American Teen Review

"American Teen" reviews

Movie

American Teen

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2009-03-03 21:49:39

Rating

3/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

Candid, intimate, and often heart-wrenching, Nanette Burstein's documentary American Teen captures the confusion and agony of living through high school.

Story

Filmed over the course of the 2005-06 school year at Warsaw Community High School in Warsaw, Indiana, American Teen documents the many trials and triumphs of a group of seniors: endearing, eccentric Hannah Bailey; earnest basketball star Colin Clemens; queen of the popular crowd Megan Krizmanich; awkward loner Jake Tusing; and charming Mitch Reinholdt. The camera follows them as they cope with everything from painful breakups and new love to championship games and college applications, capturing the stress, joy, agony, and confusion of being a teenager. There's not much here that many other teen movies—particularly those in the John Hughes canon—haven't dealt with before, but because it's all new to these kids, it feels fresh and compelling. Not to mention heartwrenching; if you've already left high school behind you, don't be surprised to find yourself thanking your lucky stars.

Acting

Although American Teen is a documentary, the realities of being a teenager mean that its subjects end up acting every day. Hannah puts on a tough face when she returns to school after a long absence due to a bout of depression. Megan acts like she'll be OK if she doesn't get into Notre Dame (a long-standing family tradition). Mitch tries to pretend that he doesn't care that his friends don't understand why he'd want to date an ''outsider'' like Hannah. Because viewers get to see the truths behind these pretenses, they're all the more affecting; Hannah, in particular, will win you over with her big dreams and fierce determination. But while there's no shortage of raw, honest moments, it's impossible not to feel like the kids are putting on at least a bit of a show for the cameras; raised in the era of reality TV, you can tell that they know what interpersonal drama is ''supposed'' to look like.

Direction

No stranger to gripping documentaries, Nanette Burstein—who also directed On the Ropes and The Kid Stays in the Picture—is clearly aware of how closely her film and its subjects mirror their fictional counterparts in Hughes' classics like The Breakfast Club. But it's precisely this awareness that makes the film's point so clear: Stereotypes and clichés rule high school just as thoroughly in the real world as they do in fiction. And teens have to negotiate the pressures and boundaries imposed by those labels every day. The fact that Burstein really helps her audience get to know the kids she spent a year with makes what they go through both personal and moving. It's not the most original documentary you'll see, but it certainly taps into emotions that we can all identify with.

Bottom Line

Hollywood.com rated this film 3 stars.

Movie

American Teen

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2009-03-10 08:19:27

Provider

MRIB

Review

Here comes an American teen movie that follows the exploits of those very high school of archetypes - The jock, the Homecoming Queen, the hearthrob, the nerd and the rebel.

What sets American Teen from another Breakfast Club is the fact that it's all real. A hit at Sundance, director Nanette Burnstein (The Kid Stays in the Picture) documents the lives of five different kids at an Indiana high school. As funny and moving as any other high school movie, this is a riveting look at the pressures that faces teenagers - be it either through their peers or their parents.

The main 'star' is Hannah Bailey, who fits in the rebel mould. She is a charming independent thinking and free spirited individual trapped in a conservative culture. Her story is the most moving, as she struggles to keep her ideals while also flirting with conformity.

And if every great film has a hero, then they should have a villain. Step forward Megan Krizmanich. The princess of the school she rules her classmates with a iron glove, but smiling sweetly at the same time. Like last year's excellent King Of Kong, it almost feels too good to be true for a real life story as twists and turns abound a plenty that rival any movie.

Add an excellent soundtrack and a 'What Happened Next' end chapter that reveals surprising depths for our stars and you have an engrossing documentary.

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