American Teen (2008)

A documentary on seniors at a high school in a small Indiana town and their various cliques.

Director:

Nanette Burstein

Writer:

Nanette Burstein

Stars:

Hannah Bailey, Jake Tusing, Megan Krizmanich

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jake Tusing	...	Self
Megan Krizmanich	...	Self
Colin Clemens	...	Self
Mitch Reinholt	...	Self
Hannah Bailey	...	Self
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Geoff Haase	...	Self
Jennifer Lucht	...	Self
Athena Schlitt
Gabriella Schlitt
Skye Scott	...	Self
Jennifer Sheopherd	...	Self
Ali Wikalinska	...	Self

Storyline

A documentary on seniors at a high school in a small Indiana town and their various cliques.

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Plot Keywords:

watching tv | school | indiana | high school | f rated | 

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Taglines:

Remember high school? It's gotten worse.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some strong language, sexual material, some drinking and brief smoking-all involving teens

Did You Know?

Goofs

In multiple shots the frame is reversed. At a party framed magazines on a shelf are reversed. During a conversation with his father, the logo on Colin's shirt switches from his left shoulder to his right shoulder (and reversed) and back to his left shoulder.

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Connections

References The Best Damn Sports Show Period (2001)

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Soundtracks

Kings and Queens
Performed by Luna Halo
Courtesy of American Recordings

User Reviews

View from a disinterested East Coast audience member

I read a few of these posts, and think I might have a different perspective. I live in Washington, D.C., and have never been to Indiana outside of a visit to Bloomington as a child. I went to a public high school in upstate New York, near Syracuse, in the 70's. My friend and I went to the movie to see if and how high school and high school students have changed since we were in school. We were not interested in "Warsaw High" as a institution, nor in learning about Warsaw as a community. And after we left, we talked about the movie and never discussed "Warsaw as a community". We talked about the individual kids. It may help those of you who think the audience is going to draw negative opinions about your community to know that most of the audience doesn't think this was a study of your community - I saw it as a snapshot of a few high school kids from an American town. As I watched, I did wonder about how "typical" high school interactions could be filmed with people wired for sound and with cameras in their face, etc. I knew some of it had to be staged or severely affected by the presence of the camera. The center of the film, for me, was the pressures on, and insecurities of, the kids. I found the individual interviews to be probably the most honest and reliable part of the movie. Jake, Hanna, and the others said some pretty revealing and insightful (and embarrassing) things about themselves; sometimes funny, sometimes touching. And at my age, I know these are kids, as I was once a kid, who will grow up and out of this period of their lives. So I don't see the kids as stuck where they were. Again, it's a snap shot. Kids want to please their Dads by getting in to the right school or getting a scholarship; kids want a boyfriend or a girlfriend; there are cliques; there are jealousies and power trips. Yep, it's high school. That's all I saw. I liked the movie. Sorry if the film crew was rude. But Warsaw, chill out. I have no more or less an opinion of a town I never heard of, and whose name I will forget tomorrow, than before. To a ticket buyer like me, it wasn't really about you; it was touching on the universal American high school experience. Half true, half false; real and also TV and movie generated. The kids all got off to school and are growing up. We should, too. It's all gonna be OK.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 August 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Adolescente americano

Filming Locations:

Indiana, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$45,589, 27 July 2008

Gross USA:

$942,441

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,130,270

Company Credits

Production Co:

57th & Irving Productions, A&E IndieFilms, Blacklist

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1