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I saw a trailer for "Not Another Teen Movie,"
I thought, "My sentiments exactly." Don't
get me wrong; many recent teen movies have
been quite good, if not excellent. However,
it has now gotten to a point of gross regurgitation,
if not exploitation, with filmmakers clearly
trying to cash in on the successes of films
like "American Pie," "The Blair Witch Project,"
and "Scream."
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This spike in popularity of the teen genre
is nothing new; history is, once again,
repeating itself. The 1980s saw a very similar
trend, with films by director John Hughes
("Sixteen Candles,"1984; "The Breakfast
Club," 1985; "Ferris Bueller's Day Off,"
1986) and Savage Steve Holland ("Better
Off Dead," 1985; "One Crazy Summer," 1986)
making many an actor's career and inspiring
other filmmakers to follow the same path.
While these are still regarded as the finest
films among the teen genre, today's producers
are trying to reinvent and modernize their
approaches.
"Not Another Teen Movie" aptly
points out what is wrong with many of today's
teen films. Yet there are also many good
things, indicative of the inevitable progress
made by the film industry along with any
other. This article takes a broad look at
the best and worst of this not-so-new genre,
and here is a small disclaimer, before you
proceed: This study, while extensive, isn't
all-inclusive; it is limited to films that
I have seen (and yes, I am somewhat surprised
by their quantity). In addition, please
bear in mind that it is a look solely at
the teen genre without comparing it to others.
Hence, please don't shame me for giving
praise to the likes of "10 Things I Hate
About You" — remember to take it in
context, as the majority of these films
simply aren't "Gone with the Wind" (1939).
—Julia Dudnik-Ptasznik
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| Raison
d'être
"Not Another Teen Movie" is supposed
to do for teen comedies and dramas what
"Scary Movie" and its sequel have done for
teen slashers. Whether or not it does that
remains to be seen, although the idea is
no less valid than any other parody.
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While it is undoubtedly full of funny moments,
the problems of this film are evident from
the start. In particular, there are two
aspects that are glaringly obvious. First,
although it pokes fun at a large variety
of preceding teen flicks, from early classics
to contemporary favorites, the main plot
line is a direct rip-off (meaning it goes
way beyond parody) of "She Is All That:"
The popular jock turns ugly duckling into
prom queen. Aghr. Clever this is not.
Second, "Not Another Teen Movie" is full
of references to 1980s John Hughes teen
films, from "The Breakfast Club" to "Ferris
Bueler's Day Off," "Pretty in Pink," and
"Sixteen Candles." The high school boasts
the name of John Hughes High, complete with
an Anthony Michael Hall eating area and
Harry Dean Stadium. Eighties teen star Molly
Ringwald makes a cameo appearance as a flight
attendant. People my age who grew up on
such films are certain to enjoy these spoofs,
but the problem is, how many of them are
going to see this film? Not many; I guarantee
that, as "Not Another Teen Movie" is targeted
to today's younger moviegoers. And the latter
are unlikely to connect some of the more
clever jokes to older movies, thus missing
a big part of the parody.
Comparing one teen parody to another, "Scary
Movie" beats "Not Another Teen Movie" hands
down. While the first is hilarious, it is
also very smart — the Wayans family
continues to amaze with their wit and creativity.
"Not Another Teen Movie" is on an entirely
different, lower level from a conceptual
stand point. Much the same can be said about
actors' performances: "Scary Movie" succeeds
largely because it is not full on the unknown
and untrained. Another notable difference
is the plot: Although "Scary Movie" is a
parody, it is not predictable. "Not Another
Teen Movie" is just as formulaic as the
predecessors which it parodies.
Some of the characters
in "Not Another Teen Movie" are completely
obvious in terms of their origins, while
others have appeared in so many movies that
it is difficult to tell which one is parodied
here. The film's excellent website provides
character descriptions and rationale for
their being part of the film. We have already
dispensed with the inspirations behind the
characters of Pretty Ugly Girl and Popular
Jock, and here are a few other obvious and
not-so-obvious parallels.
