As an Australian who has experienced the cultural event known as 'Schoolies', I was hoping that this movie would do the tradition justice. But I was disappointed, and wrong. Really wrong.
If you're looking for a dose of sugary syrup, then this is the movie for you. From the opening scenes, where one of the characters is staring at the blackboard, reading some famous quote, and reflecting on it's significance, I could feel the vomit rising in my throat. I mean, COME ON! Don't the writers know the meaning of the word 'subtle'? Or do they think their audience is too stupid to think for themselves? We don't need to have the theme of the movie WRITTEN in front of us, so that we understand. And Schoolies does not usually occur 12 hours after the last day of school- there's a little thing called Exams, which generally come first. And what's with the kids running around like maniacs, celebrating the last day of school? I almost thought I was watching 'Grease' for a second, and half-expected them to burst into a song-and-dance routine. It just doesn't happen.
As for the writers...well, I would love to know where they went to Schoolies, because their depiction was totally unrealistic. Do you really think that there is that much soul-searching and personal reflection going on at Schoolies? Nope. The only reason people go to Schoolies is to party and have sex. Schoolies isn't, as one character said, 'the journey from the back of the bus to the middle' (by the way, does anyone believe that teenagers even think/talk like that?), but a chance to get drunk every night. That's it. And even if some Schoolies participants DO get all philosophical and syrupy and corny like this, it is the wrong angle to take in a movie that is trying to look hip and laid-back and realistic.
The characters were incredibly 2-D, from the uptight prude (who wears horn-rimmed glasses, and dresses like a secretary, and eats cheese squares...ok we get it! She's a Prude! Enough Already!) to the geeky nerd who gets a chance with the popular chick. How dumb are we supposed to be? Are we only capable of being entertained by cardboard cut-outs?
The acting was okay, though mostly over-the-top...the cast seemed to be all sparkly eyes and smiles and energy, which is an unrealistic depiction of post-adolescence (even if they ARE on their way to Schoolies). It just made me want to scream 'Act natural! And while you're at it, take some acting lessons!' On a high-point though, Charlotte Rees, who plays Amanda, was memorable and amusing in her drunken stupor, as was Petra Jared, playing Yolanda. The climax of the hitchhiking scene, with the Pigman, was hilarious, I admit, and a couple of the Apartment scenes weren't too bad...though, I still can't get over the cheese squares.
This movie seemed to want to do too much, and thought that by adding philosophical, whimsical, reflective moments every 15-20 minutes, it could strike at the heart of the viewer. The problem is that there is no justification or build-up for these moments, and therefore the audience should not be expected to feel emotion for characters who have no personality, no realism, and no time for deeper exploration in an ensemble feature such as this.
And another thing...do you think anyone would just pull the emergency-stop button on a train, jump out and start walking, without thinking about their luggage, or if they would even be able to find the train again? And do you think anyone would abandon their seat on a bus and start walking, without first remembering about their luggage, or their $300 hotel bond that they were coincidentally going to lose in half an hour? And do you think ANYONE can just start walking down a highway and magically end up at Schoolies? This happens several times throughout the movie, to several characters, and its hard to believe that all these characters are stupid enough to go walking on a highway with no luggage, food or shelter. No, its called bad writing. Speaking of writing, I read that this movie was based on a play...I sure hope it didn't disappoint as many people as this film is surely destined to. One word- wrong.
