Memphis Teens Review ‘American Teen’ — Film Gets Past the Superficial to Offer Useful Insight

By Joe Guyton

Editor’s note: “American Teen” (PG-13) opened in Memphis last week, and is showing at the Ridgeway Four and this weekend also at the Malco Wolfchase Galleria. It got three stars in GoMemphis on Friday (gomemphis.com, click on movies). The following are reviews by two members of our Teen Appeal.

The jock, the drama queen, the band geek and the rebellious artist. No, these are not characters in the latest Lindsay Lohan flick, but the focus of Nanette Burstein’s documentary film “American Teen.”

Set in Warsaw, Ind., this documentary follows the lives of a group of seniors in the class of 2006 as they complete their final year at Warsaw Community High School.

After seeing the “Breakfast Club”-inspired poster for the movie , one might expect this film to be a window into a world filled with raging hormones, rebellious actions and romantic antics.

This movie not only tackles those common, superficial struggles of teenage life, but also provides the viewer with a deep and insightful look into the emotions of teens .

Burstein accomplishes this through a series of vividly illustrated depictions of the cast’s thoughts and outlooks on life. For instance, with gloomy “band geek” Jake Tusing, the film transitions into computer-generated animation to express his desire for life to mimic the video games he plays.

Where this film shines is its portrayal of the stress and anxiety that can accompany the intensely competitive college application process.

As college continues to evolve into a necessary requirement and an ever-increasing expense, high school seniors are finding themselves uncertain of what steps to take to secure their futures.

The film not only does an excellent job highlighting these feelings, but also portrays the sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that comes with college acceptance letters.

Peer pressure is often on the minds of administrators formulating the latest high school anti-drug campaign, but “American Teen” depicts another source of teen angst: parental pressure.

With the spiking costs of college, families are finding it difficult to pay for continued education and are going through the complicated process of scholarships and financial aid hoping to finance college.

Warsaw High basketball star Colin Clemens struggles with the pressure thrust upon him not only from his coaches, fellow players and schoolmates, but also from his overbearing parents who push him to perform for the sake of scholarships.

This movie gives teens a chance to see through real-life, firsthand accounts that they are not alone in the struggles they endure. It also gives adults a chance to remember the emotional struggles of their own high school days without the glitzy and glamorous portrayal of youth that the Disney high school sitcoms present.

High school is an emotional roller coaster, and this documentary brings heart and realism to those teen years that Hollywood finds hard to capture.

Joe Guyton is a senior at White Station High School.

Originally published by Joe Guyton Special to The Commercial Appeal .

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