This unambitious, well executed teen comedy got a little lost amongst the other teen films that came out around this time. While Scream and its various clones, and crude teen comedies like American Pie were big hits, and ensemble pieces like Empire Records and Can't Hardly Wait developed cult followings, this inoffensive little charmer was widely ignored, which is a bit of a shame as it is far from a bad movie.
Trojan War stars Will Freidle as Brad Kimble, a sex starved teenager who is completely oblivious to the feelings of his best friend Leah Jones (Jennifer Love Hewitt), due to his obsession with scoring with Brooke Kingston (Marley Shelton). Right when it looks like he is finally going to get his chance, he has Brooke on the bed ready to go, when suddenly he realizes he doesn't have a condom. So now he has to leave her lying there so he can go and buy a packet of Trojan condoms. Not highbrow stuff by any means, but the journey Will takes on his "Trojan War" is reasonably engaging with some good spontaneous laughs and the obvious love story between he and Leah developing in the background.
Jennifer Love Hewitt was known by this stage, as she had been in Part of Five for a couple of years, and in this one she really shows her credentials as a teen love interest. Freidle is great in several scenes, while most of the rest of the cast fade into the background. This is Hewitt and Freidle's film, and they are a likable duo.
While hardly one of the great movies of the 90s, this one was OK. And if you happen to be sitting down and see it coming up on cable, give it a go. It's quite a fun little film. Hardly a classic, but still worthwhile.
