Sidewalks On The Corner

If there was a sequel to the 1985’s "Breakfast Club" this is it. Welcome to "AMERICAN TEEN," a 2008 documentary directed by Nanette Burstein ("On the Ropes," "The Kid Stays in the Picture") and starring real-life teenagers.

Follow up:

AMERICAN TEEN
Paramount Vantage
Directed by: Nanette Burstein
Staring: Hannah Bailey, Colin Clemens, Jake Tusing, Megan Krizmanich, Mitch Reinholdt
Rating: Rated PG-13 for some strong language, sexual material, some drinking and brief smoking-all involving teens.
Running Time: 95 MIN

STUDIO SYNOPSIS:
AMERICAN TEEN is the touching and hilarious Sundance hit that follows the lives of five teenagers

Filming daily for ten months, filmmaker Nanette Burstein (ON THE ROPES, THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE) developed a deep understanding of her subjects. The result is a film that goes beyond the enduring stereotypes of high school to render complex young people trying to find their way into adulthood.

Hannah Bailey is smart and beautiful, but a misfit in her high school. She is a liberal, atheist living in a traditional, Christian, conservative town and dreams of moving to California after graduation. Colin Clemens is the star of the high school basketball team - and in Indiana, basketball is everything. Colin is under enormous pressure this year playing not only to make his town, his school, and his father proud, but for a college scholarship. Jake Tusing is considered to be a nerd in high school. Though quite funny and charming one-on-one, he is painfully shy in group situations and crushed with self-doubt. In his senior year he vows that nothing will stand in the way of him finding a girlfriend. Megan Krizmanich is the student council Vice President and the youngest daughter of a prominent local surgeon, anxiously awaiting word from Notre Dame University admissions. Wealthy, pretty, smart and popular, she rules her high school - just don’t get on her bad side. When Megan’s peers challenge her authority, she can’t help but take action, even if it means risking her future. Mitch Reinholdt is an attractive and charming Varsity basketball jock with a soft side. When he puts his social status on the line, avoiding his popular friends for dates with artsy Hannah Bailey, he strains to maintain his reputation while discovering a new side of himself.

With extraordinary intimacy and a great deal of humor, AMERICAN TEEN captures the pressures of growing up – pressures that come from one’s peers, one’s parents, and not least, oneself.

J.P.'s TAKE
If you ever wanted to peer into the lives of teenagers in America today, then "American Teen" is the window to their souls. If the John Hughes’ classic "The Breakfast Club" is the Hollywood version of teen angst films; "American Teen" would be the reality TV version, because it's unscripted and honest.

I had my reservations about seeing a documentary like this in theaters at first simply because it didn't seem appealing enough for me to want to see it there. However, after the film was over I was surprised at how involved I became in the lives of the five teens – the rebel Hannah, the princess Megan, the geek Jake, the jock Colin and the heart throb Mitch -- as they faced challenging events through out their high school life.

At times it felt like I was watching an actual film with real actors and scripted dialogue. Although I felt that "The Breakfast Club" explored the troubled lives of teenagers in a deeper way because there was more of a dialogue and interaction between the characters and toward the end each character came together to resolve their problems by finding common ground with one another, this documentary was really more of an exercise in exploring how teens in this day and age live in general. It really engaged the audience by following each of the teens as they journey through their ups and downs.

Still it's not a bad film to watch, it actually kept me involved and wanting to find out what would happen next. I would recommend "American Teen" as a way for many parents with teens to open a dialogue for discussion about what may be troubling on both sides.

WATCH SIDEWALKS HOST MAAIKA WESTEN'S INTERVIEW WITH THE FOUR OF THE STARS OF "AMERICAN TEEN"