There is something unique about The Sterling Chase; it is almost devoid of any cliches. Oh sure there a couple of cliches in one of the romances (but when is romance not a cliche?), but usually a story involving young adults calls for lazy, lazy writing. Everything is black and white, the author's attempt to gray areas end up being transparent and obvious, etc., not in this film. Something is brutal and honest about this fictional college for the rich, elite, and intelligent. Each one the characters up for the school's most prestigious award is no carbon copy. Their turmoil is not your simpleton's teenage angst. Dawson's Creek never saw problems this realistic. It isn't so much in the originality of their problems because of course, teens and young adults all suffer similar problems, but it is how they react and deal with these problems. When the story can go the soft, predictable way, it takes a sharp left and drops another bombshell on these troubled kids. I wouldn't go as far to say it is unflinching, because it is not. But the script doesn't pull all of its' punches either.
The most impressive thing about the script is that these kids don't talk like idiots, they talk like bright kids, aware of many things but unaware of true and honest human relationships and the real world. All of these characters are at a crossroads in their lives as they finally leave all of their securities behind, it shakes them to the core and they all have to find a way to deal with it. But in their quest, there are no truly stupid actions, immature decisions, or contrived conflicts. It is so rare to have a "teen movie" rely on character development, but this film attempts to focus on how these kids are feeling, why they are feeling it, and use that feeling to feed the story and move it along. For the most part, the film succeeds.
