First off why in the world did the dad have THAT MANY GUNS?!?!? AND WHAT FOR?!?!?! WHY WAS IT SO EASY FOR THE BOYS TO GET INTO! Like another reviewer said there are gun safes and for a good reason. Second these were 4 of the most stupid teenage boys and they make some really stupid choices. For the most part they only think of themselves and not the poor sweet innocent little boy they just accidentally killed (all because they wanted to shoot reindeer decorations, seriously). The only one who has somewhat of a brain is the younger brother played by Joel Courtney, who is a fantastic actor by the way, whom wants to go to the police immediately. Right away I didn't like Mitchell Musso's character which brings me to the third problem.... his stupid solution for the whole thing is for them to KILL EACH OTHER?!?!?!?!?!? That's right his great idea was for them to each take a gun and kill each other until only one is left, leaving that boy to get away because of some unconvincing confessions they recorded onto flashdrives.... which they all agree is the only way out! Well the next morning the two brothers finally get some sense and decide that's a terrible idea and should've went to the police all along. Of course now this is where things just go haywire and of course a big 'ole mess. I get what the movie was trying to say but the execution was so bad and unbelievably stupid. I found myself often wondering could someone really be this stupid?!?!?!?!? Other than all that. The acting was decent and the score was great, paired well with the movie.
10 Reviews
The arsenal dear old dad accumulated
bkoganbing8 July 2017
The interesting thing about Sins Of Our Youth is that while it's about the need for gun control it does not preach one single word. It let's you see and judge for yourself.
Two expatriates from the Disney studios, Lucas Till and Mitchel Musso plus Joel Courtney and Bridger Zadina play four well fixed and rather bored youths. Till and Courtney are brothers and they take out some of the weapons that dear old dad had accumulated over decades exercising his 2nd Amendment rights. Everybody uses Uzis and 15 clip automatic pistols and rifles that could stun a blue whale for their hunting.
The four of them all drunk out of their minds start shooting at Christmas decorations and some poor little kid gets killed. The four know this is it for their young lives. The rest of the film is how they clumsily attempt to deal with the tragedy before and after it's discovered.
My favorite scene is when Till opens the locked closet easily enough and you see the arsenal dear old dad accumulated. In the name of God for what?
This is a no frills production and it could have used improvements all around. But it has a sincere message to tell and tell it it does.
Two expatriates from the Disney studios, Lucas Till and Mitchel Musso plus Joel Courtney and Bridger Zadina play four well fixed and rather bored youths. Till and Courtney are brothers and they take out some of the weapons that dear old dad had accumulated over decades exercising his 2nd Amendment rights. Everybody uses Uzis and 15 clip automatic pistols and rifles that could stun a blue whale for their hunting.
The four of them all drunk out of their minds start shooting at Christmas decorations and some poor little kid gets killed. The four know this is it for their young lives. The rest of the film is how they clumsily attempt to deal with the tragedy before and after it's discovered.
My favorite scene is when Till opens the locked closet easily enough and you see the arsenal dear old dad accumulated. In the name of God for what?
This is a no frills production and it could have used improvements all around. But it has a sincere message to tell and tell it it does.
Nihilistic nonsense
holmcindy17 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This film was frustrating on every level. I have more questions than answers. Like, why did those guys think playing with their dad's guns was a good idea? Or what the heck was that kid doing creeping around in the backyard? I get he was trying to return a phone, but did he NOT hear the gunfire coming from back there? Illogical choice even for a kid. The way they they acted after they realized they killed the boy was infuriating. Only one of the four seemed to show any remorse. They lied to the boy's mother when she asked if they've seen her son. Bad decision after bad decision. This film portrays teenage boys as heartless & stupid, which is simply not the case.
Ugh. Just ugh.
Ugh. Just ugh.
