Caffeinated Clint
By Clint Morris
I look at teen films the way some of my female friends look at males – “most of them are all the same” but now-and-then you come across one that truly surprises you.
Director Gurinder Chada continues to convince us of her knowledge of the modern-day teenager – after her wonderful “Bend it Like Beckham” – with her boppy, zitty, highly-comical look at Puberty’s Blues.
Based on the book “Angus, Thongs & Perfect Full-Frontal Snogging”, the pic fixes on a 14-year-old British teenager named Georgia (Groom) whose convinced her parents are from a different planet, is in love with the new boy (Johnson) at school – even though he’s busy sucking face with the hottest bitch in the quadrangle, and basically, just wants to fit in. By film’s end, she’ll have sorted out most of these dilemmas – and the ones she doesn’t? well, let’s just say we are who we are, we are what we are.. and some of us are just born with big noses.
Where “Angus, Thongs & Perfect Snogging” stands above the rest of the films in the genre is in it’s writing. Chada and Paul Mayeda Berges’s script doesn’t paint ‘Hollywood’ versions of – you know, the unblemished pretty betty’s and barney’s with their endless supply of money and free-ticket to run wild – its core teenage cast of characters but more so uses broad strokes to give us the ‘real deal’ – Georgia is you, me, and [maybe even] Eva Mendes at 15. She’s not so much a character in a film as she is an emblem of our youth – a voice to remind everyone what it’s like at that difficult age, if you will.
Newcomer Georgia Groome is absolutely terrific as Georgia Nicholson . She’s vulnerable, not afraid to be a tad self-deprecating, and mostly, an all-round good actress. This is a role that showcases her extensive range of colours – and will no doubt rocket her into the showbizma stratosphere.
In addition, Aaron Johnson, playing the ‘object of affection’, has the good looks and charisma to take him far (and he’s already won a leading role opposite Nicolas Cage in a new comic-book movie titled “Kick-Ass”). But he’s certainly doesn’t stand out as the best of the supporting cast – not with such genuinely fun performances by the likes of Eleanor Tomlinson (as best friend ‘Jas’), Alan Davies and Karen Taylor (as Georgia’s parents) and Liam Hess (as the amusing Peter Dwyer) in there too.
“Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging” is destined to be a classic – in the same way “Looking for Alibrandi” and “Mean Girls” have become. If you aren’t tickled, moved or impressed by this film run straight to the emergency room – your heart has stopped! This is one of the best, and most realistic, teenage movies in years.
Why is it that the films with the worst titles are usually the best?
Extras
lots of goodies on here – commentaries, deleted scenes, featurettes; and more – so make it a slumber party, girls…. you’re going to need a few hours.
