When we published the American Teen review for its theatrical release, there was perhaps a little frustration. Billed as a documentary that confounds the myth of the American teenager, as portrayed (or, more accurately, stereotyped) in countless moviess from The Breakfast Club to High School Musical, American Teen was supposed to bring these ideas into the new millennium. Or so we thought. What it actually does is paint these same ideas in a new light, shooting them in a documentary style to bring to life these archetypes and say ‘what if they were real?’

At first this is a massive disappointment, especially as these archetypes can only hold the smallest grain of truth in them. But then, looking back, it is actually quite a fun idea. Going on a journey with these recognisable characters, brought to life Pinocchio-style by a talented documentarist.

The kids in question are followed religiously through standard problems ranging from relationship issues to Prom dates, from sports scholarships to the pressure to succeed. There’s plenty of creative editing to get annoyed with, but also some great little innovations to enjoy. Short animated sequences provide glimpses into the inner fears of the kids, and the epilogue describing the fate of the high-schoolers after they leave hammers home the the reality of these people outside of the confines of the film.

Overall, it’s more a piece of nostalgic fun with a fresh twist than anyting exceptional or exciting. But it is more fuel for the fire in an always-popular genre, and you could do worse than this for an evening’s entertainment.

Film Rating: ***

EXTRAS

Interviews with the characters (pided into ‘Interviews with the boys’ and ‘Interviews with the girls’ in classic playground style) give some nice behind the scenes glimpses which flesh out the archetypes they inhabit, and go some way towards justifying the claim to documentary status. They do occasionally seem a little wooden and unrealistic, which I suppose could also mean the spell isn’t quite broken and they remain as the people they are in the film: which shouldn’t be over-criticised!

There’s also the ever-present trailer.

Extras Rating: **