POSITIVES…
Best scenes are easily the sequences when Elle Fanning sings. Seems like the most care were put on those parts of the movie.
This movie knows how to do montages. I really like the montages, especially in scenes that feel like music videos.
The general style of the movie looks good.
Zlatco Buric is the most interesting character in this story.
I should emphasize the fact that I like the pop songs sung in this movie. I’m a sucker for movie musical genres, so that in itself makes me want to see it through until the end.
NEGATIVES…
It’s a good thing I liked Elle’s singing voice here, because the character she plays is severely underwritten. I just could not warm up to her at all throughout the whole movie. It’s like she’s just a walking cliche of a stereotypical moody teen who wishes they were successful in life.
The tone of the movie surprisingly feels drab and unenergetic. For a movie with a title of “Teen Spirit,” I was hoping for it to be more spirited. It doesn’t have spirit. No. No. No spirit.
You’ve seen this singing competition underdog story before, and it simply does not add anything new to the genre. If anything else, it actually took things out of the premise by relying on plot short cuts. It’s like the movie is painfully aware that we know all the typical plot tropes already, so it doesn’t bother writing them into the story. Hey writer-director Max Minghella, it’s not our job to fill in those holes.
All the sub-plots in this movie also kinda went nowhere. Since they are of the cliche variety, I’m sure we’re supposed to just know where they were going anyway.
Due to the lack of care in telling the full story in an engaging fashion, the movie feels like it’s just going through the motions, and in turn also feels a bit unbelievably fake. Pandering. Manipulative. Wish-fulfillment. Those things too.
MOVIE! You can’t just get by with the fact that Elle Fanning can act, sing, and look pretty in this. Give us more than what was attempted here!
P.S….
loveditenjoyeditlikedit IT’S OKAY itsmehitsterrible
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