A film like As Cool as I Am is contradictory in its
construction, filled with the type of self-indulgent naivety only a teenager
the age of the protagonist would likely find relatable while also containing
enough explicit content to receive an ‘R’ rating. Even more significant with
this coming-of-age tale is the lack of focus when it comes to tying together
the film’s themes and ideas. Rather than making any real statements about
adulthood or the journey towards it, this is just a film about a lot of random
decisions made by a teenager surrounded by people just as immature as she is,
despite her impressive vocabulary and propensity for culinary arts.
Sixteen-year-old
Lucy Diamond (Sarah Bolger) has horrible parents on polar opposite scales, but has
somehow managed to become mature and responsible. Then
there are moments which throw all character development out the window and have
Lucy acting as irresponsible as possible in ways that nearly guarantee she
turns out just like her unhappy parents. I suppose this could be construed as
accurate in its inconsistencies for the mere fact that the main character is a
teenage girl, but the logic of the narrative’s direction was also lost on me.
Based on the book by Pete Fromm, Virginia Korus Spragg’s scattered screenplay
lacks focus, direction, or purpose.
Even casting
can’t save the gaps in logic from the screenplay and director Max Mayer, though
the supporting roles were beefed up with potential. Casting likeable actors in
despicable roles, however, does little for the film aside from a flashier
poster with more names to be plastered on as a selling point. Bolger appears
far too old to play 16 convincingly, and Mayer’s only solution for this is to
have the actress nearing mid-twenties wear baggy clothing for the entire film. Claire
Danes plays Lucy’s immature mother, lying and cheating on her husband and
treating her daughter like a roommate rather than a child. James Marsden is the
unfortunate husband, whose job as a trucker keeps him away for long periods. He
has brief visits with bouts of jealousy and possessiveness for his wife and
daughter before disappearing again.
No need to go
into greater detail about this film, especially its over-reliant obsession with
teenage sexuality in its most unconvincingly awkward forms. Unless you are a
fan of the poorly made coming-of-age independent film, for which there are
countless variations better than this, I would not recommend this film for
anyone. It is almost the same storyline as The To Do List, if it were a bad independent film instead of a bad studio comedy. The Blu-ray includes behind-the-scenes footage and a trailer.
Entertainment Value:
3/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 3.5/10
Historical
Significance: 1/10
Disc Features: 3/10
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