Very well executed

Purely Joyful Movie!

hyped garbage

Good start, but then it gets ruined

Mark Duplass stars as Sam--a loser who, in his mid-30s, has no home and no job....but he is in a band! When he moves in with his aunt and her family, he mostly sits around doing nothing--that is, until he gets drafted into taking his 14 year-old cousin and his friend on a camping trip. Now considering all three have exactly the same maturity level, you know things can't go well with good 'ol Sam in charge! And, not surprisingly, that's exactly what happens. Can Sam somehow, for once, short some maturity and get them back safely? Or, will they be eaten by bears and squirrels and hippies in the Pacific Northwest? This is an unusual film in many ways. It is NOT formulaic but at the same time I am sure a lot of folks WON'T like it very much because it does not have a happy ending. I respect it, however, because it avoided formula and because the filmmakers did a good job of actually capturing the essence of 14 year-olds. Instead of the Hollywood way where you get a 20-something to play a 14 year-old, these really WERE kids that age. And, they talked like kids that age--not like Hollywood versions of kids! I only recently retired from teaching and know how 14 year-olds talk--and they DO talk like the boys in "True Adolescents". Worth seeing even if the film seems very incomplete by its conclusion.

I thought the movie was light-hearted and cute for what it was. A screwed-up Gen-Xer type who, at age 34, is still without a real job, and, instead of remaining a selfish miscreant while living with his aunt, he decides to take up the offer to take his cousin and his cousin's pal on a camping trip for the weekend. The movie really is about male-bonding with someone other than a father figure from a younger age perspective, and over the course of this weekend, these two boys learn a bit about girls, themselves, camping, and looking out for one another. Mark Duplass plays a great role as the Gen-Xer type who is trying to find out what to make of his life. There were interesting plot turns and elements that remind me of "Stand By Me" or something. It features a lot of hipper, Washington State-based music, too (close to those of the 90's, the audience is even reminded of the Seattle Sub>Pop movement).I didn't care much for the ending, but it's the trend of the times right now to leave things open-ended for some characters. And I didn't like the fact that they wasted so much footage trying to find the pal for the entire day. I didn't feel it needed that much attention to the hardship of that feat. With that being said, though, that's the worst part of the movie. I wouldn't buy it for my collection per se, but I do think its worth the rent. 6 stars.

First of all, this movie is an example how not to make a film. It absolutely lacks any story at all. You get a story like those you were writing in high school, not knowing how to end it and having no message to give. You keep watching and thinking what it's all about and what the point of this film is. Every time there's a glimpse of a meaning, it disappears right away.So you meet a middle-aged rock man Sam who pathetically forces himself to play cool and maybe he's supposed to be funny, but damn, he's not. His GF kicks him out of the house so he stays with his aunt. The aunt wants him to get a job but he's too cool for that, then he seems to feel guilty and he takes her son and his best friend to a camping trip to the middle of nowhere. Here's probably the only good point of this film - nice views.Generally when there's a trip involved in a film you suppose it should change something for the characters of the film, well, this one doesn't. There is no logic in the construction of the film, there are random scenes that have no continuation later on. You hope the guy will teach the kids something about the music, nope, they just stop at a motel and this bit ends. You hope the kids will learn something about their sexuality, nope, the bit ends with "Sorry I called you a fag". There is no message, nothing to hang on, the film ends up like there was no idea or money to finish it.I'm writing this because I'm angry I wasted my time on this. When I was a teenager and I was writing stories that had no point, I just burnt them or threw away after reading them. I wish the person who had made this film had done the same to the script. Really, try to watch some real good indie films first because in my opinion the makers of this one are like the main guy in this movie - forcing themselves to be cool while they are just pathetic. At least take some lessons from Xavier Dolan or Jonathan Caouette for example, if you want to limit yourself to North American film makers.

True Adolescents had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, TX. It is a solid effort at exploring the efforts of a man in his mid-30s who hasn't quite grown up to bond with his teenage nephew and his buddy during a weekend camping outing. The characters are well-developed and the acting is solid. Mark Duplass's Sam is a failed musician who needs to figure out what he is doing with his life. His immaturity is finally challenged as he is forced to become the responsible adult. The story is entertaining if not spectacular. The acting is fairly good and the characters and their relationships to each other are well-developed. The ending sequence seems a little hokey. Although, the film probably won't get widely distributed, it is nevertheless a worthwhile effort.