Retro Film Review: Not Another Teen Movie (2001)
Thanks to Scream, the late 1990s saw a resurgence of teenage slasher films, so it didn't take much convincing for Hollywood to try exploiting 1980s nostalgia with another genre specific to that period. The result was a deluge of teen-themed comedies, and just like teenage slasher horrors in Scary Movie, these comedies became the subject of parody in Not Another Teen Movie, a 2001 comedy by Joel Gallen.
Like many contemporary Hollywood parodies, the plot, based on a script written by five different screenwriters, is just an excuse for a series of gags. However, the main narrative is modeled on She’s All That and is set in one Los Angeles high school. Its most popular student is typical jock Jake Wyler (played by Chris Evans) who makes a bet that he could seduce the ugliest girl in school and have her elected for prom queen. He decides to seduce Janey Briggs (played by Chyler Leigh), a mousy rebel artist, who is at first reluctant to answer to his advances but gradually sees that she is in love with him just as he is in love with her.
Parodies have gained an unenviable reputation in recent years, mostly due to being perceived as just another manifestation of Hollywood's unoriginality. Not Another Teen Movie, on the other hand, seems to be more faithful to its title despite taking inspiration from each and every teen film produced in Hollywood in the late 1990s. The main reason is in film makers' decision to have it R-rated, which allowed some of the gags, characters, and situations from original PG-13 films to look refreshing. Another, even more important reason why Not Another Teen Movie works is in broadening the scope of parody. While most of today's Hollywood parodies don't bother to take inspiration from anything older than eighteen months, the screenwriting committee did its homework for this film and had paid homage to the early 1980s classics. This homage reflects not only in jokes but also in many interesting cameo appearances, including Molly Ringwald. Film makers showed great affection for the material they parodied and this is always an important ingredient for any successful parody.
The young, relaxed but very talented cast obviously contributed to the success of Not Another Teen Movie. Many of them had performances that easily outshine those that they were supposed to spoof. One such example is Sam Huntington in an incredible cover version of Chris Klein's character from American Pie. Of course, not all jokes in the film – whether the audience is familiar with early 1980s teen films or not – work, and on occasions Gallen succumbs to the temptations of gross-out humor. But, in general, Not Another Teen Movie gives the impression of being the product of certain intellectual effort, while being entertaining at the same time, and in modern Hollywood, this is an achievement worthy of recommendation.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
(Note: Original version of the review is available here.)
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