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(More customer reviews)American Teen begins with the echoing, bouncy guitar riffs from the Black Kids' I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance with You leading most of the public to think that this is yet another vapid movie about teenagers and the predictable storylines that usually accompany them. However, despite its Breakfast Club mock-up poster, there's something different about American Teen. Even though it's a documentary, the movie's advertising and beginning make it appear more as fiction rather than non-fiction. This documentary, brought to us by Nanette Burstein - who directed The Kid Stays in the Picture, a documentary bio about producer/actor Robert Evans - is shot in an attractive, contemporary style that brings a usually-dreaded genre (documentaries) to an audience (teenagers) that label them as such. With animated sequences and a stellar soundtrack, Burstein delivers a fun, truthful look into the lives of four high school seniors during their final school year.
Taking a cue from the classic generation-defining 1985 John Hughes teen movie The Breakfast Club, the teaser poster already sets up the tone for the "characters," featuring the students in the same poses and clothes as the characters from Hughes' cult classic. There's Hannah, in the place of Ally Sheedy's self-proclaimed "freak/loner" Allison Reynolds; Colin, in the place of Emilio Estevez's jock Andy Clark; Megan, in the place of Molly Ringwald's "princess" Claire Standish; Jake, in the place of Anthony Michael Hall's geek Brian Johnson; and, although advertised as a major character is actually just a reoccuring face, Mitch, in the place of Judd Nelson's rebel John Bender (which is not justified because Mitch is really the "popular pretty-boy." The main four characters are easily-lovable Hannah, teen "queen bee" Megan, likeable jock Colin, and quiet unpopular nice-guy Jake. Most politically correct people would say that there are no easy stereotypes in high school. Well, I hate to break it to these people, but ... there are. Although there are mixes of these archetypes (i.e. the rebel and the geek), unfortunately, high school life -- no matter where you grow up -- is this categorized.Watching the documentary, the audience can tell that director Burstein obviously identifies with Hannah, the all-things-art student who, like a majority of high school seniors, longs to escape the humdrum existence within mid-West territory Warsaw, Indiana. Like most characters in fictional films, all of the "characters" in this documentary are easy to relate to, but, unlike most fictional films -- particularly teenage films -- this film is the real world. Budding romances don't pan out, friendships don't always last, and the ending doesn't end on a "and-they-lived-happily-ever-after" vibe. And that's the brilliance of this documentary. What makes American Teen so real is that, despite its modern alternative band soundtrack and contemporary, MTV-style clothing, it shows the audience the excruciating pain and overwhelming joy that both come with our memories and experiences of high school existence.
Some critics have noted that there are no African-American or gay/lesbian representation in this film, but I seem to laugh at those labels since both groups have supposedly never wanted to be singled out and therefore wanted to be treated nothing but equal. So, why do we need a "gay character" or "African-American character"? What makes American Teen so endearing is that it focuses more on those traits that every kid (regardless of race, religion, or sex) falls into during their high school years: a jock, a princess, a loner/rebel, a pretty-boy, a geek/nerd.
Most PC folk would say that it's completely close-minded of me to say that the high school hierarchy consists just of these stereotypes. I hate to break the news to these people, but it's true. When you're that age and in high school, that's all there really is to focus on. Your world is broken down into superlatives and trivial gossip and rumors. Still, even teenagers go through their serious life-altering events and that's what's at the heart of American Teen.
Rebel/outcast Hannah -- who I can tell Burstein identified with just by the way she filmed her -- longs to get out of her sleepy town and head to California. But what's hindering her is her fear that she might inherit the manic depression that's seized her mother. Besides her love-life, we get to witness her passions and her quirkiness that endears her to much of the audience. Then there's Hannah's social extreme opposite, Megan, a bitchy princess who deals with more than most her age. Not only is she pressured by her family to get into Notre Dame, but she's also dealing with the emotional repurcussions of her older sister's suicide. Colin, the star jock, has only one shot at his future: receive a basketball scholarship or join the Army to get tuition since his family doesn't have enough money. Lastly, there's Jake, who's teenage awkwardness and video game lifestyle alienates him from most ... especially girls. All he wants is to go someplace where he can start over and not be known as a nobody. All of these kids reflect something that anyone in the audience probably could relate to or reminisce and think, "That was me!"
Overall, I really enjoyed this documentary, but like most documentaries, I want to know what happened to the "characters" long after the filming ceased. One can only hope that maybe the DVD (by the time it's released) might have some "where are they now" special feature. I don't know if American Teen would be worth buying the DVD, but it's definitely worth a watch ... especially for parents. Watching the movie, I think, and am reminded, how intense growing up can be during that transition from kid to young adult. I think of how my children will feel and think when they're making that transition, and I only hope that I can be an important base of support for them. In the modern age of MTV's The Hills - The Complete First Season, with all its decadence and style, American Teen brings us to a normal teenage world that shows kids in a more realistic light -- one which we can all relate. And that's the movie's (and Burstein's) success.
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