There is no gun control that would stop this stupidity
gustheaffen14 February 2020
I do not get people thinking this is a good movie on gun control. The guns these idiots broke in and *stole* (they stole them, that is what it is called when you cut a lock and take things that aren't yours) were legally owned and purchased by an adult. These kids couldn't buy a gun legally. The big issue is where the hell are their parents? And if you aren't going to be a present parent instilling a morale compass in your kids this is what could happen. Mother drinking with kids, parents away leaving teenagers alone apparently for weeks on end - duh they get in trouble. No one cares these kids ditch school including police officers in a diner during a school day.
'
This is one of the dumbest movies I've ever seen.
And for the record I grew up with guns everywhere and kids that were raised with guns would never be so stupid as to use them to shoot up decorations at their own damn house in a neighborhood. This is just a really ridiculous story written by a person that knows nothing about the respect gun owners have and instill in anyone they train to use firearms and hunt.
And these kids never cared they murdered a 12 year old boy and left his parents to wonder what happened. Instead they plan to take each other out?! Seriously stupid.
You can enact any law you want when people steal weapons no law is going to work. Being able to buy and won guns legally has nothing to do with this load of trash.
And these kids never cared they murdered a 12 year old boy and left his parents to wonder what happened. Instead they plan to take each other out?! Seriously stupid.
You can enact any law you want when people steal weapons no law is going to work. Being able to buy and won guns legally has nothing to do with this load of trash.
What a Waste of Time (minor spoilers may be included)
jeffwayne1 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
First off, let me say that the description is very inaccurate. Since when does an act that is not premeditated classify as murder, as in "Sins of Our Youth is the story of four teenagers who accidentally murder a younger boy?" This would be considered reckless homicide or manslaughter, not murder. And from the description we go to the actual movie itself, where it continues to devolve into nothing more than a mouthpiece for gun control.
Where do I even start with a review regarding this movie? It has all of the necessary elements that point to exactly what is wrong with our youth today, mostly due to parental negligence.
1 - The first time we see an adult in this film is around the 30 minute mark, which at 2:30 in the morning when one of the boys is dropped off by his buddies after the killing. Upon arrival he has to peel his parental figure (mother?) off of the front steps of their mobile home because she is too drunk or drugged to stand on her own without his assistance.
2 - These young kids are out at all hours of the night doing God knows what, with what appears to be a massive sense of entitlement and no moral values whatsoever. After the tragic killing all they can think about is how to avoid getting caught or end up taking the blame for their actions. None of these kids were taught to "man up" and accept responsibility for their actions. No concern or feelings towards the parents of the child that was killed are ever considered.
3 - These teens break into one of the parents padlocked gun room by using bolt cutters to cut the padlock. Any teen who would consider doing that has no respect nor fear of the repercussions of doing so. This parent who owns these guns is completely irresponsible for creating a scenario where his guns can be so easily accessed by anyone other than himself. Newsflash ..... they sell these things called "gun safes" where these firearms can be locked up safely. It would take a master safe cracker or a brick of C4 to open them without the combination.
4 - Even though these kids know that what they are doing is going to be discovered they carry through with their plan regardless. (although the younger brother does ask his older brother " what are we gonna do when mom finds out." One small, and almost redeeming snippet of dialogue, but that doesn't go very far when all the rest is quite asinine)
5 - Dear old dad, who owns the guns, has completely failed in instructing his son(s) in the proper handling and use of said firearms. Any responsible, gun owning parent is duty bound to teach their children as much as they can about the proper handling, usage, and mechanical function of the firearms that they own. They should also be taught that failure to follow and adhere to all of those procedures will lead to dangerous situations, possibly with a deadly outcome. Which unsurprisingly happens to be the case depicted here.
6 - The older brother has a girlfriend who is pregnant and still in high school. I know it is a common occurrence in today's society but that doesn't necessarily make it right.
At this point in the movie I couldn't take it any more, I turned it off and will never finish watching it. Above was my 6th and last point, I could go on much longer but don't feel I need to waste any more of my time with this piece of drivel. If you are a responsible parent then you will most likely feel the same way about this movie as I. If you aren't a responsible parent then you will most likely love this movie as it depicts every day life as you see it, because you create that societal lifestyle for you and your children. Everything is to blame other than you or your children.
