Love at First Hiccup

Growing up and maturing into an adult can bring on a multitude of feelings. Hormones are raging and everything is changing at a faster rate than normal as this process happens. Of course most adolescence experience this as they go through the education system; learning from their parents, friends and their own senses. One particular actor that many could relate to during this period of time was Devon Werkheiser from Nickelodeon's Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. Young adults were proud to be a part of and go through the motions with Werkheiser's star making show. After the show ended, Werkheiser still had that image of playing a school kid. Here this film plays more into some adult themes which is good, except for how its executed. That's probably the biggest issue with this production.

Directed by Barbara Rothenborg in their first theatrical film and co-writing with Foren Frellesen, this is actually the remake of a Danish movie of the same name from a decade before. Based on a novel from Dennis Jürgensen, the Danish version actually has several sequels. The story is about a geeky freshman Victor (Devon Werkheiser) having an unrealistic crush on a taken senior in his high school Anya (Scout Taylor-Compton). Anya is with a pompous jock named Peter (Ken Luckey) and is friends with Marisa (Tania Verafield). Victor's only got his unhelpful buddies Ernie (Nicholas Braun) and Nick (Sean Marquette). Meanwhile, Victor and Anya's little brothers Zack (Daniel Polo) and Brian (Adam J. Bernstein) play pranks on both their siblings because family stereotypes. Victor's problem is that he doesn't have the confidence to talk to Anya, and when he does, he gets hiccups.

At the same time, Anya hopes to lose her virginity to someone she finds truly special. At the moment she's not sure if Peter's the one. The biggest red flag in this story is Anya's character arc. Not sure what the legal age of consent is for the people of Denmark but in the US, a senior in high school, who should be 18, looking to fornicate with anyone younger than them is a no. Why couldn't Victor and his friends also be geeky seniors in high school? That would be one less counter against this film. The story itself is also fairly cliché. What teen drama hasn't depicted a down on their luck rejected protagonist that somehow pulls all kinds of stops to get the attention of their ever so out of reach love of their life? There isn't really much to go into how things occur because a familiar viewer of this genre could guess how most scenes that are set up will go.

It's unfortunate because there are some interesting actors attached to this project. And because this is a comedy, there is going to be dialog that's supposed to be funny but not much of it is. Most of it just strange in how it's executed or just completely nonsensical when thinking about how it makes any logical sense. The characters of Zack and Brian are the worst little brothers and are actually quite crass. Also their moms and dads are even worse as parents. Perhaps the conversations between Victor and Anya's friends respectively are more in line with what viewers would expect from those particular characters. But the others just seem a little too out there. Despite all this though the cast of actors perform the best they can given the material. Being that Devon Werkheiser came from Ned's he naturally fit the bill.

Scout Taylor-Compton at the time just got off playing in Rob Zombie's remake of Halloween (2007) and Halloween II (2009). There's also appearances from James Eckhouse, Ann Cusack, Octavia Spencer and even Ray Wise, who by far is the most entertaining even if he shows up only once and a while. The cinematography was adequately shot for the production. Handled by Steven Bernstein who also worked on The Waterboy (1998), Monster (2003) and White Chicks (2004), the shots filmed fit the right scene even though it won't blow anyone's mind. Lastly the music by Raney Shockne worked for the film too. By no means should any viewer think that a score would be available because it wouldn't seeing that it's no blockbuster production. Overall though the cues work with the scenes even if they aren't memorable.

The actors all do what they can, the music is appropriate for the style of the film as well as the camerawork. Unfortunately, the writing is not strong enough though. The premise is an awkward setup dealing with differing legal ages, the dialog feels a bit out of place and the story itself has been done many times before.

Alright, another Hollywoodnized version of something that was famous abroad. But honestly, this time Hollywood actually managed to pull it off well enough. Usually I am not keen on the Hollywood attempts to cash in on famous movies from outside the US; like they did on "Ringu" (The Ring), "Rec" (Quarantine), "Infernal Affairs" (The Departed), and the list goes on and on.

I grew up with the actual book by Dennis Jürgensen (titled: "Kærlighed Ved Første Hik"), yeah I am from Denmark. And the book also spawned a Danish version, and five sequels as well, which I now wonder if Hollywood will covert into American version as well. Regardless, this Hollywood version of the book/Danish film was actually good, and it had all the essentials from the former.

The story is a sweet love story with teens, and there is a good amount of embarrassing moments in it and at times you will be laughing out loud. I especially love the doorbell scene, it is awesome. And Scout Taylor-Compton, playing Anya (though her name is Anja in the Danish versions), actually looked a lot like the woman playing her part in the Danish version, so that was kind of cool. And Devon Werkheiser, playing Victor, actually looks a lot like a friend of mine back from my teen years, so that was hilarious.

The cast in "The First Time" (or "Love at First Hicup", if you will) was actually good and put on good performances. However, I found the guy who played Anya's dad to come off a bit like he wasn't in it with his heart. I forgot his name, sorry about that.

Having seen this American version actually made me want to pick up the Danish book and read it again. Always cool when you get to relive your early years, and this movie made me want to go back in time. So, I think this movie is worth checking out, because it has a sweet, romantic story to tell, and you will be thoroughly amused and entertained throughout the entire movie.

Love at First Hiccup a truly a harmless and enjoyable film. The cast is lively, the script hits almost all the right notes, and the plot works for the most part, though sometimes becoming hokey and unbelievable. For a Direct-to-DVD underdog, it isn't half bad. And sometimes, that's all that can be said.

