The Adventures of Sebastian Cole

Coming of age in a dysfunctional family has been worked and overworked in recent years, but "The Adventures of Sebastian Cole" presents a somewhat different slant on the story. It also contains characters that are not written as "can-you-top-this?" stereotypes: the clueless fathers, slut stepmothers, stormtrooper school administrators, you've seen them over and over. In this movie, the focal relationship between stepfather and teenage son is rather realistic and touching, even though the stepfather is in the process of changing his sex. Quirky, yes, very much so, but nonetheless the characters have a natural charm that is missing from many films of this genre. This is not an A-list movie with high production values, but I recommend it when in the mood for something a tad different.

Sebastian chooses to live with his step dad, Hank, who's fast on his way to becoming Henrietta, and to graduate high school early so he can have adventures and become a writer.

This movie successfully renders a young man's last troubled year in high school without stooping to such heavy handed tactics as voice overs and the like. Adrian Grenier, as Sebastian, is remarkable.

There are some that love this movie, and there are some that hate it with the fire of a thousand suns. True, this movie isn't for everyone, but if you're like me, it might possibly become one of your favorites of all time. I'm a big 80s junky, I love all the classics, from John Hughes to Cameron Crowe, and I always thought they just don't make teenage movies like the ones from yesteryear anymore. Then came Sebastian Cole. It looked and felt like a film picked straight out of the Golden Age, back in the 80s when teen movies were in their prime. The film was a timeless, edgy, and original take on something we've all seen before: the coming of age story. The title character, Sebastian, is endearing, and though the plot can get a bit slow at times, you're always interested in where his life is leading next during the course of the story. His relationships with his sister, his friends, his girlfriend, and his stepfather all pan out beautifully and by the end, you feel like you know these people. If you're looking for something new and different in a sea of "American Pie's", you should definitely check this movie out.

What can be said for a movie that is truly original. The movie has a basic premise, a coming of age story. But it is so much more than that. Sebastian is a warm character who you believe in because he actually exists in real life. His father figure Hank/Henritta is a positive influence in his life and you can't help but like how well the movie progresses. It is has a good script with nice character development and dialog. I remember seeing this movie when I was 19 and thinking about how great a personality Adrian Grenier had back then. Also keep an ear out for some really great period music from the early 80-'s I highly recommend this movie.

A comical and realistic view of the real world of high school without all that American Pie/She's All That crap about just capitalizing off of what kids WISHED their high school life was like. This truly was a movie that had everything in it: great wit, great drama, a great plot, great music, and great acting. If the distributor had only allowed it to more theaters, it would have surely been more of a success as most people HEARD it was good, but were not able to see it since it was only released in a few places for a few days. Kudos to Tod Williams.