CRAZY/BEAUTIFUL
US, 2001, 99 minutes, Colour.
Kirsten Dunst, Jay Hernandez, Bruce Davison, Lucinda Jenny. Taryn Manning.
Directed by John Stockwell.
Over the last few years, a screen genre has started to gain momentum: the Kirsten Dunst teenage movie. She has proven that she is a very talented actress and has a strong screen presence - and she is not twenty yet. She made impact in Little Women as well as Interview with the Vampire. She has done excellent cameos in films like Wag the Dog. In 1999, she appeared as a doomed teenager in The Virgin Suicides, a grim look at respectable America and the malaise beneath the surface. Since then she has moved to some comedies, the Kirsten Dunst teenage movies. in 2000 there was the amusing cheerleader rivalry in Bring it On. Earlier this year there was the High School romance (during the performance of a musical version of A Midsummer Night's Dream), Get Over It.
In the former films, Kirsten was the nice, sparky and sympathetic student. In Crazy/Beautiful, she reverses roles. She is a rich, spoilt brat, resenting her mother's suicide and her senator father's remarriage. And persuasive she is in that role. The beautiful is Jay Hernandez performing the function she had done in the other films. He is a conscientious Latino student who is attracted to her, tries to help her and almost ruins his own life in the attempt. Bruce Davison is the senator who turns out to be a sympathetic father who supports the young man in trying to help his daughter. Nothing startling, but not too bad.
1. The appeal of the film? Teenagers, High School? Romance? Dreams? The craziness and the beauty?
2. The California settings, the town, homes, affluence, High School? The contrast with the Hispanic family, the home, the bus travel to school and back, two hours each way? The highlighting of the contrast? The atmosphere, the town, the streets, the beaches? The musical score?
3. The title, Nicole as crazy, Carlos as beautiful? Nicole and the possibility for her to change? Carlos and the influence of Nicole and his changing?
4. Nicole, her age, the death of her mother, her dislike of her stepmother? The tension with her father? His being a politician? His concern about her? Her friends? The easy life, drugs, avoiding school and responsibilities? Self-destructive? The scenes with her friend and her influence?
5. The contrast with Carlos, his place in the family, his parents and their concern, his siblings and their influence? An earnest young man, travelling so long to school, his wanting a good education, at school, his hard work, a decent young man?
6. The encounter between Nicole and Carlos? Chance? The response? Carlos and his falling for Nicole, his concern, trying to do the best for her? Nicole, lack of responsibility, the possibility of dragging Carlos down, his dreams, wanting to be a pilot?
7. Tom Oakley, his life, politics, influence? The death of his wife? His re-marriage? The personality of his new wife, Nicole disliking her?
8. Tom, his interventions, concerned for Carlos, warning him about his daughter? Arranging the interview for him? Nicole’s reaction?
9. Carlos, giving up his dreams, wanting to help Nicole – her response, helping him, fulfilling his dream?
10. This film is different from other teenage stories? Some more depth?