Devon Werkheiser is the lead, who is most famous for his role as Ned Bigby in Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. That was a show about guiding someone through middle school. Love at First Hiccup could work as the R rated film as Ned in high school falling in love with a girl who is out of his league. The only thing it is missing is the so-called "tips" from the Television series.

The series wasn't bad, but it surely wasn't as good as Drake and Josh or Zoey 101. The big problem being the realism of it. The show's goal was to try and get the viewer through a day of middle school, avoiding as many problems and brick-walls as possible. Most of the time, the characters weren't in class and did things real people couldn't do (IE: Ned had a friend that periodically came up with weird, cockamamie technology creations). Other problems sometimes stemmed from the tip themselves. I'll never forget one episode where Ned continues to get "pants-ed" at school, and at one point tells the viewer "If you don't like getting pants-ed, try wearing a janitor's outfit." This caused me to think "is this show one complete joke?" The word of advice was used as an actual tip, but who in their right mind would come to school wearing a one-piece janitor's outfit? From there on out, I also imagined the characters had a certain smugness when giving out these "helpful" tips.

As for Love at First Hiccup, it plays like a raunchy, R rated Nickelodeon film. If you were to modify various four letter words into something of a family nature, took out sex dialog, and made the plot about getting a first date or a first kiss rather than the first time our character and another girl hit the bed than this could've truly been a PG rated film for the kiddies. Even the production qualities are no better than say Fred: The Movie or Gym Teacher: The Movie, other Nickelodeon-produced films.

The story concerns an early Freshman named Victor (Werkheiser) who, in his third day of school, immediately eyes and falls in lust with a Senior named Anya (Taylor-Compton) who is vastly out of his league. She, of course, has a boyfriend who drives a nice muscle guy, and persuades her to let him take her virginity before graduation. Victor hates the boyfriend, and wants Anya to be his first so they both can share the same experience.

Premise wise, the film is cute and plucky while silently incorporating an unexpected raunch-element. This sort of reminds me of College, which starred Nickelodeon-raised actor Drake Bell. It was strange to see him out of the Nickelodeon setting, and free to say whatever he pleased. Frequently, he dropped the f word, and the same thing goes with Werkheiser in this film. It's not bad, but it takes some definite getting used to. I would've loved it if the character Victor took a minute to break the fourth wall and say something like "If you want to get in a girl's pants, don't forget to wear a condom." The story's subplot is that Anya's younger brother and Victor's younger brother are good friends, and are in cahoots to make a film banking off of Victor's desperate attempts to sleep with Anya. It's cute, but stretched to the furthest length of plausibility. Same goes with Anya and Victor's relationship. It's so odd to see a Senior so inviting to this dorky Freshman. Maybe four years of high school taught patience, but the believability is low when you see her tolerance is high.

We also never hear too much from either side's friends. We see Victor's two dweeby pals, and we see one or two of Anya's girlfriends, but none of them ever greatly effect their decision-making. The character development for both leads is nice, but it's strange we don't get friendly advice anywhere in the film.

There is very little to complain about with Love at First Hiccup, accept granted it does have some minor realism problems. It's a cute, coming of age comedy-drama, and that's good enough. It's blatant because of its lead character's ambition to have sex at a young age, and on that note, it can be relatable for some people going through that phase. I also think this should get some hefty bonus points for being a watchable and recommendable Direct-to-DVD film. You rarely get too many of those.

Starring: Devon Werkheisher and Scout Taylor-Compton. Directed by: Barbara Topsøe-Rothenborg.

It's a cute romantic comedy. I loved, smiled and laughed after watching this movie.

I remember when I was 17 years old, I fell in love with a girl who mesmerized me, with a lovely face, freckled nose and cheeks, a smile that could make you soar all the way to heaven, lovely, full bosom, and full hips that could make you wish you could wrap your arms around and never let go. Perfect, shapely legs I couldn't keep my eyes from. Yes, that was my 'Anya-itis', even though her name was not Anya.

She didn't love me, though, although we were very fond of each other. There was another boy she fancied, a bit older than I, who, sadly, ended up dumping her. By then, I had moved away, and those pleasant dreams had faded. Pity. But with her domineering mother and my domineering mother, we would never have stood a chance anyway.

However, I must agree with reviewer yeatsforkeats. Even though this is a teen love story, it isn't tiring or boring or stupid like so many others we've seen lately. I don't actually like viewing stupid, teen, movies. Seeing, though, how refreshing this one seemed to be, I decided to give it a chance, and I am glad I did. It was worth it. The whole movie is rather predictable, but somehow, you don't get bored or irritated with it, wondering where this is going, or where and when it will end.

I have never seen the girl that plays Anya before (Scout Taylor-Compton), or the boy that plays Victor. But she made me wish I were Victor's age again. Victor, innocent and a bit of a nerd, learning for the first time what love is about. Makes you wish things could stay that innocent when you grow up. Anya, more a woman than he is a man, of course, behaved like an intelligent girl, going for the guy that was laying all he had at her feet, instead of the rich boy who owned an expensive sports car and was only after sex. Both kids were lucky they had understanding parents too. There were a few things here and there that seemed a bit far fetched, but perhaps it would be better to let you judge these for yourself. Were Victor's hiccups due to nervousness, insecurity, or something else? I couldn't quite decide, but seeing how he got kisses from Anya to help drive them away, I stopped mentally debating the subject. You decide when you view it.

So, did I enjoy the movie? Yes! Would I watch it again when in the mood? Most definitely. Just watching those coy looks Anya gave Victor makes it all worthwhile. You'd wish you were in Victor's shoes, and that is no exaggeration.