High School Record

I just saw "High School Record" at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. I really enjoyed seeing it amongst the expensive, high profiles films that week. It was funny, (very funny) and original yet simple in scope. I'm interested to see if this movie gets bought or distributed. I'm not sure about the commercial appeal of this film, for it is a bit slow at times, there are never any huge punch lines or sweeping character arcs, and the soundtrack is good but not recognizable to a mainstream audience. The actors who played the half a dozen high school art students and their one flaky teacher were all first time actors, apparently coming straight from the underground Los Angeles punk scene. This was certainly an "amateur" movie, but that is why it is so effective. It is shot like a documentary from the point of view of two of the art school students. Rather than making any judgements on the character traits or flaws of these eccentric teenagers, the movie delivers a day-in-the-life look at this handful of seniors who in addition to wrestling with thoughts of post-high school life, or the status quo of their relationships, spend most of their time executing inventive ways to break from the minutia of high school. If the goal of this filmmaker was to show high school life as it is for the nerdy/rebellious/inventive kids, than I think keeping the low budget and low production value made for a much more effective film. And I hope "High School Record" does earn some recognition, for while it may look like a movie any high school kid has ever thought of making, that's just the point: this is the first to actually do it... and make it to Sundance, no less.

Normally I gauge a movie in a few different ways when it is either really good, or really bad. When a film is just okay however, I think to myself, "Was watching this movie worth my time?" I am an average guy in his mid 20's with an average job, so my time isn't as precious as some, but I do dislike wasting my time on utterly terrible cinema. I watched High School Record today on Netflix and as ambiguous as it may be, I can say, "It's wasn't particularly good, but it was worth the time I spent." High School Record is a pseudo mockumentary about two high school students filming an entire year of school because as they put it, most people say high school was a blur and they want to see if something worthwhile can be found. You don't find out too much about the students filming, aside from the few lines they have, and the music they play in the movie, which I must say is not bad at all. Other characters, who each get their own segments, are somewhat interesting. There were some humorous parts of the movie, a few lines I might remember for a week or so, but nothing outstanding.

I have read in other reviews how amazing this movie is because it is so true to life, but honestly, I don't buy into that concept. These actors seemed about as close to high school students as Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. From girls having armpit hair, even the popular girl (which sure was a no-no when I was in school), to the dialogue, to the interactions with each other...all seemed fake. Buuuut it is set in an art school so maybe that is how artsy kids act, who knows? The one saving grace of this movie is that it didn't try to be something it wasn't, there was no big realization or boomboxes being held up outside of houses. It wasn't a Pretty in Pink or a Breakfast Club, it wasn't even a She's All That...it was what it was, actors attempting to play awkward high school students and one goofy free spirited teacher. Sometimes it is nice to just watch a movie, not have to think, and giggle at the few good jokes and remember how much you hated high school.

I watched this movie ages ago and remembered liking it, and then ended up watching it again recently, mostly due to the fact that I couldn't find anything else on netflix. I loved it. It absolutely held up over time, and watching it again as an adult sparked all these bittersweet nostalgic memories of that short fleeting time of your life. It was hilarious and touching and the characters seemed engaging and real, probably since most if not all are musicians instead of typical Hollywood actors. It's one of those movies that looks easy to make in a way, but is actually really hard to pull off. It definitely was ahead of it's time.

I saw this movie at Sundance 2005 and was stunned at how bad it was, although based on the catalog description I was excited to see it. Supposedly a "mockumentary" of two high school students making a documentary of high school life, it featured bad acting, bad directing, completely lack of engaging characters as written, and all-around is a total bust. I love good movies about high school, and this is not one of them. The characters are one-dimensional and self-consciously "cool" although they are supposed to be outcasts. You get the overall impression of a bunch of people sitting around making an on-purposely-bad movie to show their friends, yet somehow it got into Sundance. Mystifying.

This movie was very, very strange and very, very funny. All of the actors are quite real and very odd. The overall "look" of the film was different, too, sort of dreamy and bleached-out, which only added to the spacey, fumbling, weird vibe of the whole thing.

It's not for everyone, I mean, it's not what you would call "mainstream" but that is what I liked about it. It's unlike anything I have ever seen before . . . unpredictable, with a weird rhythm and punch lines in the strangest places. The kids are so heartbreakingly goofy (and pimply) that you can't help but feel for them. In other words, these are far from "hollywoodized" versions of teenagers.

All of, which for me, makes it a good thing.