True Adolescents

Okay, I'm 15 and I picked this to watch with my parents cause I thought it looked funny and I figured I'd be able to relate to the teenagers in it. I was SO wrong.

The comic traits that are supposed to be laughable are just embarrassing. The characters are extremely underdeveloped and the script was obviously written by someone who's never spoken to a teenager before, because the 4 teenage characters acted like kids between the ages of 6 and 10. Even if the characters had been even relatively accurately portrayed, the acting in this movie is genuinely terrible.

Not worth the time to watch.

Sam is a character who hates the idea of growing up, and, even as he approaches his mid-thirties, he clings onto the idea that he is a musician that will get his big break any minute from now. His ideology is the kind teenagers exiting high school or entering college possess, but then go onto approach a life-realization that they're living in a fantasy. Sam hasn't received such an awakening, and this makes for the perfect coming of age film centered on a character that solemnly loathes the idea.

Sam is played by Mark Duplass, who, consistent readers will know, is quickly becoming one of my favorite male leads. After getting kicked out by his girlfriend, Sam crashes at his aunt's home in upstate Seattle (Melissa Leo) where she lives with her teenage son Oliver (Bret Loehr). When her divorced husband calls off the camping trip between him and Oliver, Sam feels almost obligated to take his dad's place and, after some convincing by his aunt, reluctantly takes Oliver and his best friend Jake (Carr Thompson) on a replacement camping trip.

In a Hollywood film, the formula that would prove prophetic is that the three would be met with The Great Outdoors-style problems, wreak havoc on mother nature, have their actions prove reckless and almost inconsequential to nature and man, and walk away learning just about nothing. Thankfully, this is not a Hollywood film. It's a subtle, successful merge between a "mainstream" independent movie and the grassroots of comprehensive mumblecore (another recent example of the hybrid would be Colin Trevorrow's Safety Not Guaranteed).

Mumblecore is often characterized by the naturalistic flow of its dialog and the inherent messiness of its videography and editing. Here, it has that polished look, while maintaining naturalistic dialog executed wonderfully by actors lacking a household name (with the possible exception of Leo). By the middle of the second half, I felt I kind of knew were this was going, yet was still liking every minute of it. It is then the film introduces an unexpectedly daring twist that catches one off-guard and ushers in a plethora of story possibilities, resulting in a pleasant maturity for the cast and crew. Writer Craig Johnson doesn't cop out when the going gets tough, but forces his characters to buckle down and grow up within the last half hour of the film.

True Adolescents brilliantly showcases the maturity of a genre and its characters, by, as always, giving them a brutally honest slice of life and utilizing small events as the film's main conflicts. The character actors are wonderful, the scenery of the Olympic Peninsula is gorgeous, the scenery, especially in the woods, is thrilling and inviting, and all of this makes for a wonderfully earnest debut from writer Craig Johnson, who may rank next to the Duplass brothers, Andrew Bujalski, and Lynn Shelton as the best mumblecore directors in the business.

Starring: Mark Duplass, Bret Loehr, and Carr Thompson. Directed by: Craig Johnson.

I liked Mark Duplass quite a lot in "Humpday," and there are several moments in "True Adolescents" when you get a glimpse of what a good actor he has it in him to be. But what also struck me about his performance in this coming-of-age story was how unlikable he can be when paired with the wrong material.

He plays an immature musician, drifting through life and pissing off just about anyone who might be willing to tolerate him, until, bottomed out and crashing in his aunt's house, he agrees to take her son and his best friend on a camping expedition when the kid's father bails on him (for what, we are to understand, is the umpteenth time). While on that trip, something happens between the two teenagers that jeopardizes, and perhaps with dangerous results, their trip and forces Duplass into the role of adult, a role for which he is not overly suited.

We're supposed to think Duplass is a loser, and I suppose we're even supposed to get impatient with him, but I also think we're meant to find him funny and charming, and I just didn't. Some people have a knack for being snide and sarcastic while still being winning, and some don't. Guess which camp Duplass falls in for me? My viewing experience of "True Adolescents" wasn't at all helped by the fact that the Netflix streaming version I saw screwed up somewhere toward the end so that the picture and the soundtrack were operating entirely independently of one another, so maybe it's not fair of me to judge the film too harshly.

The cast includes Melissa Leo as Duplass's aunt, and makes me start to wonder if Leo, an actress I usually like very much, has decided that her best career move is to appear in absolutely any movie someone offers to her.

Grade: B-

True Adolescents had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX. It is a solid effort at exploring the efforts of a man in his mid-30s who hasn't quite grown up to bond with his teenage nephew and his buddy during a weekend camping outing. The characters are well-developed and the acting is solid. Mark Duplass's Sam is a failed musician who needs to figure out what he is doing with his life. His immaturity is finally challenged as he is forced to become the responsible adult. The story is entertaining if not spectacular. The acting is fairly good and the characters and their relationships to each other are well-developed. The ending sequence seems a little hokey. Although, the film probably won't get widely distributed, it is nevertheless a worthwhile effort.

On Saturday, March 14, I attended the World Premiere of "True Adolescents" at the 2009 SXSW Film Festival.

As a journalist concentrating on independent films, my Holy Grail is what I like to call the "sweet little American indie." This is writer/director Craig Johnson's first feature and he's hit the mark.Sam (Mark Duplass) is a 30-something rocker who never quite grew out of his teenage years. He's unkempt, unfocused, and unsure of who he is or wants to be. In other words, he has a lot in common with his 14-year-old cousin Oliver (Bret Loehr) and friend Jake (Carr Thompson). When changing circumstances in Oliver's home life force the unlikely trio to head off on an unplanned camping trip together, they are forced to grow in ways they never imagined. "True Adolescents" is filled with twists and turns and "whoa" moments -- the kinds which are made more powerful by knowing as little about the film going in as possible.

There is so much to love about this film. It has the look and feel of a true indie, using ambient sound and natural light when possible. Much of the film takes place outdoors and at night -- a challenging situation for photography -- and cinematographer Kat Westergaard makes the most of what nature offers her. Hand-held camera is used quite a bit, especially during scenes where the boys/men are traipsing through the wilderness of the gorgeous Washington State coastline. One can almost feel the chill as the sun goes down. Water always looks good on camera, and there is no denying a "Mean Creek" feel to the film.

Duplass is quickly becoming one of our brightest young stars in the indie universe. As his aunt Sharon (Oliver's mom), Melissa Leo is as radiant and lovingly protective of her children as she was in her award-winning performance in "Frozen River." But, most of all, this is a coming-of-age film and (besides Sam himself) the experience of becoming an adult centers primarily on the two young actors Bret Loehr and Carr Thompson. Relative newcomers to the business, the boys were actually the ages of the characters they were portraying (14-15). How refreshing not to see a 20-something caked with stage makeup to look 16. The boys took risks, both emotional and physical, which would challenge actors twice their age.

As a character-driven film, "True Adolescents"shines because of their natural talents, but the real impact of the film lies in Johnson's powerful script and its ability to resonate with viewers. This brilliantly crafted story is filled with images that will stay with you long after leaving the theater.