Two Thumbs Up

Rating: 8/10 (16 April 2007)

I admit it whole-heartedly, I am a Shia LaBouff fan and really expected a lot out of this film because I knew he was cast in it. But I was surprised at the depth and drama this film involved. It's true, this was mainly a teen flick of a more sophisticated kind, but it was honestly a drama until the last forty-five minutes.
What surprised me most was the honesty this film portrayed of the characters. Shia, of course, was the noble leader in that case but the usual elements of a teen thriller (sex, drugs, and guns) were all but nonexistent. The honesty of how hurt Shia was about his father's death, the honesty of how he truly despised his lack of control, and the honesty of the fact that he watched this girl from his window, although that truth isn't confessed immediately, was amazing.
There's a deeper level here that many teen films try to include but really lack because they try to pack every spare reel of film with blood and gore. Not to say this film was lacking thrills by any means. By the time I left the theater I had laughed, cried, screamed, jumped, closed my eyes ten times and felt my knuckles go white with anger. You will be physically and mentally exhausted and somehow all the elements of every genre in film today merge together in an unexpected breath of fresh air.