Shelly’s Blog

Last night my family and I went to a special screening of the movie American Teen, which will officially hit theaters August 25th.

It is a documentary, yes, but don’t let this category fool you. If you are like me, when you hear the word “documentary,” you usually picture some old man droning on and on about volcanoes or something, a dreary Beethoven soundtrack in the background. But this movie is more like a reality TV show. Let’s look at the trailer…




The movie covers the stories of five very different teenagers who (when the movie begins) have just started their first day of senior year in a small high school in Warsaw Indiana. Each of these students is facing a difficult year ahead of them, as they plan for college, struggle through touch relationships, turn on friends, and through all of this drama, try to find themselves.

Jake, the geek, is a painfully awkward and shy guy in group situations. He is an active member of his school band, but apart from this, he feels that he does not fit into any particular clique and is a bit of a loner. Because of this, he has vowed that nothing will stop him from getting a girlfriend this year because then, maybe, he would not be such a nerd.

Colin is a smart and funny basketball player. He is popular and well-liked, but has been weighed down by the pressure of a basketball scholarship. His father has told him he can not afford to pay for his college tuition. Colin knows that being the star player on his team may not be enough, and is going to give all he’s got to receive a scholarship and pursue his dream.

Hannah is the rebel. She enjoys playing guitar, painting, and film-making. These sound like normal enough hobbies, but she has never felt at home in her small conservative town. She cannot wait to leave and explore the world, and her dream is to become a film-maker that people will remember long after her death. But to reach her goal she must first make it through her last year of high school, one sure to be fraught with drama.

Mitch is the heartthrob basketball jock that every girl would love to date. He knows he could have any girl he wants, and is confused and conflicted when the girl he falls for is not who anyone expected. He must now make the decision between his friends or his new girl.

Megan is the most popular girl in school. As head of prom committee, student council Vice President and valedictorian, she rules the school and knows it. She also knows she loves to get revenge, and does not care if she hurts people along the way. Her meanness can be slightly justified by the pressure being issued on her by her dad. She comes from a long line of rich successful family members who all attended Notre Dame and expect her to do the same. But will her hunger for revenge get in the way of her chance for a bright future?

Overall I thought this was an excellent movie and I think all of you should definitely see it when it comes out. The story is exciting and funny and does a great job of not dwelling on one person’s perspective for too long, switching between the five characters frequently. The movie has a fast moving plot.

The cinematography is amazing as well. One of the effects I most enjoyed was when a character would be talking about their hopes and dreams and the movie would go into an awesome animation to depict their point of view. (For example, for the geek it showed him inside his very own video game, triumphing over his foe and winning the beautiful girl).

I think that the fact that it was a documentary did not take away from the movie at all. These people had such great personalities and the drama in their lives seemed like something right out of any other movie you would see. I thought it was actually rewarding knowing these were not just actors, but real people going through troubles in their lives.

I would recommend this movie for anyone (guy or girl) who is in the mood for a good, funny movie.

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