Director: John Stockwell
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Jay Hernandez, Bruce Davison
Running Time: 99 minutes
Synopsis: High school student Carlos (Jay Hernandez) comes from a Hispanic family living on the wrong side of town, but he is nevertheless a good student, a star on the football team, and applying to a military academy. His classmate Nicole (Kirsten Dunst) is the daughter of a wealthy congressman (Bruce Davison). She is also a frequently drunk party girl rebelling against a perceived lack of affection at home. Carlos and Nicole start an intense romantic relationship, but their different backgrounds will cause tension.
What Works Well: Nicole is crazy, Carlos is beautiful, and this "opposites attract" romance carries an admirable intensity. Kirsten Dunst demonstrates impressive range in revealing Nicole's seething anger at a father ignoring her while accommodating his new bride and dotting over a new baby. That the dad takes on a greater role as the drama unfolds is credit to a script willing to treat parents as more than afterthoughts in a teen romance. Tensions between neighbouring communities, peer pressure from the distinct circles of friends surrounding the lovers, and hints of future opportunities all add further texture.
What Does Not Work As Well: Carlos' life plan along the straight-and-narrow path of academic and athletic excellence is fundamentally at odds with succumbing to a distraction like Nicole, and their romance never reconciles this disconnect. The final act is emotionally impressive and allows Dunst to sparkle, but also represents simplistic solutions to deep-seated behavioural issues.
Key Quote:
Carlos (to Nicole): I want to take you away from everything that makes you crazy.
All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.
No comments:
Post a Comment
We welcome reader comments about this post.