Kids in America

This movie is one of the most amazing I have seen in a long time. As a teenager myself I found this film to be very inspiring. The hot young cast depicts the public school journey through life perfectly and provides for hours of entertainment. Although somewhat predictable, the plot advances nicely and obtains a wonderful balance between realism, exaggeration, and plain old fun. The story is based on true events that happened to various teenagers in the US. When their principal starts over-reacting towards everything and giving explosions to things that could be solved with Saturday detentions, the kids decide to crack down. Without violence they "stick it to the man" and truly come together as a united front. I recommend this film to anyone who: has ever been a political activist, wants to relive their teenage years, is trying to find a new perspective, and/or just wants to watch a really great movie.

good movie. text below should not be considered for the film rating.

the movie one sided in the fact that it definitely inspires thought and creativity...however it doesn't actually solve problems we face today. sure it incites change (aka protest) which is something to be heard. however, we all do things for a reason, not just personal gain. i think what our schools/governments actually do may be for personal gain at certain times (9/10 people probably do things for personal gain), but everyone should consider they may actually be trying to keep us safe. how about a movie that actually solves the problem today with security/safety vs. rights?

Based on real events, Kids In America is a teen comedy about a group of high school kids who band together to peacefully do something to kick their principal out of the school. It basically starts off when a student walks around promoting safe sex. The principal doesn't allow that, so she suspends that student. Then more students are into something that get the principal irritated, so she suspends all of them. Gregory Smith plays Holden. He finds himself expelled for criticizing school policy, and this how everything gets started when the group of students get involved. Nicole Ritchie is also in this film, but for like 10 minutes. She's on the poster and she's the second name you see on the poster. I wouldn't say this is her movie, and who cares about her.

I thought this would be a pretty decent teenage comedy. I was very wrong. The film stays where it's at and doesn't movie. It is awfully boring and most people won't be happy. I kept looking at the clock and time didn't movie. It felt like this movie was taking forever to end. It's also such a fake movie. Students running their school brainless. I didn't like this movie and I felt that it didn't have a good story. There are other high school comedies are decent and far better. Kids In America isn't one of them. 4/10

KOA is worth a look by adults and mature teens, and it has a PG-13 rating for a reason. A rebellious young student gets expelled by his high school principal, and with his equally rebellious crew of misfit friends (which includes a drop-dead gorgeous cheerleader!) decides to seek revenge. The only problem is the pranks they pull grow increasingly dangerous, until ... well, you will have to see it yourself. I would say show KOA to high school juniors and seniors, at the very least. It is an independent film, based on several real high school stories, with a cast of unknowns who do a decent, if not spectacular, job. We get to see the real students and hear abbreviated versions of their stories during the end credits. The outtakes are worth a look as well, but they incredibly raunchy, so beware if you have a young one in the house.

Unfortunately, in today's society, much of what is or isn't seen is based upon marketing. First, what can be marketed is shown, and secondly, the marketing we attach ourselves to, we view. I had the great fortune of watching a film who's marketing did not appeal to me. Because of the vast number of films that exist that I have yet to see, this is not always the easiest exception to make. Needless to say I was stunned, this film was neither how it was marketed or what I expected. You must walk into this film knowing that this is a message-oriented independent film with the goal being to incite, yes incite, social change and a cultural shift from the apathetic malaise affecting today's youth. This message is wrapped within a rather bland romantic story and makes the mistake of trying to balance a few too many genres. The many homages to past films are interesting and at least let you know that Josh knows not only what has occurred, but how to build on it. The film's message is not one that you haven't heard, but one which is periodically important to remind yourself of, lest you fall into the malaise which so frequently plagues our society. The film pays its respects to students who have spoken out and fought for their rights, who have fought for their own forms of what is just. The main item I was able to take away from this film was promise. The film shows a filmmaker with great ability. Much like watching a film like Duel, Hard Eight, or Bottle Rocket. Your not seeing a filmmaker hitting on all cylinders. But you are seeing the birth of a filmmaker, who when he reaches that point, it'll be something special. This film is not extraordinary. But it's good. It's worth your time, and inspires great confidence in the potential of Josh Stolberg and I'm excited to see where he goes and what he says, because it's a message that's worth listening to. -Andrew