Y tu Mama Tambien review

 Number 641 on the top 1000 films of all time is Alfonso Cuaron's Mexican road film 'Y tu Mama Tambien.'

Tenoch (Diego Luna) and Julio (Gael Garcia Bernal) are two bored, over-sexed teenagers who meet the older Spanish Luisa (Maribel Verdu) by pure chance. The three of them embark on a road trip to a paradise beach. Cue a coming-of-age drama with a lot of sex.

There have been some who have dubbed Y tu Mama Tambien as a Mexican 'American Pie,' while the two both are coming-of-age stories with a lot of sex, I don't think the comparison is really fair.

Y tu Mama tambien has a lot more depth to it than four boys trying to lose their virginities. It is a story about love and friendship taking an introspective look into adolescence. It made me nostalgic for an adolescence I never had. And that's where Alfonso Cuaron's excellent direction came into play.

Tenoch and Julio are never the punchlines to any jokes. Yes, the film has its funny moments, but it isn't a comedy. Instead of laughing at the characters, we can relate to their innocent ways. Yes, the two are directionless miscreants who go through life with a starry-eyed naivete, but that is what makes them infinitely relatable.

That is until, by chance, they meet Luisa and invite her to a paradise beach that might not even exist. She decides to join them for reasons that aren't immediately clear. This is one of the film's most unrealistic moments. The film was released over twenty years ago, but, even then, what would woman would join two strange teenage boys on some random round trip.

Nonetheless, she acts as a calming force helping to bring the two boys back to reality, all building toward to the ending, where they inevitably lose their innocence in one way or another.

Diego Luna and Gael Garcia Bernal are best friends in real life, which meant their on-screen counterparts have an excellent chemistry. And Maribel Verdu was a great addition to the cast. In many ways she acts a mentor to her co-stars, especially, in the steamier scenes.

And this is definitely one of the steamier films I've seen. Yes, it's a great take on the coming-of-age drama, but not one to watch with your parents.

The Breakfast Club review

 Number 376 on the top 1000 films of all time is John Hughes' coming-of-age comedy-drama 'The Breakfast Club.'

The Breakfast Club tells the story of five high school students from different cliques spending one Saturday in detention. Claire Standish (Molly Ringwald) is the popular, spoiled princess, Brian Johnson (Anthony Michael Hall) is an over-worked nerd, Andrew (Emilio Estevez) is an athlete and wrestler, Alison Reynolds (Ally Sheedy) is a quiet outsider and John Bender (Judd Nelson) is the rebellious delinquent. Over the Saturday, the five teenagers realise they have more in common then they first realised.

It's safe to say that the Breakfast Club has become a cult classic. A favourite of eighties' kids, I was expecting a lot, but I was left cold. It's labelled as a comedy, but it didn't make me laugh very much. In fact, it was fifteen minutes before I even cracked a smile. Perhaps that's because the beginning was slow. We're introduced to our main characters as they take their places for detention. Hardly riveting stuff. And the lack of background music made things even duller.

The cast themselves were boring. I understand that each character was supposed to resemble a different high school stereotype - the cheerleader, the nerd, the jock, the goth and the bad boy, and then as the story progresses, we see that they're more than the labels that society has imposed onto them. But it didn't help they were all so insipid  to begin with. The only interesting character was the delinquent John Bender whose behaviour is attributed to his abusive home life, which helped to give his character a bit of depth. And Judd Nelson did inject some much-needed life and energy into proceedings.

He is an agent of chaos throughout the film, harassing Claire, fighting with Andrew and convincing an unwilling Brian to smuggle in his weed. All of this culminates in an overly-sentimental conclusion where the characters reflect on how they've become such good friends in the space of a day. And as the movie ends, Allison and Andrew get together as do Claire and John, which seemed like a weird, contrived way to pair everybody off.

Is the Breakfast Club a bad film? No. But is it the 376th best of all time? I'm not so sure about that.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower review

 Number 237 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 2012 coming-of-age drama - The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

Charlie (Logan Lerman) is a socially awkward high school student struggling to fit in. He is soon befriended by the gregarious Patrick (Ezra Miller) his vivacious stepsister Sam (Emma Watson) and the rest of their friend group. But Charlie starts becoming attracted to Sam which threatens to tear the group apart.

Let's face it. This was very much the Ezra Miller show. He brought a flamboyance and energy to the role, which may have bordered on over-the-top at times. But he also injected a shot of life into what could have been just another teen-drama. And Charlie was very much another generic teen protagonist. His character wasn't anywhere near as interesting or engaging as Patrick.

Part of this was down to Logan Lerman's uncharismatic portrayal, but also the character himself. Charlie is supposed to be quiet and introverted, but neither of these qualities made him particularly interesting. True, his awkwardness is down to his troubled backstory - he suffers PTSD from *spoilers* having been molested by his aunt as a child. However, he was still eclipsed by Patrick.

Patrick is openly gay and is secretly dating Brad (Johnny Simmon) the high school quarterback. It is a secret as Brad is still closeted for fear of repercussions from his homophobic father and friends. This drama felt far more immediate and engaging than Charlie's storyline.

As for Emma Watson, her portrayal of Sam was so tepid and generic, that she was quite a boring character. And it's strange, as I generally think that Emma Watson is quite melodramatic. But I'm probably biased as I don't like her that much.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower isn't an inherently bad film. It is funny, touching and balances relatable themes with deep-rooted issues. However, Logan Lerman was overshadowed by Ezra Miller who stole the show.

The Way Way back review

 Number 856 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 2013 coming-of-age drama 'The Way Way back.'

Duncan (Liam James) is an introverted fourteen-year-old who is holidaying in Massachussetts with his mother Pam (Toni Collette) and her boyfriend Trent (Steve Carrell.) In a water park, he meets the fun-loving, hedonistic Owen (Sam Rockwell) who encourages Duncan to come out of his shell.

I think it was Sam Rockwell that gave this film its place on the best 1000 films of all time. It was a good film, but without Rockwell I think it wouldn't have been anything particularly memorable. He provided a shot of adrenaline with a chaotic energy. But it was that chaotic energy that made him so great to watch. Unlike many of the other characters, he was authentic and genuine. There was no facade and no lies. 

This is in contrast to the lying cheat who was Trent. Despite pretending otherwise, Trent obviously had no interest in Duncan as a stepson - the film opens with Trent rating his confidence as 3/10. And he spends much of the film belittling Duncan while spoiling his own daughter Steph (Zoe Levin.) But, most importantly, he is also cheating on Pam with his friend Joan (Amanda Peet.) It was interesting to see Carrell in a villainous role as usually he plays the comic lead. But I think he did well in the part. He certainly encapsulated the disinterested, suburban father burdened with a son from another marriage. 

Considering his background, it's no wonder that Duncan has retreated so much into himself. I think Liam James was good in his role. Characters like Duncan run the risk of being portrayed as either the weird kid or as a petulant brat, but Liam brought the role to life. He made Duncan a sympathetic character and seeing his journey from a shy, retiring teenager to a young man able to stand up to Trent was entertaining to watch. A lot of that was down to Owen's influence. Unlike Trent, he is the father that Duncan never had. He helps Duncan to grow and mature. And a quick shoutout to Jim Rash who played Owen's neurotic colleague Lewis. He was one of the funniest actors in this film, perhaps even funnier than Owen himself.

All in all, I did enjoy this coming-of-age drama. The water park was a great setting. And Rockwell gave a great performance, but Liam James was brilliant as well. It was entertaining watching Duncan's journey, but I particularly liked Steve Carrell's turn as a villain.