“TEEN ANGST REVISITED”
Starring: Paul Rust, Hayden Panettiere, Jack T. Carpenter, Lauren London, Lauren Storm Alan Ruck, Cynthia Stevenson and Shawn Roberts
Directed by Chris Columbus
Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language, some teen drinking and drug references, and brief violence
Genre: Comedy
By John Delia
Unfortunately I saw the trailer for I Love You Beth Cooper and was expecting a lame film with some bad acting. Well I must admit, the film was quite good, with some nice performances from Rust and Panettiere and witty support by the rest of the cast. If teen movies are your passion, then run to see this film.
Buffalo Grove High School valedictorian Denis Cooverman (Rust) has had quite an academic career…on paper, at least. Superlative student, conscientious young gentleman and patently obvious dork, Denis has played it safe and made it all the way to graduation day without ever having really experienced some of the joys of higher learning: breaking curfew, destruction of property, over-consumption of alcohol, fist fights, late nights, fast cars or faster women (actually, women of any sort). But all that changes with 5 little words, I love you Beth Cooper (Panettiere).
The movie has some fun moments, actually enough to carry the film. Denis takes nerd to new heights while Beth shows him what the word wild means. Denis’s buddy Rich (Carpenter) won’t admit to himself whether he’s gay or straight, but if there is a movie out there with a cool catch line that will fit a rebuttal, he knows it. Beth’s two fem friends Cammy (London) and Treece (Storm) are bitchy and dumb, although Treece has some smarts that come in handy. But several funny moments come with Denis’s parents (Ruck and Stevenson) who know he is a nerd and are afraid to open his cage and let him out. The station wagon love making scene and the vibrating cell should become a classic.
I was totally surprised that Chris Columbus would direct this small film, however, maybe it was something he just couldn’t resist doing. Well I Love You Beth Cooper is not the quality of Harry Potter, and you would have to go to his roots with Adventures in Babysitting to find a film even similar. To top it off, Chris produced the film and is releasing it in a crowded market that has been draining the box-office for weeks. Go figure!
The movie is rated PG-13 for crude and sexual content, language, some teen drinking and drug references, and brief violence. Although the film is targeted at you teens, if you have to drag your younger brother along because he will tell dad you have a Playboy Magazine, be warned that Hayden Panettiere appears in the film at one point half naked. Cover his eyes during the locker room scene. Oops did I just give that away?
FINAL ANALYSIS: A rather good teen flick with some original content. (3 Palm Trees of 5)