As a teenager, I am sad to see that the teenage comedy hasgotten such a bad name at movie theaters. However, I know that thisreputation is not unfounded. Rarely does one find a film thattranscends the formulaic mediocrity of a lust story set at a highschool or summer camp operating on the basis that all young peoplefit neatly into societal stereotypes and have dumb parents.
The villains in these films are the screenwriters - adults whoseem to be out of touch with the teenagers they are trying toportray. They paste their perception of kids today on the screen,pigeonholing them into stereotypes rather than trying to come up withsomeone original or even marginally real.
Fortunately, two current films, "Heathers," and "Say Anything,"have overcome many of the problems of this genre. ("Heathers" isplaying at Chestnut Station and Hillside Mall, and "Say Anything"opens today at local theater.)
Cameron Crowe's "Say Anything" is funny and original. Crowe,who also wrote the sporadically brilliant "Fast Times at RidgemontHigh," has a gift for writing realistic young characters withoutresorting to some of the annoying pseudo-hip techniques of JohnHughes' teen films. "Say Anything" employs a familiar cinematicformula but adds enough twists, side plots and fresh characters toset it way above other films of this genre.
Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack) is a high school senior whose bestfriends are girls. He's a charming guy with lots of heart andhonesty but not much ambition, except when it comes to kick-boxingand Diane Court (Ione Skye). Diane is the gorgeous valedictorian ofhis graduating class who has been too busy studying to connect withher fellow classmates. When the unlikely couple finally gettogether, they are torn apart by family problems.
One of the subplots that is easy to relate to concerns Lloyd'sfriend, Corey (Lili Taylor), who broods over her lost boyfriend bywriting 63 songs about their relationship. Another subplot focuseson Diane's relationship with her father (John Mahoney). Unlike mostparent-child relationships in teen movies, theirs is one of closenessand interdependence.
The film features some unexpectedly candid and realistic scenes.When Diane's father asks Lloyd what he plans to do with himself,instead of fabricating something impressive, he replies, "I'm goingto try to spend as much time as possible with your daughter beforeshe leaves (for England)." And when Lloyd is dumped by Diane, hetakes a self-searching drive past landmarks of their relationship,talking into a tape recorder and expressing some very real emotionsthat seldom make it to the screen.
"Heathers," written by Daniel Waters, is a black comedy aboutVeronica (Winona Ryder), a refreshingly intelligent and beautifulgirl whose one flaw is the company she keeps. She is a pledge in theHeathers, an exclusive girls clique at her high school. Veronicahates her superficial friends but cares too much about popularity todo anything about it - until she joins up with the ultrahipnonconformist Jason Dean (Christian Slater). J. D. is not just asexy rebel but also a devilish agent who helps Veronica realize herdeepest evil wishes.
The film's surrealistic cinematography, unconventional plot andhighly stylized dialogue make "Heathers" a fascinating film to watch,but its main strength lies in its likable, mysterious andunpredictable main characters. Unlike many heroines, Veronica is notan outcast acting on revenge from scorn, but a lovely and brightmember of the "in" crowd who acts on her disgust with the viciousnessand superficiality of her friends.
"Say Anything" and "Heathers" present refreshing characters andsituations that grew out of an obvious effort to stop rehashing oldmaterial and insulting today's youth with one-dimensionalstereotypes. Films play an important role in shaping the world'sview of teens and the way they view themselves. Maybe more filmslike these could help young people stop struggling to fit intoparticular stereotypes and instead simply be themselves.
Monica Eng is a sophomore at the University of Illinois atChampaign-Urbana majoring in English.
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