MovieChat Forums > American Teen (2008) Discussion > Not really like my American Teen experie...

Not really like my American Teen experience at all


Although im sure this film depicts the overall "usual" experience of high school in America, i cant relate to it that much..
I graduated the same year as the movie (2006) from a large (3,000 students)school in a very major East Coast city..
In my school, there were sort of cliques, but not really the same, anyone from one clique could be friends with someone from another. Although im pretty sure that this is due to the facts that the demographics of my school district is around 80%-85% Black, 10% White, and 5% Everything else, and from my experiences alot of inner-city schools are like mine. (Im white btw, and def not racist dont get that twisted, i associated mostly with non-whites up until college)..
But anyway the cliques basically were (in order of size):
1. "The Gangsta" kids, bringin guns and sellin drugs n *beep* at school, life goals included being the biggest Hustler and runnin the Block. Most do not graduate.
2. The in-between kids, most still do drugs and some illegal activities but they still get there school *beep* done as well. Most graduate, some go to college
2. The kids who actually make they're education their number one priority, most do not do drugs, they get good grades and strive for success, all graduate and go to college.
But i guess my point to this is that not all american schools are like the ones in this movie, as i kno alot of ppl from schools like mine. And just to point out that there is other systems out there in American Schools...

reply

This wasnt much like my high school experience either...and I went to a white dominant suburban high school near Indianapolis!

reply

I have yet to find any movie, TV series or documentary that really illustrates high school. School cliques are not as neatly laid out by stereotype in my experience. Bullying seems to happen more often ‘inter-clique’. I had mostly invisible. I was a wallflower with a small, select group of intimate friends who I knew I could trust and they went all over the spectrum of labels. I was labeled goth in school but I’ve always seen myself as a romantic and a girlie girl just more dark.

Member of the Religious left

reply

Apparently, if it isnt mid American, it isnt true american. Thats one of the reasons I hate this movie (other than the fact it felt and looked staged) It was a bunch of white kids with money to live comfortably.


reply

i was a freshman at warsaw when they filmed the movie. it was not at all that clique-y. we had the small crowd of everyone not white, the rich, the emo/punk/skater/goth, and then pretty much everyone else. and everyone kinda drifted between. the biggest separation was between the hooligans and everyone else.

reply