As stated above, 30 - 40 minutes is all I could handle. This film is nothing more than what I described in my first statement, but coming from the Huffington Studios what more should we expect? When I saw the logo my first instinct was to turn it off right then but I gave it a chance and wasted 30 - 40 minutes of my life on it. Wish I hadn't bothered.
Where do I even start with a review regarding this movie? It has all of the necessary elements that point to exactly what is wrong with our youth today, mostly due to parental negligence.
1 - The first time we see an adult in this film is around the 30 minute mark, which at 2:30 in the morning when one of the boys is dropped off by his buddies after the killing. Upon arrival he has to peel his parental figure (mother?) off of the front steps of their mobile home because she is too drunk or drugged to stand on her own without his assistance.
2 - These young kids are out at all hours of the night doing God knows what, with what appears to be a massive sense of entitlement and no moral values whatsoever. After the tragic killing all they can think about is how to avoid getting caught or end up taking the blame for their actions. None of these kids were taught to "man up" and accept responsibility for their actions. No concern or feelings towards the parents of the child that was killed are ever considered.
3 - These teens break into one of the parents padlocked gun room by using bolt cutters to cut the padlock. Any teen who would consider doing that has no respect nor fear of the repercussions of doing so. This parent who owns these guns is completely irresponsible for creating a scenario where his guns can be so easily accessed by anyone other than himself. Newsflash ..... they sell these things called "gun safes" where these firearms can be locked up safely. It would take a master safe cracker or a brick of C4 to open them without the combination.
4 - Even though these kids know that what they are doing is going to be discovered they carry through with their plan regardless. (although the younger brother does ask his older brother " what are we gonna do when mom finds out." One small, and almost redeeming snippet of dialogue, but that doesn't go very far when all the rest is quite asinine)
5 - Dear old dad, who owns the guns, has completely failed in instructing his son(s) in the proper handling and use of said firearms. Any responsible, gun owning parent is duty bound to teach their children as much as they can about the proper handling, usage, and mechanical function of the firearms that they own. They should also be taught that failure to follow and adhere to all of those procedures will lead to dangerous situations, possibly with a deadly outcome. Which unsurprisingly happens to be the case depicted here.
6 - The older brother has a girlfriend who is pregnant and still in high school. I know it is a common occurrence in today's society but that doesn't necessarily make it right.
At this point in the movie I couldn't take it any more, I turned it off and will never finish watching it. Above was my 6th and last point, I could go on much longer but don't feel I need to waste any more of my time with this piece of drivel. If you are a responsible parent then you will most likely feel the same way about this movie as I. If you aren't a responsible parent then you will most likely love this movie as it depicts every day life as you see it, because you create that societal lifestyle for you and your children. Everything is to blame other than you or your children.
As stated above, 30 - 40 minutes is all I could handle. This film is nothing more than what I described in my first statement, but coming from the Huffington Studios what more should we expect? When I saw the logo my first instinct was to turn it off right then but I gave it a chance and wasted 30 - 40 minutes of my life on it. Wish I hadn't bothered.
Really bizarre
princess-fairy201029 June 2020
Good, Necessary Film About Gun Control
moviewriterlaca19 October 2014
I just had the opportunity of seeing this film at the Hollywood Film Festival, and first, good job for tackling a very tough subject. As someone who has a personal friend whose sibling committed suicide on a shooting range, and another friend who accidentally shot and killed his young brother, this resonates with me.
As much as I liked the film, I couldn't help but feel like it needed some tightening in terms of the pacing and execution of the dialog. I felt some of the dialog was little forced. A little after school special. I found myself saying "would someone really say something like that?"
Lucas Till is certainly growing as an actor. It's always great to see someone mature in their craft. This young man's star has just begun to shine, and I hope that he makes career choices that don't always stereotype him as the blond hunk du jour.. The rest of the cast was great as well, and I hope that we see these actors work together again sometime.
