I'm quite sure that many movie watchers have seen this type of plot before, but it is always intriguing to see how the actors and actresses bring it into being. The structure is lacking, which we can heap on to the writer. The interesting thing, however, is the irony that becomes apparent within the character development.
There is a girl portrayed by the lovely Rachael Leigh Cook, who looks at herself as the portrait of American apathy and rebellion. She admits to having commited a crime while in school, and also finds herself insanely attracted to the real badass, the car booster. She is the perfect picture of what Ben Folds sings about in "Whatever and ever, Amen." The only problem is that she really isn't prepared for what bumming around with a badass brings.
Through the plot, we are allowed to watch her mature, or at least we are left with a hope that she does. Her penchant for ditching responsibility lands her in France, but then she begins to take on more and more responsibilities as time goes on. She offers to house the guy, she remembers that she forgot to lock up the shop and returns to do so, and in the end, gets rather shaken up for having been attracted to the dark side of things.
The acting is good. The actors make the pain that they suffer seem very real. Frustration, fear, anger, jealousy, and passion are all imparted to the audience. The movie didn't get boring.
The direction of the movie is rather bland, however. The shots were not spectacular, and the lighting was not memorable. There were no interesting angles, and sometimes it seemed that everyone was a little out of place.
So, in the end, this movie is more of a character study of the youth of America; how the youth like to think that they're bad, even though they probably can't handle things that are really evil.
