STRIPPED OF DARK MOMENTS, 'CRAZY' PERSEVERES.Byline: Bob Strauss Film Critic A really nice try at an honest, contemporary teen drama A teen drama is a television drama series that centers on teenage characters. The genre is relatively new, first appearing in the late 1980s. The shows are usually serial, starting when the characters are well into their teenage years (usually between 13 to 19 years of age) and if that is, unfortunately, undercut by studio insistence on a PG-13 rating, ``crazy/beautiful'' nevertheless intrigues up to its unsatisfying conclusion. The movie deals in cliches and reverse cliches, but somehow finds a good deal of room for behavioral truth between the two poles. Sterling performances by the ever-excelling Kirsten Dunst Kirsten[1] Caroline Dunst (born April 30, 1982) is an American actress, known for her roles in (for which she received a Golden Globe nomination), The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette, and Bring It On and newcomer Jay Hernandez Jay Hernandez (born February 20, 1978) is an American actor. Hernandez was born Javier Manuel Hernandez, Jr. in Montebello, California to Isis (Maldonado), a secretary, and Javier Hernandez, Sr., a mechanic. do a lot to make obvious situations play fresh and spontaneous. And let's admit facts: while ``crazy/beautiful'' is a wan imitation of such iconic antecedents as ``Rebel Without a Cause'' and ``Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet star-crossed lovers die as teenagers. [Br. Lit.: Romeo and Juliet] See : Death, Premature Romeo and Juliet archetypal star-crossed lovers. [Br. Lit. ,'' it's a classic compared to the vulgar cartoons that pass for youth movies in this day and age. Perhaps the most endearing aspect of the movie is the spin of its central cross-ethnic, cross-tracks romance. Dunst's blond, privileged Nicole is the problem child, an ultra-liberal congressman's daughter from Pacific Palisades Palisades, cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson River, NE N.J. and SE N.Y., extending from N of Jersey City, N.J., to the vicinity of Piermont, N.Y., with a general altitude of from 350 ft to 550 ft (107–168 m). who is rebellious, sexually aggressive sexually aggressive adjective Relating to potentially violent behavior focused on gratification of sexual drives, regardless of the desire for participation on the part of the partner. See Sexually dangerous. and has a pronounced drinking problem - if not, in any real way, crazy. She takes a liking to Hernandez's Carlos, a straight-A's, straight-arrow kid from the East L.A. barrio bar·ri·o n. pl. bar·ri·os 1. An urban district or quarter in a Spanish-speaking country. 2. A chiefly Spanish-speaking community or neighborhood in a U.S. city. who rides a bus two hours every day to attend the better Westside school. He likes her back, for both obvious and deeper reasons. Naturally, this sets parental units to worrying. But instead of the usual prejudices, both Nicole's dad (Bruce Davison) and Carlos' mom (Soledad St. Hilaire) want him to stay away from the pale white girl for his own good, lest her indulgent, self-destructive ways rub off on him. Of course, their elders' concerns have about as much impact on the kids' relationship as parental objections to young love have since the beginning of time: in a word, nada. However, Carlos does sort of understand that the love of his life needs help. Trouble is, for the movie to have had real dramatic impact, Nicole needed more help than she ultimately does here. Sure, she likes to party too much, looks appropriately wasted (but beautiful!) most of the time and gets arrested for minor infractions, but her only real issues, frankly, are a wicked stepmother (Lucinda Jenney in a thankless stereotype) and a daddy she thinks doesn't love her. Oh, and some drinking laws that Jenna Bush could surely tell you are neither fair nor fairly enforced. Whatever else Nicole needs fixing, the patient, wise-beyond-his-years Carlos seems to be more than handy at it. To put it mildly, the youthful stars bring much more than what's on the page to their roles. Dunst adroitly a·droit adj. 1. Dexterous; deft. 2. Skillful and adept under pressing conditions. See Synonyms at dexterous. [French, from à droit : à, to (from Latin avoids poor-little-rich-girl bathos ba·thos n. 1. a. An abrupt, unintended transition in style from the exalted to the commonplace, producing a ludicrous effect. b. An anticlimax. 2. a. by giving Nicole a good streak of carnal carnal adjective Referring to the flesh, to baser instincts, often referring to sexual “knowledge” glee; there may be serious psychological reasons for the character's not-so-bad bad-girl antics, but the actress, if not the movie (or most movies about wayward adolescents), understands that she does most of what she does mainly because it feels good. For his part, Hernandez doesn't allow the admirable Carlos to perch comfortably on a pedestal On a Pedestal is an EP by the Swedish band Adhesive, released in 1998. Track listing
The director, John Stockwell, was a film actor himself, and it shows. He has admitted that he could not save the rougher, more alarming examples of Nicole's behavior from the pervasive pre-censorship that's gripped distributor Disney in the wake of the McCain-Lieberman campaign against free expression in anything a minor might see. But by guiding Dunst and Hernandez to remarkably truthful performances despite near-crippling restrictions, Stockwell has managed to come away with a heartfelt and intelligent movie anyway. Crazy as that sounds, at least it's some kind of beautiful. ``crazy/beautiful'' (Rated PG-13: sex, language, substance abuse) The stars: Kirsten Dunst, Jay Hernandez, Bruce Davison. Behind the scenes: Directed by John Stockwell. Written by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi. Produced by Mary Jane Ufland, Harry J. Ufland and Rachel Pfeffer. Released by Touchstone Pictures. Running time: One hour, 35 minutes. Playing: Citywide. Our rating: Three stars |
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