Year:
2001
Studio:
Touchstone Pictures
Feature:
3/5
DVD:
3/5
This is a dramatic romance about a guy from the wrong side of the
tracks who falls in love with a rich white girl. The twist here is that
the guy is the upstanding one who is working to get into Annapolis and
the girl is the wild rebel who is the bad influence.
Kirsten Dunst plays Nicole, a Congressman's daughter going to a rich
high school. She parties and drinks, skips classes to hang out with her
shiftless friends, and in general is speeding down the path of
self-destruction.
Jay Hernanded plays Carlos, a latino kid who takes the two hour bus
ride to Pacific Palisades HIgh for the better education. He studies
hard and is a standout running back in the football team. All this
because he wants to go to the Naval Academy and become a fighter pilot.
The two meet at the beach. Carlos is hanging out with his friends and
Nicole is working with the beach-cleaning crew as part of a DUI
sentence. Turns out they both go to the same high school because Carlos
has seen her before.
There are sparks. The next day Nicole entices Carlos to join her which
lands him in detention. Then she and her friend Maddy (Taryn Manning)
go to the football game for the first time and later party with Carlos
through the bad parts of town. Carlos and Nicole are quickly falling in
love.
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Carlos' work
ethics start to suffer. Even Nicoles father wants Carlos to stay away
from her, not because dad is worried about his daughter, but because
Carlos has a bright future and Nicole might turn him to the dark side.
But Nicole has deep-seated problems and she needs Carlos' love.
Will Carlos stay away for himself and his family? Or will he give in to
love and danger?
I thought the movie was ok. Kirsten Dunst doesn't wear a bra throughout
the movie which is quite nice. The romance was not too bad and it did
get more angsty in the second half of the movie, which is not
necessarily a negative. I thought it was a bit sudden when Nicole's
best friend, who is always with Nicole in the first half of the movie,
abruptly disappears and is not seen in the second half of the movie.
Extras
Commentary track with director John Stockwell and actress Kirsten
Dunst. Fairly entertaining as Dunst at least talks and has opinions and
humor, unlike most actors doing a commentary track.
Behind the scenes - 15 minutes.
Five deleted scenes with commentary.
Theatrical trailer with commentary.
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