Crazy / Beautiful

Synopsis: Nicole Oakley (Kirsten Dunst) and Carlos Nuñez (Jay Hernandez) are both seniors at the same Los Angeles high school, but their lives and personalities couldn't be more different. The child of hardworking Mexican immigrants, Carlos is sober and serious, dedicated to his studies and sports. He travels two hours each way to get to school and is aiming for entrance to a naval academy. The daughter of a wealthy congressman, Nicole cuts classes regularly, drinks and parties. The two meet when she is serving community time at the beach for a drink driving conviction, and the relationship develops. But problems arise. Carlos' study and future plans are being disrupted, Nicole is more unstable than first appeared, and both have difficulty with friends and family who do not appreciate or accept their relationship.

Crazy/Beautiful is significantly better than the American average teen movie: it's realistic and genuinely moving, and it doesn't resort to slapstick or smut to appeal to its young target audience. Carlos and Nicole's situations - their familial and social pressures - are easily recognisable and convincing. Their lifestyles, clothing and behaviours are those of teenagers, not young adults playing at teenagers. Both the seasoned Dunst and relative newcomer Hernandez are excellent in the film, and Bruce Davison puts in a good performance as Nicole's father.

The film feeds off the dramatic contrasts between its two central characters. Their opposite personalities attract each other: he finds her lack of inhibition liberating, she appreciates his focus and emotional stability. The film's opening credits highlight their cultural differences, as Carlos is woken by his mother well before daylight to be fed breakfast, a maid wakes Nicole in her stunning Malibu home. This dissimilarity makes for one of the film's beautiful moments: stunned that he's never been in a plane, Nicole takes Carlos for a flying lesson over L.A. But eventually both suffer because of the relationship. Carlos' friends hassle him about dating a white girl, and when Nicole visits his house during a family party she's alienated by his hostile relatives.

Despite its merits, Crazy/Beautiful doesn't really make a meaningful or significant statement, or leave a lasting impression. The film's ending is predictable and a little trite - a potentially dangerous and volatile situation when Carlos and Nicole run away is neatly resolved in a few closing minutes. Though essentially unoriginal, director John Stockwell has put a good spin on this troubled teen genre; and as a result Crazy/Beautiful is an enjoyable if lightweight film.

 

 

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