As much as I liked the film, I couldn't help but feel like it needed some tightening in terms of the pacing and execution of the dialog. I felt some of the dialog was little forced. A little after school special. I found myself saying "would someone really say something like that?"
Lucas Till is certainly growing as an actor. It's always great to see someone mature in their craft. This young man's star has just begun to shine, and I hope that he makes career choices that don't always stereotype him as the blond hunk du jour.. The rest of the cast was great as well, and I hope that we see these actors work together again sometime.
Fundamentalist/Evangelical Christian Movie
takegoodcare22 February 2020
This one even starts out with a popular Christian hymn, for no apparent reason at all, and then the scene changes to ... this purported movie. Evangelicals are filling the airwaves to win converts to Jesus and this is another of their (sick) attempts at playing on people's emotions to "steer them to Christ". as they put it. Where are the kids parents? This is not a gun control film. This is a "raising your children decently" film. The irony here as we sit watching the church service at the end with all the happy Christians signing happy evangelical songs -- is that the parents are there -- in church. They have been too afraid and too uninterested in talking to their children about life and its problems. Sex? Oh my god, no. Only the heathen talk about that. Guns are to be worshipped in their proper place (not as a means to killing children). Kids' problems are insignificant and can be ignored. This is the evangelical mantra. All you have to do is take them to church three times a week and they'll turn out to be fine spiritual warriors for Christ. (I am the son of evangelical parents and can identify with this movie.)
Not that the kids, however deprived they are of parental attention would act in such a manner. The movie is truly in the twilight zone when it comes to any of this. The police would be called, the parents would cry, they would ask god why they were being punished, and then they would blame their children in some way.
So, rather than presenting a holy look at the wonderful world of the evangelical, we see them for what they really are -- and we see their children -- alone, bereft of attention and advice at a time in their life when it is needed most.
This is a sick, sad movie, unrealistic in most parts, but resonantly true when it comes to others.
The movie didn't change my views about guns, but it was still a very good story
GlukeMore21 January 2017
All politics aside, I liked the movie a lot. It was very tense, and all four of the lead actors did a great job. They made the movie feel real, scary, and tragic. I had no clue how the story was going to end, which kept the tension level high. I was feeling the same panic that the characters were feeling. The soundtrack really stood out as well, and fit the movie perfectly. Everything felt very 'real life.'
There was only one thing that really brought down the movie for me, and that was the whole subplot involving Tyler's girlfriend. Ultimately, it did set up the climax, but most of it felt unnecessary. Some of the most intense scenes were directly followed by a scene with her planning a party with her friends. It's like the movie suddenly changed genres. That's not to say anything against the actress, since she did a good job. It just felt like they tried to force in another story where it wasn't needed.
I'd talk about the politics of the movie, but I don't feel that's needed. The movie itself didn't feel very political, there were only a couple scenes that had obvious political statements.
There was only one thing that really brought down the movie for me, and that was the whole subplot involving Tyler's girlfriend. Ultimately, it did set up the climax, but most of it felt unnecessary. Some of the most intense scenes were directly followed by a scene with her planning a party with her friends. It's like the movie suddenly changed genres. That's not to say anything against the actress, since she did a good job. It just felt like they tried to force in another story where it wasn't needed.
I'd talk about the politics of the movie, but I don't feel that's needed. The movie itself didn't feel very political, there were only a couple scenes that had obvious political statements.
A necessary movie
robnero26 February 2021
Foolish youth and guns. Just because they are there doesn't mean you have to play with them. This movie does well in setting up the careless, carefree situation that many find themselves in that leads to a night of trouble. I wish this movie could be shown to teens and young adults alike so that they can see what could happen when guns for fun is a bad choice.
It is a movie about friendships, suspicion. guilt and consequences.
Surprisingly good! Well cast and acted. It was good to see Ally Sheedy in it as well
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