Teen Spirit

Prior to watching I was leaning toward one star based on the cheap cover, moronic title, and a theme done many times before, i.e. young singer with big dreams comes out of nowhere w/some obstacles along the way of course. What turned me into a strong supporter? Great acting by Elle, Agnieszka (played the tough mom to humorous perfection), and Zlatko. Great blending of music w/changing scenes. Great camera work & editing. Good choice of songs, many by well known artists. Finally, and no way the least, Elle did the singing. I first thought it was professional voice dubbing based on range, emotive presence, pitch quality, but nope just her. Bonus: Elle watches "The Voice".

I am glad that Elle Fanning got to showcase her genuine vocal talent in this movie through the character Violet which is rare for most actors in singing roles.

What ruined this movie though was the screen play which was deathly boring and mediocre. I am not the biggest fan of Elle Fanning, but she can do much better than this, had it not been for her this would have been a complete waste.

In this copacetic teen movie, the duo Elle Fanning + Zlatko Buric is certainly unexpected but vigorously endearing. Vlad is going to play the role of a substitute father and a manager for Violet, an uptight teenager who will try to take part in the Teen Spirit singing contest. This will prove to be for herself an unexpected opportunity to leave her small country town polluted by contemptuous rednecks, to become emancipated and eventually to join a completely different world forever, as in a fairy tale.

In addition to the two main actors Elle Fanning and Zlatko Buric, Agnieszka Grochowska and Rebecca Hall are excellent supporting roles. And Teen Spirit (2018) is the very first movie directed by Max Minghella. Therefore, a minimum of indulgence is imperative.

As a synthesis, the actors, the atmosphere, the photography, the soundtrack, ... yes!

Teen Spirit doesn't try to be something it's not. It provides face-value entertainment for 90 minutes. It's definitely worth watching for Elle Fanning's performance alone.

Acting: 8/10. Fanning is superb (acting, singing and dancing); supporting cast is convincing enough. Plot: 7/10. Good pacing; visual storytelling is favoured over dialogue; average character development; one or two unexpected twists; decent conclusion. Production: 8.5/10. Believable locations, sets, costumes, etc. Soundtrack: 6/10. Notably predictable songs throughout. (Perhaps that was intentional; this is a movie about a pop music contest, after all.)

Overall recommendation: Watch it (once is enough).

The first two thirds of the film put me on life support. There was a glimmer of hope near the end, but then the film was over and I realized we never got anywhere. Not satisfying at all and really a waste of time unless you're just a massive Elle Fanning fan.

What makes a good film can be subjective, but a critical concept is that you need proper pacing and contrast between different types of scenes. Nobody wants 60 minutes of the camera pointed at a tree... They tried to put a couple things in, like the scene involving a horse and then some drinking later on, but it was seriously still a bore.

I got a few "Smash" (TV series from 2012) flashbacks while watching this but that was probably just my brain trying to stay awake...