John Carchietta’s directorial debut invests a familiar story with a fresh quality--at least until the somewhat predictable dénouement--as a lost teenager falls under the sway of a more glamorous peer. Annie (Nichole Bloom) is an awkward misfit who hates high school, and it hates her back. Her family (Michelle Borth and Joshua Leonard play Annie’s cooler-than-average parents) is new to town, and she mopes about until she meets Jules (Fabianne Therese), an aspiring dancer. Jules teaches her a few moves, and even though Annie lacks her grace, the two become fast friends. Jules dreams of moving to New York to join a dance company; her biggest fear is that she’ll remain in their sleepy California town, teaching dance classes until she dies. Jules introduces Annie to marijuana, gives her a homemade tattoo, and encourages her crush. Jules also persuades Annie to work as a webcam girl, where they earn money by making out on camera, attracting a particularly ardent fan named Frank (Pat Healy), an unhappily married father. When the school gets wind of Annie and Jules’s illicit activities, the girls decide to split town. First, they just need a quick influx of cash, so they turn to Frank, who isn’t quite what he appears to be. After a night of paid passion, they escalate to extortion. Unfortunately, Teenage Cocktail then shifts into thriller territory, which--though telegraphed from the opening sequence--feels less carefully considered than the rest of the film. Fortunately, Bloom and Therese, who have a very believable chemistry, weather the tonal shifts just fine. A strong optional purchase. (K. Fennessy)
Teenage Cocktail
MPI, 89 min., not rated, DVD: $14.99 Volume 33, Issue 3
Teenage Cocktail
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