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Amanda, The Perfect Girl, comes straight
from the romantic comedy "Can't Hardly Wait,"
where a perfect girl by the same name was
portrayed by Jennifer Love Hewitt (top
right, with Ethan Embry). The producers
of "Not Another Teen Movie" have gone to
great length with this character; Lacey
Chabert looks, walks, and talks like her
predecessor. This is further reinforced
by plot and set design, with the party couch
scene duplicated almost exactly.
The always-naked Foreign Exchange Student
offers another obvious connection, in this
case to "American Pie." The same script
also brings us the three Desperate Virgins,
portrayed in "Not Another Teen Movie" by
Cody McMains, Sam Huntington, and Samm Levine
(above). Yet historically, the most
desperate virgins have been brought to us
by Hughes in "Weird Science" (1985). In
this classic,
Gary and Wyatt (Anthony Michael Hall and
Ilan Mitchell-Smith) are so desperate that
they attempt to create the perfect woman
on Gary's computer, and, with the help of
a mysterious lightening bolt, their digital
creation turns into the very real, smart,
and sexy Lisa (Kelly LeBrock, shown here
with Hall).
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Hughes's other classic, "Pretty In Pink"
(1986), lends the characters of the Unemployed
Father and Obsessed Best Friend, although
these spoofs are highly likely to be lost
on the primary viewing audience of "Not
Another Teen Movie." Randy Quaid ("Independence
Day," 1996, top left) follows in
the footsteps of veteran character actor
Harry Dean Stanton ("The Pledge," 2001;
"The Green Mile," 1999, top left third)
as the father, but there aren't many similarities
between the two characters apart from both
being outcasts. The Obsessed Best Friend
(Eric Jungmann, bottom left), however,
is an exact visual replica of John Cryer's
Duckie, complete with his trademark hat.
Speaking of Duckie, here is a sad bit of
teen film trivia: It's all about money.
Originally, the romantic triangle of "Pretty
In Pink" was supposed to conclude with the
lead character Andie (Molly Ringwald) paired
up with Duckie, as opposed to her new rich
and popular boyfriend Blaine (Andrew McCarthy).
Yet when the film was screened in front
of its target audience, the ending had to
be reshot the other way around. So much
for the underdog (and reality, for that
matter).
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"Not Another Teen Movie" hasn't limited
its scope to just comedies; the influence
of the still-enduring teen thriller "Scream"
is evident in the characters of Undercover
Reporter and Creepy Film Guy (a.k.a. The
Beautiful Weirdo). Riley Smith (above,
top) aptly parodies horror-film-freak
character of Jamie Kennedy (above, bottom
left). Recent romantic comedy "Drive
Me Crazy" also sports a very similar character,
Ray (Kris Park), who has his camera at hand
for most of the film and creates his own
parody of the high school's popular crowd,
broadcasting it on student television to
shock and dismay of students and teachers
alike. Incidentally, this tiny sub-plot
is one of the best parts of this otherwise
unremarkable movie.
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The character of the Nasty Cheerleader
(Jaime Pressly) is supposedly based on Torrence
(Kirsten Dunst) of "Bring It On," yet it
is more of a hybrid. Torrence was neither
nasty nor vying for the prom queen crown.
The "nasty" part can easily be attributed
to another "Bring It On" character, the
ex-captain of the cheerleading squad whom
Torrence replaced. As to the prom-queen-wannabe,
there have been so many, but the one that
sticks in my mind is Jodi Lyn O'Keefe's
character (left) in "She's All That"
— the nastiest girl in school who trades
up boyfriends from Freddy Prinze Jr. to a
semi-celebrity played Matthew Lillard (in
yet another phenomenally comedic performance).
Be that as it may, "Not Another Teen Movie"
(above left) takes "Bring It On" for
all it's worth, down to the confrontation
scene between leaders of two competing cheerleader
squads.
Left photo © Columbia Pictures |
Sarah Michelle Gellar of "Cruel Intentions"
(above right) serves as basis for Mia
Kirshner's Cruelest Girl in School. Once again,
the filmmakers try to carefully imitate the
lavish feel of the original production, as
well as the character's
propensity for sex and, of course, cruelty.
