Not about the tech industry, as the title might suggest, nor even, to my eyes, recognizably set in any particular place, this is a mash-up of stories about high school kids based on some stories by James Franco. Franco, who grew up in the posh northern California town, plays a crush-worthy girls’ soccer coach, and Emma Roberts plays April, a nice girl who has a bit of a crush on him. Director Gia Coppola also focuses on Teddy (Jack Kilmer), a boy who has a crush of April, but spends much of his time hanging out with his pal Fred, the two seeming to inspire each other’s self-destructive behavior. [With Coppola being the granddaughter of Francis Ford Coppola and niece of Sofia Coppola, Roberts being the daughter of Eric Roberts and niece of Julia Roberts, and Kilmer being the son of Val Kilmer (who plays April’s dad), this is quite the showcase for Hollywood talent once- (or twice-) removed.]
In the beginning of the movie April and several of the other female characters play “never have I ever,” a variation of truth or dare, and the depiction of high school here makes life seem like an ongoing game in which kids fear to be truthful, or dare themselves to do often foolish things. (Naturally, alcohol, drugs, sex, and property destruction come up in various ways.) The adults range from harmful to clueless. The tone is more somber, less humorous than most movies about teens.
It’s not bad overall, or sensationalized, except when Coppola tries to be a little arty, as with a weird scene with a whispery voiceover that I think was supposed to be Fred talking to himself. However, the multiple storylines don’t cohere into a real story. Though I liked the actors, the film didn’t feel like it was saying anything new or different.
IMDb link
viewed 5/12/14 7:30 pm at Roxy [PFS screening] and posted 5/23/14
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