| Coming Soon |
Teen-themed films hit a peak in the mid-1980s with such diverse fare as St. Elmo's Fire, The Breakfast Club and The Sure Thing were above average but the majority of the flicks turned out revolved around sex, with females taking back seats to the guys. After a brief period of being out of vogue, the teen sex comedy returned in the late 90s. In fact, Generation Y became the target market for a good number of films churned out. Most still were aimed at the male audience, though, revolving around the dilemma of losing one's virginity (as in American Pie). But there were some minor, although important, changes. The female roles were becoming more prominent. As women filmmakers have gained more power (and grown in numbers), it was inevitable that they would also tackle this subject matter. Thus, All I Wanna Do, with its message of girl power features a prominent subplot of the determination of the leading character (played by Gaby Hoffman) to "do it" with her boyfriend. Hoffman is also featured prominently in yet another feminist entry into this genre, Coming Soon. Here she is the richest of a trio of Upper East Side New Yorkers attending private school, struggling to gain admittance into an Ivy League School while searching for boys who can sexually fulfill them. Writer-director Colette Burson appears to know the milieu quite well. Her script takes an affectionate view of her three heroines, the wealthy Jennifer Simon (Hoffman) who isn't quite as sophisticated as she projects, the attractive but frigid Nell Kellner (Tricia Vesey) and Stream Hodsell (Bonnie Root), who emerges as the centerpiece for all the action. When the film opens, the pert blonde Stream is in the middle of having her first sexual encounter with Chad (James Roday), who predictably concentrates on his own needs, leaving Stream unsatisfied. The skimpy plot revolves around each girl's quest to achieve an orgasm, and the film originally was slapped with the dreaded NC-17 rating in a foolish move by the MPAA strictly for its thematic elements. It is tamer than most R-rated fare, with no nudity and the underlying message that sex should be shared by two people who love one another. Burson has peppered her cast with experienced veterans and rising newcomers with strong results. Spauding Gray contributes an amusing turn as the smug school counselor more intent on promoting his book on college admissions to listening to what the kids really want. Ryan O'Neal and Yasmine Bleeth show up in cameos as Stream's father and his new girlfriend and Peter Bogdanovich plays the new man in the life of Stream's mother daffily captured as a New Age madonna by Mia Farrow. James Roday is fine as the self-absorbed Chad and Ryan Reynolds (hampered only by a bad hairstyle and straggly facial hair) is impressive as Henry Lipschitz (ne Rockefeller) who emerges as a potential love interest for Stream. Gaby Hoffman and Tricia Vesey are both terrific as girls on the brink of adulthood, with Hoffman's rich girl one of those who've grown up too fast. A subplot featuring Vesey's Nell finding work as a teen model seems tacked on and isn't fully integrated into the action, although the actress struggles gamely. But the film is built around Stream and Bonnie Root emerges as one to watch. A veteran of the small screen (she was terrific as a troubled youngest in a large Catholic family in the little-seen NBC drama "Trinity"), Root displays a winning screen presence and handles her difficult role with aplomb. Burson makes her feature film directorial debut and she shows promise. If not completely comfortable with how to pace or shape some scenes, she does exhibit talent. Burson adeptly captures one world in Manhattan and her handling of the younger performers demonstrates future potential. Coming Soon achieves its modest goals and puts a woman's spin on the teen sex comedy. Rating: B- |
| © 2008 by C. E. Murphy. All Rights Reserved. |