Sunday, March 16, 2008

Kids In America - A Patrick Movie Review

Kids In America

So if I told you that there was a movie with the poster you see to the left, has Nicole Richie in it, and is a direct-to-DVD movie would you believe me that it was not only funny but an intelligent high school movie? Well, in my opinion, this movie is a smart and entertaining movie.

I think the poster is the wrong message to try and get people to see this movie. Just looking at the poster would make you think of a rip off American Pie. However, this movie is about freedom of speech for kids in high school. The high school principal is an authoritarian wench and suspends and expels some students in the high school. A group of students spanning different cliques and social backgrounds come together to fight the principal and to gain their rights back.


There are some really great actors in this movie and there are some great homages to other movies and movie elements that I just loved. Gregory Smith, Stephanie Sherrin, Chris Morris, Caitlin Wachs and Emy Goligado star with the director being Josh Stolberg. Yes that's the same Josh Stolberg who wrote Good Luck Chuck. I know, I'm as surprised as you are he can write a decent movie that doesn't defame females. Let me just quickly ad that even though the poster slates Nicole Richie in the second row and lists her name second, she is barely in the movie. This movie was a Direct-To-DVD, so they needed a cover like the one they have and also her in the top billing (kinda like how Executive Decision listed Steven Seagul as the second star and even put him in the poster but killed him off in the first 15 minutes (how's that for a movie memory!))

The kids in this movie are not at all like the kids in real life. I think that's one of the messages the movie has. This movie was based on actual events of kids being kicked out of school for invoking their freedom of speech rights; in the end credits there's a few interviews from the real people. And a trivia note if you watch the movie, watch till the very end to see the longest movie kiss in movie history (about 6 minutes long).

Now this movie isn't all seriousness and message bound. I found myself laughing at the characters smart humor in the first five minutes of the movie. I had to ask Briney if I had fallen through a dimensional shift. After confirming I wasn't in Dimension X with Krane I started to enjoy this movie more and more. This movie doesn't only have comedy, for you movie message hating people out there, it's got some really, REALLY hot people in it...and no...I'm not counting Nicole Richie. Stephanie Sherrin is uber-hot and she either has a long face or Gregory Smith has a really small face. Emy Coligado plays a hot asian chick, for you jungle fever guys there's Crystal Celestine Grant, and for you blonde, cheerleader, really skinny chick lovers there's Caitlin Wachs. There's even some girl-on-girl kissing for you too...but be careful frat boys...there's some guy-on-guy kissing as well.

Grade - B+

It has a great message, it has great comedy, it has really hot women in it. This is an intelligent high school movie that all teenagers need to watch. This movie not only has an inspiring story but it pays tribute to a lot of great movies of the past. I wish I had seen this movie when I was in high school, I would have been inspired by this movie...maybe a little turned on too...but greatly inspired.

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