It should be noted that characters such as
this appear in practically every teen film;
they are as much of a staple as the token
black guy. Alicia (Sarah May Pratt, left)
of "Drive Me Crazy" is another perfect example,
complete with a tongue that could kill and
a winning attitude that makes it perfectly
alright to try to seduce her best friend's
boyfriend. Pratt's and Kirshner's appearances
are also remarkably similar, from looks to
attire — but this is highly likely a
coincidence. While we are on the topic of
cruel highschool girls, teen thriller "The
Craft" has given us an early and infinitely
satisfying example of punishment, with a bitchy
senior portrayed by Christine Taylor losing
her beautiful blonde hair as a result of a
witch's spell.
In premise, the saddest character of "Not
Another Teen Movie" is the Token Black Guy
(left, Deon Richmond). It does seem
that the majority of today's teen flicks are
set in white suburban settings, and black
(or any other minority) actors are cast in
the least significant parts, with very few
exceptions. Richmond is funny, yet the concept
isn't.
"Not Another Teen Movie" parodies not only
characters but, as expected, entire scenes
and plots from a huge amount of previous teen
films, from the whipped cream seduction of
"Varsity Blues" (left) to the football
field serenade from "10 Things I Hate About
You" (below) and the detention room
of "The Breakfast Club." But the bottom line
is, no matter how many great and not-so-great
films it pillages (aghr. parodies), "Not Another
Teen Movie" doesn't manage to put forth a
cohesive product of its own.
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| Best
and worst of recent teen films by
genre
Comedy 
Thriller 
Drama 
Atypical
It is quite interesting that filmmakers
favoring the teen setting have gravitated
heavily towards two juxtaposed genres:
Very light-hearted comedy and thriller,
most of the latter with a horror,
supernatural, or even a sci-fi bent.
Teen dramas - i.e. projects exploring
serious, realistic issues - are hard
to come by, and the few that have
been made (e.g., "Varsity Blues" and
"Cruel Intentions," 1999) weren't
either good or successful with audiences.
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When it comes to comedies, there is
no doubt that the best recent film is
"American Pie" (1999). Its US box office
success alone is quite impressive, a
total of $101,800,949. The 2001 sequel
has done even better, generating $145,065,350
in total US revenue, second highest
among the films reviewed here ("Scary
Movie," 2000, was the top money-earner).
Add to that the popularity of the movie
with critics and mass (not just teenage)
audiences alike, and you get the teen
comedy institution of the last decade
— and this title is not bestowed
lightly; few others working within this
genre have come close to this quality
of writing, directing, cinematography,
and acting.
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The worst in this category was the supposedly
satirical "Drop Dead Gorgeous," despite
its fabulous stars Kirsten Dunst and
Ellen Barkin, who plays Dunst's mother
and is among the most respected and
versatile women of the big screen ("Sea
of Love," 1989; "Bad Company," 1995).
This "mockumentary" depicts a teenage
beauty pageant, pitting the trailer-park
good girl Dunst against the resident
rich bitch, played by the good-looking
yet inept Denise Richards ("The World
Is Not Enough," 1999 — as if Ms.
Richards were believable as a nuclear
physicist or a love interest for Pierce
Brosnan's Bond). No wonder "Drop Dead
Gorgeous" dropped dead, both at the
box office and everywhere else. In all
fairness, it wasn't the lowest-grossing
film; this dubious honor went to the
off-beat punk rock comedy "SLC Punk!,"
although it was a significantly better
film.
Romance dominated the rest of recent
teen comedies, as evidenced by the 15
films discussed here. The last year
of the 20th century was awash with teen
romances, from the rather sad "Drive
Me Crazy" to the cute "She's All That."
Of those, my personal favorite was "10
Things I Hate About You," a high school
take on Shakespeare's "The Taming of
the Shrew" starring Julia Stiles and
Heath Ledger, who literally steals the
entire movie with his sensitive rebel
act. (Read
a review of "10 Things I Hate About
You.")
Source: US box office statistics
from The
Numbers
* Also known as "Dead Man's Curve,"
this film was originally released
in Australia (Sydney only), UK,
and a couple of test markets in
the US. Comparable statistics
aren't available due to limited
distribution. |
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Recent teen thrillers are generally
of better quality than either comedies
or dramas, with several good, albeit
not sensational or award-quality films.
