Fun

I liked the film and I may know something that many of the other commentators don't know. The film had the standard disclosure at the end noting that any similarity to actual events is coincidental. But it was anything but coincidence. The actual event happened around 20 years ago in Auburn, California. After knocking on numerous doors, the two teenage girls literally talked their way into an elderly woman's home and killed her. And one of the girls wrote in her dairy "we killed an old woman today and it was lots of fun". The girls were sent to the California Youth Authority where they could have been held until their 25th birthday. One of the two girls continued to make the news by fighting with the woman guards and telling them she would come back to get them after she got out. But does anyone know if the two girls went on to live productive lives after finally getting out as adults??

This film just blew me away. The tale of two teenage girls who are devoted to each other and conspire to murder an elderly woman was chilling.

The presentation of the film was realistic and honest. It's use of flashbacks and black and white photography, gave the film a stark and detached feel, yet enabled us to emphasise with the main protaganists, authority figures and victims.

The acting by the two leads; Alicia Witt and Renee Humpherey was superb, thoroughly deserving of the joint best actress award they won at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival. An extrordinary representation of todays lost and misguided youth, in a society that is floundering in it's own judgements; beliefs and failure to acknowledge the truth. 9/10.

Fun is personally my favorite film. This is a risky film to stand by with a claim like that, but in my opinion Alicia Witt has never been greater and before taking on more fun, low brow roles, proved herself an incredibly gifted actress. Bonnie's psychosis (or perhaps unsettling lack thereof) is brought to life with a combination of intensity and whimsy and like similarly antiheroic characters leaves us questioning where we are morally. You cannot advocate the behavior, but there's a potency to the role that makes you almost excuse it in your weaker moments. Renee Humphrey is an interesting counterbalance to Witt in that sympathy is easier to find with her character, though I must admit that the personal magnetism is most visible in Bonnie. To quote Bonnie, "Fun is number one".

Story revolves around two girls who after meeting each other and becoming BFF's in one day, agree that having fun is the best and most important part of life. So, they hit up arcades, act silly and kill an old lady. Huh? Yep. Well, they get caught and the story focuses on them dealing with their current confinement.

The film is basically a two person character study. I keep on seeing reviewers rave about the acting. Sure it's okay I suppose, but it's pretty clear these girls were given the green light to just go nuts. Not incredibly impressive if you ask me. Don't get me wrong, they did a fine job, but nothing crazy good. The movie could only succeed if these two delivered quality acting jobs...and with the green light, they were given that opportunity, which they took advantage of, and pulled it off.

The flick though, isn't that entertaining. Even though the girls do a fine job acting, the characters aren't very interesting, and the scenes kinda boring. Also the writing is very up and down. Scenes like when they were discussing their sexual past was right on, but scenes when talking with the counselors, were almost boring. Fun plays out in a back in forth type way with the "here and now" and flashbacks. Weird thing about that though, the flashbacks are in color and the scenes of them in their current situation is in black in white. I thought that was a nice touch.

Fun managed to succeed in being a moderately realistic take on teenage nihilism. It's a pretty unknown flick that should get more talk, because most of the people who have seen it enjoyed it. If you enjoy serious drama or films about troubled youth, then you should definitely check it out.

I could not get into this film, which bothered me as the two young actresses playing the leads were extraordinarily good. However, the whole flashback structure required the story to be told to two supporting actors in 'current' time, neither of whom seem like they have any acting chops whatsoever. "Jane" and "John" are such caricatures that any scene involving them feels incredibly false. The flashback sequences are excellent -- except for the victim, who is also a terrible actress -- and those are compelling enough to make the film worth a look. I gave it a 5. Shame on either the producer or the director for the casting decisions involved. Alicia Witt is especially good in this.

If you want to see the same theme dramatized much more effectively, see "Heavenly Creatures".