Teenage Dirtbag

Supposedly based on true events, Teenage Dirtbag tells the story of Amber a popular high school girl who is harassed by a delinquent boy,Thayer. Thayer seems to develop an obsession with Amber and what begins as teasing and harassment soon evolves into affection as Thayer tries to reach and connect with Amber.They are placed in the same creative writing class and trough written words they start to understand each other a little better and the class becomes a bonding experience as they share their feelings. A friendship starts to form but Amber is confused by her feelings and Thayer has to withstand his abusive father and a broken home.Teenage Dirtbag is essentially a unrequited love story between teenagers.Very well written and directed,this small independent film turned out to be a pleasant surprise and it deserves more recognition and a wider distribution. The performances were all very solid with a special mention to the lovely Noa Hegesh who did a terrific job as Amber.The musical score which caught me by surprise,complimented the movie very nicely and kinda took it to another level. Overall a great effort by first time director Regina Crosby.

7/10

I once showed "Teenage Dirtbag" to a college class of freshman-level composition students. While none of them absolutely loved it, it kept the entire class in rapt attention, and no one complained that it was just "stupid" or "boring," which is noteworthy. They found Amber Lange and Thayer Mangeress two very well-realized characters, and Amber's poignant closing lines produced a flurry of involuntary hums and sighs. One guy noted that it had a low budget feel, and that he would have liked more special effects, changes in scenery, and everything else one gets from larger company productions. I saw his point but think the lowbudgetness also adds to the essential realism of the film. What my class found most intriguing were the open questions and room for speculation this film leaves about what _really_ happen to Thayer's father and brother.

"Teenage Dirtbag" may not be anything truly special, but it accomplishes what its makers set out to do very well: Taut and gripping storyline with excellent acting and characterization. Several years after seeing it, this film remains quite fresh in my mind.

I extremely enjoyed this indie gem from the first minute to the last, even though the concept and the various topics, which have been touched in the movie (hatred turning to love, broken home, fitting in, far-from-perfect high school environment), cannot be called authentic. The idea, however, that a certain conflict originating in one's deviation from the average on whatever grounds can be overcome by the power of words is refreshing. Here poetry is the key to annihilate the barriers between the main characters. Through the creative writing class the characters embark on letting each other peek under the surface to discover who they really are. Probably that's why the male leader is so obnoxious when we first encounter him, whereas later it is unavoidable not to like him or at least not to sympathise with him.

Poignant film with elaborate characters, nice soundtrack and brilliant poems.

Many movies that contain other art forms- dance routines, songs, poems- disappoint because the art doesn't live up to the rest of the film. This movie was different. The poems were awesome, yet realistic high school level. The soundtrack had some great tracks that I will be investigating how to download them into my mp3 player.

The chemistry was real between the characters as well. Every time they interacted, there was an intensity. I have seen high budget films with huge celebrity names ruined because the character's feelings/chemistry were not believable.

I think this movie is a must-see. It was also a great example to cinematographers who think you need to add a whole bunch of nudity and swearing to portray sex and violence. This did the job without dragging the viewer through profanity and raunchiness. Though I did have to skip the fetal pig scene... YUCK!!! (Hope that raised your curiosity!)

I agree with most of the good reviews of this movie. It affected me really hard. Although I didn't like the poem part because I don't know..I do that when I'm in some emotional personal thoughts and thinking of death. It is small budget film and some unknown actors but who cares? I give them an A. The pacing, acting and directing was great. I also never thought it is a 2009 movie. I was getting into a deep feeling at the end when he's really desperate in getting the girl but why couldn't he just say 'I like/love you' straightforward? Just thinking I thought he could be a lot bolder..Really good movie..Worth a watch. I also like the movie soundtrack at the end, it is tragic but beautiful. Too bad popular movies don't have this.