Rocket Science
2007 Directed by Jeffrey Blitz
Synopsis
Life is easier done than said.
Looking for answers to life's big questions, a stuttering boy joins his high school debate team.
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In a world post-Rushmore there's that inevitability where any school-set coming of age film earns immediate comparisons to Anderson's. This does more than enough to stand out from the shadow of that comedy giant and establish its own identity as a memorable take on how it feels to be young and frustrated with the complexities of the world around. It takes a while to get into its stride, but once it hits the right pace it never once falters and the laughs come quick and smart. I can't remember the last time I laughed aloud so many times while watching a movie by myself; it's a sign of just how effective the comedy here is, always a little oddball but…
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Anna Kendrick's character is by far the most interesting, so the film just dies when she stops appearing onscreen for most of the second half. That just leaves us with the lead - a doppleganger for the writer/director - who is far less interesting than the director thinks he is.
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TWEE TWEE TWEE TWEE
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I sought this out for Anna Kendrick; and she is is indeed very good in it, looking startlingly young, but very very assured, but I was won over by the whole plot.
A young man with a stutter joins a debate team and has a massive crush on the teams star (Kendrick). It's the plot of a thousand coming of age movies, but director Blitz, probably best known for the spelling bee documentary 'Spellbound' doesn't really do anything expected by it.
The machinations of Kendricks character are genuinely surprising and when they become clear everything seems to click into place for what had been quite a slow starting movie and got me into tune with the really dark sense of humour on show. By the end I was laughing aloud regularly.
I guess Rushmore is the easiest point of comparison, but its a darker, realer, more moving Rushmore, inhabited by genuinely human characters.
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A movie about high school debate taking place in New Jersey is a good way to draw me in. Hal Hefner is a stutterer who gets recruited to join the debate team by the quirky Ginny Ryerson who vows to him that she was once an epic dork. This movie is a coming-of-age low-brow dorky version of The Kings Speech. In that, you have to listen to someone stammer for entirely too long.
But all of those caveats aside, it’s somewhat charming and the twists absolutely worth it. “Sylvia, no tip for you tonight.” “There’s a cello in your house now.”
Our little friend Hal doesn’t necessarily become state debate champ, Ginny’s motives get questioned and as time goes on; you start to wonder if she’s not a bit of a smarty-pants who likes making out with boys. The twists and the middle fingers are worth it.
Enjoy.
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Anna Kendrick's character is by far the most interesting, so the film just dies when she stops appearing onscreen for most of the second half. That just leaves us with the lead - a doppleganger for the writer/director - who is far less interesting than the director thinks he is.
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A fifteen year old with a prominent stutter decides to join the debate team after developing a crush on the best member of the team. From there he has to overcome his ailment while figuring out some of the intricacies of life and love.
Not a bad movie. Couldn't really keep up with the super fast dialogue at times. Reminded he of Gilmore Girls on fast forward. I pretty much only watched it for Anna Kendrick. She looks young and is a little chubbier in this. Still cute though.
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First off is cute Anna Kendrick. I could marry her in this film because the only thing that could possibly make her hotter would be policy debate, and wow did this film pull that off!
On a more serious note though, I really enjoyed this watch. It resonated on a very personal level, and though it was bittersweet the whole way through, it was ultimately uplifting, and I guess that's what counts. Even though I'm a policy debater now, especially when I was younger and even today, I often find myself tongue-tied or struck by silence. The speech act is so difficult for someone as quiet as Hal, and I just really liked the rawness of the film. The simplicity…
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Anti - cliché :D
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Rocket Science seems to borrow many qualities from other, more well known indie comedies (for one, the narrator sounds oddly like Alec Baldwin's turn as the narrator in The Royal Tenenbaums) but the plot is fresh and surprising and it carries with it enough wit to rival its influences.
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Averted being cutesy quirky bullshit at times when it easily could have been.