The mother of all teen horror thrillers
is, of course, the original "Scream"
(1996) — a film made before the
teen thriller genre went into hyperspeed.
This one has it all, from an excellent
plot to well-known actors (Neve Campbell,
Skeet Ulrich, Matthew Lillard, Courteney
Cox, David Arquette, Drew Barrymore),
sleek shooting, lots of horrific violence,
and an ending that would make any
horror movie proud. But three of them?
Add to that two "I Know What You Dids."
helmed by Campbell's "Party of Five"
co-star Jennifer Love Hewitt and a
couple of "Urban Legends" and "Blair
Witches," and it becomes quite obvious
that producers are milking the popularity
of the genre for all it's worth —
with or without a good reason.
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Although sequels rarely do as well
as the originals, the three "Screams"
top the US box office teen thriller
revenue charts, surpassed only by
the cult classic "The Blair Witch
Project" (1999), which made a record
$140,539,099. This number is astonishing
in view of the film's non-existent
budget and can be attributed to the
highly unusual approach taken by its
producers. It should also be noted
that the first of the two Blair Witch
films does not fit the description
of a "teen thriller" as neatly as
"Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2" (2000),
which was conceptualized as a teen
film. "I Know What You Did Last Summer"
(1997) is fourth among recent teen
thrillers, no doubt riding on the
heels of the first "Scream."
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Despite the popularity of teen slasher
movies, I find myself drawn to the
more unusual and original among teen
thrillers — which, incidentally,
means earlier films. One example is
"Hackers" (1995), whose ensemble cast
included Angelina Jolie ("Gone in
60 Seconds," 2000; "The Bone Collector"
and "Girl, Interrupted," 1999) and
Matthew Lillard, best known for the
giddy teen psycho he played in the
original "Scream" and leads in two
more teen films, "The Curve" (1998)
and "SLC Punk!" (see recent
teen comedy reviews). "The Rage:
Carrie 2" is another, more recent
example of a semi-original idea —
a sequel to Brian DePalma's 1976 big-screen
directorial debut, "Carrie," which
is arguably the original teen horror
film.
Among the 20 thrillers discussed
here, I'd recommend seeing "The Craft"
(1996), which is an entertaining witchcraft
story (starring Robin Tunney, Faruiza
Balk, Neve Campbell, and Rachel True)
which preceded the mad rush of teen
thrillers. Although it bears the markings
of a teen flick — the token black
chick and the cruelest girl in high
school make their appearances early
— it is one of the more original
and interesting films among this group.
(Read a review of "The
Craft.")
Finally, teen dramas. Slim pickings
here. Only five movies I've seen fit
into this category: "Varsity Blues,"
"Cruel Intentions," "Light It Up,"
"Go" (all 1999), and "All I Wanna
Do" (a drama/comedy originally produced
in 1998 and re-released in 2000).
Apart from the last one, the rest
are just bad (read recent
teen drama reviews here). "Light
It Up" should be commended for its
urban setting, a more realistic, ethnically
diverse cast, and socially significant
subject matter, but that's about where
it ends — nice try. "Go," not
a bad production from a purely artistic
standpoint, is completely and utterly
unrealistic in its depiction of the
rave scene — to a degree that
invites a comparison
with another film, "Kids," a disturbing
1995 drama that is truthful and should
be seen by every teenager who thinks
raves are "cool," as well as every
parent who happens to be reading this
column. "Kids" is definitely not a
"teen flick," it just happens to be
a film about teenagers.
Which brings us to the last category
— the "un-teen" teen movies,
for lack of a better description.
There have been several recent films,
from comedies to dramas and even science
fiction, that do not fit the popular
teensploitation formula despite being
either about teenagers or having a
cast full of them. In addition to
"Kids," these include "Here on Earth"
(2000), "Brokedown Palace," "Girl,
Interrupted," "Wing Commander" (1999),
and "Fear" (1996), among others. Although
not all of them are equally good,
this is where you'll find the best
dramas and most interesting, realistic
stories.
Note:
"Not Another Teen Movie" images
are © Columbia Pictures. All other
images are courtesy and copyright
of their respective owners.
+ analysis
by Julia
Dudnik-Ptasznik,
about
the author
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