True Adolescents Movie Review

Indie Comedy By Director Craig Johnson Delivers Lots of Laughs

Apr 2, 2009

Created as his film thesis project for graduation, this excellent movie offers good writing, interesting story, crisp sound, and excellent acting.

Craig Johnson wrote and directed True Adolescents to fulfill a class assignment, never expecting that all the elements would fall into place so beautifully on his first full-length feature film. Johnson made an appearance at the screening of his film at its East Coast Premiere in the American Independent Competition at the 2009 Florida Film Festival. Johnson thanked the appreciative crowd for attending an inconvenient 2:00 p.m. screening on a Wednesday afternoon.

In the movie, an immature foul-mouthed 30-something indie rocker named Sam (Mark Duplass of The Puffy Chair) loses his girlfriend, his home, and his sometime-gig with his band. With nowhere else to go, he relies yet again on his tough-love aunt (Academy-Award nominee Melissa Leo of Frozen River and Mr. Woodcock). Against his will, Sam gets talked into taking his 14-year-old nephew (Bret Loehr) and his friend (Carr Thompson) on a hiking trip.

Sam can barely survive in his hometown of Seattle, much less in the wilds of the Washington forest. The ill-fated trip falls somewhere between Deliverance and Brokeback Mountain, where injuries, make-out sessions, chance encounters, random nudity, and confusing side paths derail their idealized adventure. Throughout the journey, all three “boys” come-of-age in their own unique ways.

The comedy springs from the natural acting (some of which is improvised, according to Johnson), the ridiculous conversations, and the quirky situations. The film offers some poignant moments as well, such as familiar growing pains experienced by the 14-year-olds and a series of misfortunes experienced by Sam (even though he is ultimately responsible for his problems).

For a low-budget indie by a first-time director, production values are excellent in True Adolescents. The crisp, clear audio provides lots of forest ambience with crackling leaves and branches, hooting owls, and buzzing insects. Sam’s leather jacket makes a reassuring crunch with each movement and his habit of making mouth noises before speaking can be heard quite distinctly. The morning light shines beautifully through the forest and the darkness from the shroud of trees becomes cold and ominous as intended by the filmmaker.

The acting is exceptionally good with a nuanced performance by Leo, a lovable lout depicted by Duplass, and heartfelt portrayals of the two boys by relative newcomers Loehr and Thompson. Even actors in the minor roles seem more natural than viewers have come to expect in these kinds of low-budget films. Johnson deserves kudos for this highly accomplished first-time effort. Audiences can certainly expect to see more of his work in the future.

The copyright of the article True Adolescents Movie Review in Comic Films is owned by Leslie C. Halpern. Permission to republish True Adolescents Movie Review in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.