The wonderfully good spirited and unabashedly raunchy high jinks in Joel
Gallen's NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE will have you laughing and counting. As the
jokes come fast and furiously, you'll be attempting to compile a mental list
of all of the teen movies that the film parodies. RISKY BUSINESS, THE
BREAKFAST CLUB, SHE'S THE ONE, ALMOST FAMOUS, etc. -- the list goes on and
on. NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE feels like AMERICAN PIE 3, as produced by Jerry
Bruckheimer (GONE IN 60 SECONDS) and directed by John Hughes (FERRIS
BUELLER'S DAY OFF). Its working title was TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT CLUELESS
ROAD TRIPS WHEN I CAN'T HARDLY WAIT TO BE KISSED, which would of had trouble
fitting on a marquee.
Opening with a hilarious female masturbation scene, the movie instantly
serves notice that it intends to be a comedy that earns its R rating and not
one of those wink-wink, smarmy PG-13 sexual comedies that have become
popular with studio marketing departments. Although it sometimes goes too
far over the top in order to shock -- I could do without the exploding
toilet gag -- generally the movie is a real crowd-pleaser that hits its
mark, causing the audience to burst into loud spasms of laughter.
The most unlikely couple at John Hughes High School, where the story is set,
is Janey Briggs (Chyler Leigh) and Jake Wyler (Chris Evans). Janey, whose
father's beat-up pickup has DIRTPOOR on the plates, is the school's
wildflower. Jake, who has FILTHYRICH on the license of his expensive, red
sports car, is the school's hotshot quarterback. Or he was, until the
accident. Oh, Jake wasn't hurt but... Well, we'll let you enjoy that scene
lifted from RUDY without giving away the sidesplitting result.
Jake makes a bet with the new starting QB that he can turn any girl into a
prom queen, even Janey. With her nerdy glasses, ponytail and paint
splattered overalls, Janey might be considered hopeless. Of course,
underneath she really has a killer body and a dynamite smile.
The movie gets lots of mileage through sight gags that are used briefly.
Areola (Cerina Vincent), for example, is a new exchange student who is a
full-time practicing nudist. You know those wacky Europeans. Another time,
Janey's younger brother Mitch (Cody McMains) and his two buddies are in the
boy's locker room. Hearing girls, they look up to see a sign that reads:
"Vent to Girl's Locker Room: Maximum Capacity 2 Adolescent Boys." It
doesn't take a rocket scientist to see where this scene is going.
The school's football team is known as the Wasps, which makes the takeoff on
BRING IT ON extra funny. Jaime Pressly (TOMCATS) plays Priscilla, the
bitchy captain of the cheerleaders. Her vocabulary is non-stop cheerific.
The challenge is on. Which films could you identify? Drop me a line, but
only if your count is at least twenty; otherwise, you're not even trying.
And don't write for hints.
NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE runs 1:30. It is rated R for "strong crude sexual
content and humor, language and some drug content" and would be acceptable
for older teenagers.
Copyright © 2001 Steve Rhodes
out of 4
