Review of Terri (2011) by Tommy 'See The Treasure' S — 03 May 2014

You know what I really hate? Movies where some troubled young kid(or kids) is mentored by some knowing older mentor who's supposedly privy to some special worldly knowledge. Take Dead Poet's Society, a truly repugnant movie in which a preachy old twat encourages young kids to seize the day and join a poetry club. Edgy! Yet, there are some rare movies which can contain adults mentoring young people and somehow get away with it. Terri is one of those rare movies.

Terri(Jacob Wisocki) is an unsociable, overweight teenager who is undergoing a hard time at school and at home. He doesn't know his parents and lives with his senile but kind-hearted uncle James(Creed Bratton). Despite the attention of school bullies Terri is quite a strong character who likes to do things his own way. For instance, he likes to wear his pyjamas to school. One might think this an act of wilful defiance or showy eccentricity, but the reason Terri gives is simple comfort. Due to his failure to make classes and a generally poor academic performance, Terri is assigned to counselling sessions with a sympathetic but unconventional assistant principal, Mr Fitzgerald(John C. Reilly). Here Terri meets another interesting character in Chad(Bridger Zadina), a rather destructive teen with a sardonic wit who tends to cause trouble wherever he goes. Terri forms a special relationship with Mr Fitzgerald and feels comfortable revealing to him his various troubles and anxieties. Of course, there's a love interest too. Terri falls for a blonde girl named Heather(Olivia Crocicchia), who has recently been ostracized by her classmates for allowing a boy to finger her in a home economics class. Some of these plot points may sound quite familiar and others may not, but Terri covers both old and new ground with genuine tenderness and originality.

Wisocki is superb in his breakout role and portrays the simultaneous optimism and sullenness of the adolescent hero. Without overacting, he holds his own in scenes with the brilliant John C. Reilly. Reilly is a very likeable guy, and here he makes use of his talents as both comic and serious actor. His character is brilliantly conceived, at once lovable and flawed. In many ways Mr Fitzgerald is more confused and uncertain than the kids he counsels. One of the most touching moments is when he abandons his projected artifice of professionalism and concedes to the young protagonist: 'I'm just tryin' to help you.' The somewhat awkward and vulnerable mentor encapsulates a faintly subversive, anti-coming-of-age quality that's prevalent in the movie.

In its own quiet way, Terry is one of the best movies I've seen on the subject of destructive and confused adolescents.

It's a low-key and modest movie, but it's always refreshing to find characters who are unresigned to stereotypes or enslaved by trite plot details. There's not much of a plot at all to be honest, but it's all so charming and well-made that I didn't care. Director Azazel Jacobs lets the events unfold with grace and natural ease, leading to a strange yet poignant final act. For all its surreal little touches, the movie also contains a grain of truth and sensitivity that is uncommon in most movies about high school misfits.