sean Penn makes the whole thing tolerable.
Is age and generation something to do with appreciating this type of film? I am a great fan of "American Graffiti" - it's more or less my generation. And why did I find myself rooting for Mr Hand in his battle with Scipoli?! I tend to follow Roger Ebert's and James Berardinelli's reviews and it's interesting to compare them on this film as they usually tend to have similar reactions. Berardinelli was fine with it seeing it as a reflection of his own generation, whilst Ebert hated it. And, of course, Ebert is from a much earlier generation.
If you have 90 minutes and time is hanging heavy then you could do worse (unless, I suspect, you are an American at high school in the eighties in which case you'll probably appreciate it much more).
Pass the zimmer frame, nurse.
There is little by way of plot; just a few months in the lives of the characters who range across the usual types to be found in this type of film. As with teen movies the focus is firmly on the males - they are the only ones allowed any variation of character. The girls always seem to be the same one-dimensional cardboard cutouts whilst the males are allowed to range from crazy to lazy and nerdish to pervish. In particular, the scenes immediately before and after a visit to the abortion clinic suggest that undergoing such a process leaves no physical or mental scars and is about on a par with a visit to the dentist for a check-up. Thus it's fair to say that the film is sexist - surprising given that it's directed by a woman.
On the upside there are some good lines - particularly the comment about romance in Ridgemont: "In Ridgemont? It's not even easy to get cable TV in Ridgemont" (or something like that). And Sean Penn makes the whole thing tolerable.
Is age and generation something to do with appreciating this type of film? I am a great fan of "American Graffiti" - it's more or less my generation. And why did I find myself rooting for Mr Hand in his battle with Scipoli?! I tend to follow Roger Ebert's and James Berardinelli's reviews and it's interesting to compare them on this film as they usually tend to have similar reactions. Berardinelli was fine with it seeing it as a reflection of his own generation, whilst Ebert hated it. And, of course, Ebert is from a much earlier generation.
If you have 90 minutes and time is hanging heavy then you could do worse (unless, I suspect, you are an American at high school in the eighties in which case you'll probably appreciate it much more).
Pass the zimmer frame, nurse.