If you're drawn to this movie because of its DVD box description--something about a "scorching", "seductive", "dangerous" and "sizzling hot" drama--hmm, you might be let down. Ironically enough, if you're somewhat turned off by that sensational marketing but decide to watch it anyway, read on because there's a real treat in store.
I have absolutely no clue how I ended up watching this. I'm well past my teen years, and what's more, my teen years weren't exactly something anyone would write a movie about. My high school experience was about as sizzling hot as the Brady Bunch. I didn't really want to see a bunch of stylish supermodel teenagers doing all the naughty things I wish I could've done in some alternate universe designed by Mtv.
Well, almost immediately I realized that's not the angle this movie chose to take. First of all, the acting is very genuine. Not like a bunch of cool vampires who speak entirely in clever 1-liners, but the way real humans speak to each other: sometimes awkward, sometimes goofy, with very real emotion and natural language, almost as if the actors departed from the script and would ad lib their lines, jokes and reactions. So OK, I thought, real characters and believable dialogue is a major plus. I'll keep watching another 20 minutes or so. (Aside: be sure to watch the deleted scenes for some amazing, brutally honest scenes with excellent acting. Why they got cut I have no idea except that maybe "real life" type conversations are too boring for the average moviegoer?)
And then the real theme of the story emerges, grabbing me hook, line, and sinker. Sure, it's about a bunch of teens who form a strange (some would say perverse) 6-way love hexagon. But really their strange arrangement is meant to be the opposite of the rampant, casual sex hookups that all the other high schoolers are trying to do. Make no mistake: this is NOT about any sort of diabolical kinky sex orgy. The director was very careful to avoid all that, as well as drugs, alcohol (ok maybe I saw 1 beer), and gratuitous profanity, because all of that would've upstaged the real point of the story.
And so the central question emerges: is an exclusive 6-way love relationship morally inferior to a love life of fleeting hookups? Or more directly to the point: is it better to have a bunch of trusted friends-with-benefits, or take your chances in the whole boyfriend-girlfriend meat market? Furthermore, what happens when you fall for someone who can't understand the logic in your deviation from the norm?
This is what I meant by "Chasing Amy" in my title. "Normal Adolescent Behavior" challenges the viewer by presenting a type of "abnormal" or "deviant" sexual idea that can actually make more sense than our normal human mating rituals. And, as in Chasing Amy, severe conflict arises when a deviant character and a normal character fall for each other.
What I really liked about this movie is that nothing is canned. Nothing is black & white predictable, and each character undergoes dynamic changes just like we do in real life. Nobody is the designated good guy or the obligatory villain (although Kelli Garner "Billie" has a few awesome psycho scenes that would make Glenn Close shake in her boots). What we get is a very appealing, realistic and mature portrayal of relationships that could apply to anyone, not just 17-year-old high schoolers.
In fact, the high school setting made this story more universal because it wasn't weighed down by the adult baggage that grownups have. Also this movie remains relatively tame, believe it or not. There is some nudity but only when necessary to convey a point, and even then the nudity is obscured or blurred.
So yes, if you're looking for a scorching sizzling seductive late-nighter, you might want to look elsewhere. But if you're up for an intelligent, morally challenging exposé of love, sexuality and the bizarre mating rituals of the human species, then grab your popcorn and settle in.
