Buy True Adolescents on DVD

True Adolescents

DVD

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Synopsis

Craig Johnson's poised and poignant first feature follows Sam (Mark Duplass), an, unbeknownst to himself, washed-up rocker in the early stages of haggard. Jobless and apartment-less, he crashes with his aunt (a compassionate Melissa Leo) as a last resort and becomes a reluctant camping-trip chaperone to her teenage son and a pal. That the three males are on par, maturity-wise, makes for engaging ensemble juvenilia. But in the stirring Pacific Northwest wilderness, a surprising discovery turns dire - and the distance from boy to man must be covered overnight.

Duplass's ballsy and at times balls-out performance is a winner, particularly when Sam at long last takes stock of himself: it ain't pretty.

Review

In this thoughtful, intimate indie from director Craig Johnson, mumblecore darling Mark Duplass (who never minds shedding clothes for the camera) plays chaperone to a pair of adolescent boys (Bret Loehr and Carr Thompson) who, alone in a text at night, decide to experiment with their sexuality.

-- Robert O'Neill

Product Format Information

DVD : $22.99

Availability: In stock and ready to ship
Region Code: 1
UPC: 767685248119

Studio : New Video

Languages: English Stereo (Primary)
Aspect Ratio: Widescreen

Keywords

Adolescence, Comedy, Coming of Age, Converting Straight Men, Friendship, Schoolboy

Genres

Comedy, Drama

Customer Reviews

An Honest Coming-of-Age Film

Amos Lassen wrote on 08/06/2011:

Sam (Mark Duplass) is a failed musician who has no idea of what he is doing with his life and he has begun to try to bond with his teen nephew and his friend on a weekend camping trip. Sam is in his mid 30’s and needs to become responsible. In short, Sam is a mess. He has no focus; he does not care about how he looks and has no idea about who he wants to be. So we see that there is a lot he shares in common with Oliver (Bret Leohr), his 14 year old cousin and his friend Jake (Carr Thompson). All three are forced to grow up when they set off on a weekend together. I do not want to say too much about what happens in the film because there are so many twists and turns and it is impossible to summarize the plot without adding spoilers.
Melissa Leo is Aunt Sharon and she is very protective of her children. This film is another coming-of-age movie in which becoming an adult is in the hands of the two younger boys.
The characters are what drives this film and our young actors are excellent. Craig Johnson directs and this is his first full length film and it is brutally honest. Coming-of-age films can be depressing but the honesty here changes that. Even though we do not like Sam, we find that we cheer him on. There is a great deal of self-hatred and dark emotions but the film works through them. It is interesting to see the balance between adolescence and a midlife breakdown. This is not a cheerful movie but somehow we love the characters and that is because of the director’s talent and the cast that shows us all we need to know.