Teen Spirit Teaches You to Relax Your Jaw
(and other handy things to know about singing)
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Max Minghella’s Teen Spirit is so very blah that if not for the electrifying performance at the end, it would not at all be worth watching.* Elle Fanning’s Violet is so tamped down in her emotions that even as her star started rising, I didn’t feel much of anything. This is the kind of film that doesn’t even inspire me to write three sentences.
The verdict: Skip
Cost: Free via Kanopy
Where watched: at home
Further sentences:
*As is, it’s still not worth watching, but that end performance was a good payoff for my boredom.
Consider watching instead:
- Her Smell
- We are the Best
- The Runaways
- Wild Rose (which I haven’t watched yet, but I’m going to get to it, dammit)
Questions:
- What would have perked this film up?
- What did you think of Elle Fanning’s accent work?
- Can you name the Beatle’s song that mentions the Isle of Wight?
Favorite IMDB trivia item:
In an interview with Hollywood XYZ, Director Max Minghella confirmed that all of Elle Fanning’s singing in Teen Spirit in the film is real and in fact recorded live, not in post-production.
Other reviews of Teen Spirit:
- Caroline Siede, AV Club
- Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times
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