MovieChat Forums > American Teen (2008) Discussion > STAGED GARBAGE.

STAGED GARBAGE.

posted 16 years ago by quelindofilms
10 replies | jump to latest

I went to a special screening at The Arclight that was to feature a Q&A with the teen subjects after the screening. I wasn't feeling well going in, but I knew it was a great opportunity to see and speak to the kids whose lives were captured by the doc.

I didn't bother sticking around for the Q&A. I didn't even make it to the end of the movie. I left about fifteen or twenty minutes before it ended because:
a) I was feeling very ill and very tired.
b) The movie sucked.

This is not a documentary. This film is so poorly STAGED, manipulated and designed I wanted to ask for my money back.

"Excuse me, I paid to see a documentary, not an episode of The Hills."

Of course I didn't actually do this, but goddamn it I wanted to.

The movie is full of what must be reenactments. Entire lines of dialogue are LOOPED into scenes where the characters' mouths aren't even moving. There are DOLLY SHOTS where kids walk through EMPTY HALLS, trying to either PERFORM conversations or strike a dramatic pose.

And don't get me started on the montages. Staged, composed shots of the kids sitting around looking depressed, or standing by a dock, or whatever the hell folks do in montages in "real movies."

I got the sense that the filmmakers were so scared of being grouped in with the recent death of the Doc craze that they threw every single Hollywood-effect they could at this film instead of actually pointing the effing cameras at these kids and letting the events speak for themselves.

I wanted to know these kids, but all I got were caricatures. I wanted to hear about their hopes and dreams, but instead the film would cut away to flashy animation sequences to hide all of their interview editing.

Anyone who's ever taken an editing class will spot all the obvious tricks and flaws. Anyone else will just not give a *beep*

It speaks volumes when I can't believe a girl is saying the things she's saying while bawling her eyes out, because she's covering her face with a blanket and the sobs/words just don't seem to fit with the image.

It's entirely suspect. American Teen is truly the death knell for documentaries, because we're living in an age where people want to be exploited and will do whatever they can for nationwide attention.

I could go on and on about this dreck, and the word that keeps coming to mind is "amateur."

After watching American Teen, I gained newfound respect for Michael Moore. At least when he sells misleading propaganda filled with misinformation, he does it competently so you can enjoy the story.

Do not go see American Teen. Especially if you have cable. You can watch the same garbage at home on MTV.

It's called The Hills.

[–] 16 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Mysterious_Clown 15 years ago

AMEN couldn't have said it better.

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] t-adorissio 15 years ago

Thanks, you saved me an hour and a half of wanting to commit suicide in front of my computer.

I was going to download this and watch it, since they say its Breakfast club remade...

Breakfast club was a classic...it may be lame compared to the style of films now, but it was good for its time, and having a modern version made me smile with anticipation.

Thankfully, after reading so many reviews and opinions, i decided to not watch it.

I once did not listen to IMBD Movie opinions and I wasted 1.5 hours of my life on some horrible...horribly written movie..

THANK U

[–] zeefor 15 years ago

"After watching American Teen, I gained newfound respect for Michael Moore. At least when he sells misleading propaganda filled with misinformation, he does it competently so you can enjoy the story."

Nah that ended back in the mid-nineties.

[–] lsganavazos 15 years ago

I actually went to Warsaw Community High School the year they filmed A.T. I remember they had senior interviews with nanette b, the lady who did the film and we all had to cope with cameras in the halls-- I can vouch for that much. To an extent, yeah, I think it was real, enough to call it a documentary I guess.

I was in student council, so I know that there was some authenticity to Megan Kriz getting suspended as VP, I was also witnessed hannah compete in the battle of the bands. But I do believe that a LOT of the situations were super provoked.

[–] matthews-84 15 years ago

Thank you lsganavazos I didn't attend WCHS but I am from there, I happen to be friends with the Krizmanic family. This is not some STAGED movie as everyone on here happens to talk about. Do some research before you get on the net and bitch. Thank you

[–] Superdracula 14 years ago

it may not be entirely fake, but the cameras being there make the subjects act differently or not entirely themselves because some people are too scared to be honest and others want people to feel for them. i mean if jake never got a date he'd just be talking about needing a girlfriend and we'd get bored seeing him whinge or maybe just feel sorry for him if he tried and got rejected. Plus everyone would hate seeing jake loose out no matter how real it is i mean did he even get girls every so often before the movie? I think the camera gave him the confidence to ask them girls out and it seems weird they all accepted when he just randomly asks. I was like him, shy with hardly any friends, never could talk to girls i liked except one girl who i asked out. she said no, plus it was random too.

Plus lastly how come nobody stuttered, said umm or uh or paused for thought hmm?
if this was truly real jake would have had some depression and this movie would've gained an R rating (aus MA)

[–] ernieflapps 14 years ago

I couldn't agree with you more.
I rented this thinking it was going to be a documentary along the lines of 'American Movie', but the film has far more in common with TV shows like MTV’s ‘Laguna Beach’, ‘The Hills’ and ‘The Real Orange County’ than a real documentary.
The whole film which felt completely staged and fake, in which real high school teens were playing out pre-planned semi-scripted events which were later manipulated in the editing room by the director to form the exact documentary she wanted made, not an organic series of events that traditionally form a documentary.
The end result is an experience which leaves you feeling cheated.

And did any else notice the horrible continuity errors?
In one scene Jacob is seen having his hair cut by his girlfriend’s mother who apologises for cutting it too short, in the next scene Jacob is in a diner being dumped by his girlfriend but his hair is long again. And just watch the basketball game scene, the scores on the gym scoreboard are higher midway through the game than they are in the minute of play.

[–] Oblivion14 13 years ago

The montages were AWFUL. Hannah crying, and Hannah and Mitch having a perfect day at the park dressing each other as dinosaurs. Cringingly barfingly amateurish.

Also the band geek's acne cleared up then returned and cleared up again. You can tell which were reenacted pretty easily by finding which scenes had him with no acne.

And yeah, it was all so mind numbingly shallow. If the kids they picked for their documentary really thought that way, I hope they really did grow a helluva lot up in the years since like the credits said. Else I'd be really scared of American twenty-somethings soonish, LOL.