Josie is a copy editor and a desperate wannabe wimp, still traumatized by a rough high school experience and continues to be walked on by schoolmates, teachers and especially her boss, played by an uncharacteristically dickish John C. Reilly (yes, he's played characters like this before, but at least they were funny/interesting; here he reminds me of early Don Cragen whose only personality was to be angry and yelling). She is supposed to get a good story from the "popular" kids, in spite of them relentlessly treating her like shit, and out of almost nowhere becomes popular due to an odd word-of-mouth from her "cool" brother, who also becomes a student, possibly to relive his Glory Days instead of accepting his current lackluster status, she decides to hang out with them and be In with the In Crowd in lieu of a genuinely likable (and the closest thing to a two-dimensional character) friend, played by Leelee Sobieski? Oh, that aesop about accepting yourself and standing on your own without striving for validation. It is irrevocably shattered.
The other characters are just there to be stereotypes, a Living Prop or something that would never fit into a "teen" film of today unless it were a parody or a Black Comedy. The aforementioned mean girls are there. The Jerk Jocks are there. The Hollywood Nerds are there. Her coworkers, while encouraging of her and her efforts, don't stand out and are only there to support the plot. Josie's already mentioned brother's only role is to make her fit in and to lust after and date a teenage girl. Seriously. And both of Josie's "love" interests are disgusting: one is a narcissist and sociopath in training who in spite of being a prick, she is still wildly attracted to due to visualizing him as the same boy who cruelly embarrassed her on her long-ago prom night and the once-promising as a character teacher turns into a total creep by falling for her when he initially thought she was 17. Even better, once her true age and motives are discovered, he gets mad at her for making him fall for her! Who cares if it was the 90s? You knew it was wrong. Dumbass. Then she releases her report, everyone (including the ephebophilic teacher) likes her report, forgives her and she smiles.
Twenty-plus years later, this film really shows its age, and not for the better. Unless you're a huge fan of Drew Barrymore, don't bother.
Teens Are Monsters & Ephebophilia is Good: The Movie
I do not like this film. At all. Even though I find high school films to be fun, fair game, even if there is an amount of bullying in it (I like its contemporaries Jawbreaker, 10 Things I Hate About You, Clueless, Can't Hardly Wait, The Rage: Carrie 2 and Sugar & Spice), this film is unlikable material filled with unlikable people.
Josie is a copy editor and a desperate wannabe wimp, still traumatized by a rough high school experience and continues to be walked on by schoolmates, teachers and especially her boss, played by an uncharacteristically dickish John C. Reilly (yes, he's played characters like this before, but at least they were funny/interesting; here he reminds me of early Don Cragen whose only personality was to be angry and yelling). She is supposed to get a good story from the "popular" kids, in spite of them relentlessly treating her like shit, and out of almost nowhere becomes popular due to an odd word-of-mouth from her "cool" brother, who also becomes a student, possibly to relive his Glory Days instead of accepting his current lackluster status, she decides to hang out with them and be In with the In Crowd in lieu of a genuinely likable (and the closest thing to a two-dimensional character) friend, played by Leelee Sobieski? Oh, that aesop about accepting yourself and standing on your own without striving for validation. It is irrevocably shattered.
The other characters are just there to be stereotypes, a Living Prop or something that would never fit into a "teen" film of today unless it were a parody or a Black Comedy. The aforementioned mean girls are there. The Jerk Jocks are there. The Hollywood Nerds are there. Her coworkers, while encouraging of her and her efforts, don't stand out and are only there to support the plot. Josie's already mentioned brother's only role is to make her fit in and to lust after and date a teenage girl. Seriously. And both of Josie's "love" interests are disgusting: one is a narcissist and sociopath in training who in spite of being a prick, she is still wildly attracted to due to visualizing him as the same boy who cruelly embarrassed her on her long-ago prom night and the once-promising as a character teacher turns into a total creep by falling for her when he initially thought she was 17. Even better, once her true age and motives are discovered, he gets mad at her for making him fall for her! Who cares if it was the 90s? You knew it was wrong. Dumbass. Then she releases her report, everyone (including the ephebophilic teacher) likes her report, forgives her and she smiles.
Twenty-plus years later, this film really shows its age, and not for the better. Unless you're a huge fan of Drew Barrymore, don't bother.