Close Call

Above-average to talented performances are marred by a repetitive script and ponderous pacing and editing. What could have been an interesting hour long after-school special (or, considering its occasionally graphic sex and violence scenes, hour-long cable movie) gets padded with too many of the same reminders that Jenny is a troubled teenager or that David really wants his daughter to succeed in school. Kudos to writer/director Jimmy Lee and his vision to bring his story to the screen, but ninety-four minutes feels a hundred minutes longer. Maybe changes can be made before DVD release to better realize the story.

Shining spot: Annie Lee's engaging portrayal of a girl with no sense of direction or goals.

In Los Angeles, the young Jenny (Kaye Lu) has a nice childhood with her Korean parents Joanne (Christina Ma) and David Kim (Philip Moon). However, after the divorce of her parents, the judge gives her custody to her selfish mother that neglects Jenny while the disappointed David returns to Seoul. Six years later, Jenny (Annie Lee) is a troubled and reckless teenager expelled from the public school that has easy sex and uses drugs and booze, and her best friend is the orphan drug dealer Becky (Faleena Hopkins). The lawyer Elliot Krasner (Jeff Fahey) decides to call his former friend David to tell him about the self-destructive behavior of Jenny, and David returns to Los Angeles. He brings Jenny to live with him and support her, but the lack of emotional structure of Jenny imposes tough difficulties for their relationship.

"Close Call" is a dramatic coming-to-age story of a girl completely lost with a broken family after a divorce process. The plot is not so deep like, for example, "Christiane F. - Wir Kinder Vom Bahnhof Zoo" or "Engel & Joe", and in some corny moments it seems to be a soap-opera with optimistic conclusion. However, the gorgeous and sexy Annie Lee has a magnificent performance in her debut, making this movie worthwhile. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "No Limite" ("In the Limit")

I would say Close Call is one of the worst movies I have ever seen, if I considered it an actual film.It is a joke, and is only inadvertently funny at that. It is a trainwreck of nightmarish proportions.From the first few minutes Close Call's choppy callow editing alone makes your stomach turn.The acting is terrible.The production value is so low budget, you almost begin to pity it.This (fill in the blank) is so horrifyingly bad I cannot comment on it further.If you are masochistic,and love torture-see Close Call.I will say this for those who are not masochistic,instead of watching Close Call,read a book, watch paint dry,play air guitar,thumb wrestle,listen to a Jessica Simpson album,Fondue,challenge the mirror to a staring contest.Do anything else.

Without getting to in depth into the the plot this well thought out drama rises on the performance of Annie Lee. She steels the movie form all her costars and puts on an excellent performance playing the gritty angst filled teen. I sometimes found the movie going from theatre quality when she's in the scenes to afterschool special when she wasn't in the scenes, but inspite of this minor setback the story is well thought out and it paints a vivid picture about kids nowadays, and how easily their whole lives can spin out of control. This isn't a movie for the weak of heart as it pulls no punches, and I love the smashmouth reality this movie reveals. I hope to see more movies starring Annie, and Close Call is well worth the watch.

This movie is a must see! I disagree on how it was a struggle to its expectation. If you understand the movie from your heart instead of the mind, it's very inspirational. Yes, there are graphic sex and violent scene, but that's not what made the movie great. It's the inspiration that it brings. It definitely inspired me and it should inspire everyone else out there. It brought tears to my eyes when a struggle and wound that seems eternally damaged was still able to heal. If you miss your chance to watch this movie in theater, don't miss it with this DVD. Great job to all the cast and crew that made this film possible! Keep up the good work!