True Adolescents (2009)

Craig Johnson's poised and poignant first feature follows Sam (Mark Duplass), an, unbeknownst to him, washed-up rocker in the early stages of haggard. Jobless and apartment-less, he crashes... See full summary »

Director:

Craig Johnson

Writer:

Craig Johnson

Stars:

Mark Duplass, Bret Loehr, Carr Thompson

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mark Duplass	...	Sam Bryant
Bret Loehr	...	Oliver Mitchell
Carr Thompson	...	Jake
Melissa Leo	...	Sharon Mitchell
Emma Dumont	...	Cara (as Emma Noelle Roberts)
Lilly Perreault	...	Ashley
Linas Phillips	...	Slater
Davie-Blue	...	Jericha
Snow Keim	...	JR
Laura Kai Chen	...	Amy
Dave Hobbs	...	Casey
Rufus Tureen	...	Punk Kid #1
Jennifer Perreault	...	Candace
Elizabeth Herron	...	Waitress (as Elizabeth Cook Herron)
Erika Mayfield	...	Celia (as Erika June Mayfield)

Storyline

Craig Johnson's poised and poignant first feature follows Sam (Mark Duplass), an, unbeknownst to him, 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 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.

---

Plot Keywords:

campfire | naked in public | gay interest | skinny dipping | male nudity | 

---

Taglines:

Get lost.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Comic book artist Cliff Chiang (Wonder Woman, Human Target, Neil Young's Greendale) did the poster artwork.

---

Goofs

Neither a lighter nor a sparkler are going to provide enough light to see the trail in the dark.

---

Crazy Credits

There is a hidden, funny outtake of Mark Duplass at the very end of the credits.

User Reviews

An interesting though flawed character study.

Mark Duplass stars as Sam--a loser who, in his mid-30s, has no home and no job....but he is in a band! When he moves in with his aunt and her family, he mostly sits around doing nothing--that is, until he gets drafted into taking his 14 year-old cousin and his friend on a camping trip. Now considering all three have exactly the same maturity level, you know things can't go well with good 'ol Sam in charge! And, not surprisingly, that's exactly what happens. Can Sam somehow, for once, short some maturity and get them back safely? Or, will they be eaten by bears and squirrels and hippies in the Pacific Northwest?

This is an unusual film in many ways. It is NOT formulaic but at the same time I am sure a lot of folks WON'T like it very much because it does not have a happy ending. I respect it, however, because it avoided formula and because the filmmakers did a good job of actually capturing the essence of 14 year-olds. Instead of the Hollywood way where you get a 20-something to play a 14 year-old, these really WERE kids that age. And, they talked like kids that age--not like Hollywood versions of kids! I only recently retired from teaching and know how 14 year-olds talk--and they DO talk like the boys in "True Adolescents". Worth seeing even if the film seems very incomplete by its conclusion.

Details

Official Sites:

Official MySpace Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 July 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

True Adolescents

Filming Locations:

Washington, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Furnace Films, Lunacy, The Group Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1