Secret Agency: Barely Lethal

Hey, chill out all you Roger Ebert wannabees. This is a simple teenage comedy, but it is fun so just relax and enjoy it...it's called entertainment no Oscar trash. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, devoid of f-bombs, drugs, profanity and propaganda...it's simply a comedy if you can remember what those were like. AND for lovers of puns...you'll get this flick.

I decided to watch this movie because Samuel L. Jackson was in it. I found it on Netflix and had not even heard about it prior to stumbling upon it. I read the synopsis, but wasn't overly reeled in by it, as it had that teenage-generic-action-comedy vibe to it.

I will say that "Barely Legal" actually turned out to be far better than I had initially hoped or thought it would be, given the synopsis for the movie. And it turned out to be rather entertaining. Sure, it had those sappy moments that are seen in these particular movies, but it worked out well enough.

The storyline, despite being so generic and predictable that it was oozing off of it, actually still turned out to be entertaining for what it was. This doesn't challenge the viewer intellectually, so just unwind, lean back and enjoy the ride.

They had some good performers in the movie, and it was nice to see Jessica Alba in the role that she had. And of course Samuel L. Jackson was good, just a shame that he hadn't a more prominent role to play. Hailee Steinfeld actually turned out to be a rather good choice for the lead, as she definitely stood her ground and performed well.

All in all, you know what you are getting yourself into here with a movie such as this, and the movie does play on every available trick that has been seen before in similar movies. But it still worked out quite well.

I needed a break from the real world and this did the trick. It just about clears average and is perfectly watchable. I thought some of the riffs on the tropes of teen comedy were amusing for anyone who'd seen the originals - although I have to admit I didn't laugh an awful lot. It is what it is: not every film can be an oscar contender.

Not all movies can be epic.

I went into the theater not expecting much, even though such actors as Sam L. Jackson and Jessica Alba names appeared on the movie poster. The movie has a really cool concept:

Sam L Jackson trains an army of underage girls to be government assassins, but his most skilled agent, number 83 seeks to regain her childhood by becoming a normal teenager after her last mission gave her the opportunity to fake her own death.

It's been a while since I've seen Jessica Alba in a flick so it's cool to see her in this as the villain, though the movie centers more around Number 83, played by Hailee Steinfeild and how a teenager who does not know how to be a teenager learns how to be one. This plot turned the big named stars like Jackson and Alba's role in the movie into nothing but overblown cameos. You can actually tell from the way it's filmed that both of them were just collecting a pay check.

Barely Lethal had the makings of a great teen comedy. It had an interesting concept that the filmmakers were able to show off in the movie. It was put together nicely with action an comedy that made for a fun flick, but it won't go down in history with the John Hughes flicks from the 80s or American Pie franchise.

But I still found it worthy to take a look at.

Imagine rifling through your DVD collection and grabbing Salt, Get Smart, 16 Candles & Fatal Attraction and throwing them all into a blender. Aside from getting a lot of DVD splinters in your face, you'll get an experience like none other.

"Barely Lethal" is the story of a teenage girl who is a highly trained assassin but she can't survive a week in high school. The setup is brilliant. Almost satirical, but not quite, it takes us to the realm of utter absurdity, but underneath it all is a solid metaphor about the difficulties of adolescence. This is a timeless story which is why it's fun for all ages & demographics. I'm male and old enough that I saw "The Breakfast Club" in the movie theater when it came out ...and I loved this flick.

If you are prepared for some wild wtf swings in plot, tone, theme and presentation (or even better, if you can see it as part of this film's charm) then you might love this flick, too. In the Making-Of bonus features, you can see that the entire cast is having a blast and acting like teenagers during filming. This translates into great on-screen chemistry as well as some genuine silly fun. As 40-year-old Dan Fogler (the hilarious Mr. Drumm) says, "My maturity level definitely dropped a few points."

The comedy is mostly situational; in other words there aren't a ton of punchline gags & snappy zingers, but there are several great LOL moments worth the price of admission. There are also some wonderfully unexpected role-reversals, such as the scene where our nerdy heroine meets the cheerleader gang for the first time. And I saved the best for last: the climactic fight scene! Physically impressive, dramatically intense, and logistically HILARIOUS (it happens on the dance floor at homecoming), the action in this flick may be over the top, but that's sorta the point. A+ for originality in being the only teen romance flick in history which takes us to a knockdown, dragout, punchbowl shattering fight scene at a dance. If you can get past the "wtf" factor, you'll have a great time.