Saw Lucas. It opens with a locust emerging from its shell, molting. The symbolism is inescapable. It's kind of a sweet little movie about a kid gaining acceptance in high school, gaining the respect of the much hated/feared/envied football jocks. It had some kind of weird leering moments where the camera would focus in on the cheerleaders, swinging their hips in slow motion, revealing this film's exclusive aim at Sensitive Guys. Then again, there is Charlie Sheen's torso at one point, but the female characters (all of whom are relegated to love interest roles) don't really get happy endings. One girl winds up with the kind-of-sleazy-but-essentially-decent Charlie Sheen, the other main love interest winds up alone, though she will presumably wind up with Lucas. This movie kind of hit me at a bad time, coming right after the much more outrageous and honest Chain Camera, so I kept reflexively cringing and sneering throughout.
It has its moments though, and is sufficiently believable and plenty heartwarming. Any scene where Lucas listens to classical music is wistful and great and I kind of wish we'd met his (allegedly alcoholic) parents (though of course the monster in our minds inspires more pathos than any director could ever conjure, which is why we don't.) I wish we'd seen more of Lucas himself, when he's not leaping from plot-point to plot-point. I want to see him collect bugs and be earnest and serene. A not bad movie that becomes a bit saccharine at parts. I wish I'd seen it when I was younger.
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