Review of American Teen (2008) by Anonymous User — 04 Sep 2009

OK, I am going to get into pubercissm (true, will not find that term in dictionary) here with my take on the adolescent doc "American Teen". The central teen figures here are: Hannah Bailey (free spirit), Colin Clemens (b-ball jock), Megan Krizmanich (narcissistic beauty), Jake Tusing (geek), and Mitch Reinholt (hunk). We might have been one of these personifications in our teen spirit nirvana existence, or maybe a combo of these, or maybe none. But undoubtedly there is an authentic relative component of "American Teen" that makes it worthy to explore for anyone who has experienced high school teen life. Director Nanette Burstein follows these teenagers around during their senior year as they go through their trials & tribulation norms of: insecurity, pressure, loneliness, acceptance, bullying, popularity and mucho mas. Burstein does a formidable job in letting the teens be genuine with their elevator emotions; and it does not seem it was staged as "The Brunch Club", a silly sequel to "The Breakfast Club". I was in "The Pun Club". OK, enough! Back to the doc! The teens reside in a small town in Indiana because they were born in a small town, and they live in a small town, they will probably die in a small town just like me. Oops! Got too excited there with Cougar fever! The teen that struck me the most was the charismatic Hannah, the high school bohemian who yearns to be loved and also extract herself from small town life after graduation by moving to Los Angeles to be a filmmaker. Smell a "Hannah and Her Sisters" sequel here? "American Teen" is not a perfect documentary with its few flaws on emphasizing too many obvious forms of teenage angst; but I do recommend for every parent of a teenager to take the time to catch a viewing of this documentary with their adolescent offspring so they do not forget what they have to go through on a daily basis in tough high school life.

**** Good.