Owen Gleiberman Chief Film CriticMovies about American teenage life tend to be jumpy and exuberant, as if they were unfolding in a hive.
In the usual high-school comedy, even the most out-of-the-loop dweebs are right there in the jammed hallways, getting tweaked by the mean girls (or mean boys) and hanging out with their fellow quick-witted losers.
There are always scenes set in the cafeteria, or at keg parties, or in the back seats of vehicles strewn with friends and enemies.
But what these movies tend to leave out — what movies, almost by their nature, leave out — is the part of teenage life that’s about drifting around and dreaming and being alone, not just trying to join the crowd but getting the hell away from it.
Read more on variety.com