Any teenager should watch this at some point

Rating: 8/10 (13 February 2005)

This came on the TV just as I was writing my review of Little Nicky, right after aforementioned title had ended. The title seemed familiar, so I decided to give it a chance. I hadn't expected the great film that I got out of it. This should be viewed by any teenager, at least once, at some point. The premise is as simple as this: put five typical but very different high school kids in detention the same day at the same place. The film follows them, as they spend the whole day at the school, and eventually warm up to each other, open up to each other and finally, grow to like and accept each other. This is one of the only John Hughes films(of the ones he directed himself, at least) that I've seen, so I'm not entirely familiar with his directing style, but I like what I've seen so far. The plot is very good, and a lot less pretentious than most teen comedies. It doesn't try too hard to be funny... it just is. The acting performances are all top-notch. The characters are well-written, credible and most importantly, interesting. The film keeps your interest better than most teen flicks. The humor is very good, not overly crude or offensive, but still teen-oriented. The dialog is well-written and equally well-delivered. A great film which should be seen by any teenager. I recommend it to anyone that is or has been a teenager. 8/10