Home > Drama >

True Adolescents

True Adolescents (2009)

March. 14,2009
|
6.1
| Drama Comedy

At 34, struggling Seattle musician Sam finds himself broke, jobless and losing touch with the person he wants to become. When his girlfriend kicks him out, he's forced to crash with his aunt Sharon and is reluctantly enlisted to take her teenage son and his friend camping.

...

Watch Trailer

Cast

Reviews

ThedevilChoose
2009/03/14

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

More
Numerootno
2009/03/15

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

More
Zlatica
2009/03/16

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

More
Isbel
2009/03/17

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

More
Steve Pulaski
2009/03/18

Sam is a character who hates the idea of growing up, and, even as he approaches his mid-thirties, he clings onto the idea that he is a musician that will get his big break any minute from now. His ideology is the kind teenagers exiting high school or entering college possess, but then go onto approach a life-realization that they're living in a fantasy. Sam hasn't received such an awakening, and this makes for the perfect coming of age film centered on a character that solemnly loathes the idea.Sam is played by Mark Duplass, who, consistent readers will know, is quickly becoming one of my favorite male leads. After getting kicked out by his girlfriend, Sam crashes at his aunt's home in upstate Seattle (Melissa Leo) where she lives with her teenage son Oliver (Bret Loehr). When her divorced husband calls off the camping trip between him and Oliver, Sam feels almost obligated to take his dad's place and, after some convincing by his aunt, reluctantly takes Oliver and his best friend Jake (Carr Thompson) on a replacement camping trip.In a Hollywood film, the formula that would prove prophetic is that the three would be met with The Great Outdoors-style problems, wreak havoc on mother nature, have their actions prove reckless and almost inconsequential to nature and man, and walk away learning just about nothing. Thankfully, this is not a Hollywood film. It's a subtle, successful merge between a "mainstream" independent movie and the grassroots of comprehensive mumblecore (another recent example of the hybrid would be Colin Trevorrow's Safety Not Guaranteed).Mumblecore is often characterized by the naturalistic flow of its dialog and the inherent messiness of its videography and editing. Here, it has that polished look, while maintaining naturalistic dialog executed wonderfully by actors lacking a household name (with the possible exception of Leo). By the middle of the second half, I felt I kind of knew were this was going, yet was still liking every minute of it. It is then the film introduces an unexpectedly daring twist that catches one off-guard and ushers in a plethora of story possibilities, resulting in a pleasant maturity for the cast and crew. Writer Craig Johnson doesn't cop out when the going gets tough, but forces his characters to buckle down and grow up within the last half hour of the film.True Adolescents brilliantly showcases the maturity of a genre and its characters, by, as always, giving them a brutally honest slice of life and utilizing small events as the film's main conflicts. The character actors are wonderful, the scenery of the Olympic Peninsula is gorgeous, the scenery, especially in the woods, is thrilling and inviting, and all of this makes for a wonderfully earnest debut from writer Craig Johnson, who may rank next to the Duplass brothers, Andrew Bujalski, and Lynn Shelton as the best mumblecore directors in the business.Starring: Mark Duplass, Bret Loehr, and Carr Thompson. Directed by: Craig Johnson.

More
nathanschubach
2009/03/19

I thought the movie was light-hearted and cute for what it was. A screwed-up Gen-Xer type who, at age 34, is still without a real job, and, instead of remaining a selfish miscreant while living with his aunt, he decides to take up the offer to take his cousin and his cousin's pal on a camping trip for the weekend. The movie really is about male-bonding with someone other than a father figure from a younger age perspective, and over the course of this weekend, these two boys learn a bit about girls, themselves, camping, and looking out for one another. Mark Duplass plays a great role as the Gen-Xer type who is trying to find out what to make of his life. There were interesting plot turns and elements that remind me of "Stand By Me" or something. It features a lot of hipper, Washington State-based music, too (close to those of the 90's, the audience is even reminded of the Seattle Sub>Pop movement).I didn't care much for the ending, but it's the trend of the times right now to leave things open-ended for some characters. And I didn't like the fact that they wasted so much footage trying to find the pal for the entire day. I didn't feel it needed that much attention to the hardship of that feat. With that being said, though, that's the worst part of the movie. I wouldn't buy it for my collection per se, but I do think its worth the rent. 6 stars.

More
patrycja-miljevic
2009/03/20

First of all, this movie is an example how not to make a film. It absolutely lacks any story at all. You get a story like those you were writing in high school, not knowing how to end it and having no message to give. You keep watching and thinking what it's all about and what the point of this film is. Every time there's a glimpse of a meaning, it disappears right away.So you meet a middle-aged rock man Sam who pathetically forces himself to play cool and maybe he's supposed to be funny, but damn, he's not. His GF kicks him out of the house so he stays with his aunt. The aunt wants him to get a job but he's too cool for that, then he seems to feel guilty and he takes her son and his best friend to a camping trip to the middle of nowhere. Here's probably the only good point of this film - nice views.Generally when there's a trip involved in a film you suppose it should change something for the characters of the film, well, this one doesn't. There is no logic in the construction of the film, there are random scenes that have no continuation later on. You hope the guy will teach the kids something about the music, nope, they just stop at a motel and this bit ends. You hope the kids will learn something about their sexuality, nope, the bit ends with "Sorry I called you a fag". There is no message, nothing to hang on, the film ends up like there was no idea or money to finish it.I'm writing this because I'm angry I wasted my time on this. When I was a teenager and I was writing stories that had no point, I just burnt them or threw away after reading them. I wish the person who had made this film had done the same to the script. Really, try to watch some real good indie films first because in my opinion the makers of this one are like the main guy in this movie - forcing themselves to be cool while they are just pathetic. At least take some lessons from Xavier Dolan or Jonathan Caouette for example, if you want to limit yourself to North American film makers.

More
JustCuriosity
2009/03/21

True Adolescents had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX. It is a solid effort at exploring the efforts of a man in his mid-30s who hasn't quite grown up to bond with his teenage nephew and his buddy during a weekend camping outing. The characters are well-developed and the acting is solid. Mark Duplass's Sam is a failed musician who needs to figure out what he is doing with his life. His immaturity is finally challenged as he is forced to become the responsible adult. The story is entertaining if not spectacular. The acting is fairly good and the characters and their relationships to each other are well-developed. The ending sequence seems a little hokey. Although, the film probably won't get widely distributed, it is nevertheless a worthwhile effort.

More