User reviews

Gia Coppola's Palo Alto feels like a film of Larry Clark's set in a wealthier neighborhood that wants to show that the kind of crime and moral vacuousness that exist in certain impoverished, but the issue at hand is that the film doesn't seem to want to fully commit. While by no means mediocre or not worth seeing, Palo Alto finds itself in the quandary of not always finding a clear balance between its subjects, cycling back and forth, optimistically trying to devote equal time to each characters, but sort of getting lost in a sea of transitions. Even the ending, when it should be finding a way to tie these stories together, it only seems to try to rush and wrap them up in a clean manner without giving us much in the way of connective tissue.

Yet, with that being Palo Alto's biggest issue, I think I can go on happily. The film finds a new concept to explore other than teenage nihilism and debauchery, but the idea that just because teenagers or youths reside in a wealthy community doesn't mean they have lives as vividly-planned out as some may assume. Wealth doesn't equal direction, or even morality, is what I took from the film, and just because the idea of money at ones disposal is instilled at a young age, a clear pathway to success isn't. To build off of the famous saying "the grass isn't always greener on the other side," the grass explored in Palo Alto is the kind hyped to be beautiful because of new lawn-care application but winds up showing a few dry patches and weeds.

The film follows a gaggle of characters living in the wealthy, upper class community of Palo Alto, California, and centers on the day-to- day lives of listless and directionless high school kids. One of the characters we find is April (Emma Roberts), a shy virgin, who finds herself torn between her flirtatious soccer coach Mr. B (James Franco) and a deceptively deep stoner named Teddy (Jack Kilmer). Another soul is Emily (Zoe Levin), a sexually promiscuous girl of the same age, who has sex with both Teddy and his close friend Fred (Nat Wolff), an unpredictable time-bomb of a teenager. The film follows April's relationship with the two key men in her life along with Fred's descent into complete chaos and madness, as well as following numerous high school parties around the neighborhood.

The directress at hand, Gia Coppola, another member of the Coppola dynasty headlined by patriarch Francis Ford, actually shares a lot of the thematic similarities as her filmmaker aunt, Sofia Coppola. Sofia, for years, has made films with the overarching theme of wealth, fame, and alienation, focusing on characters, predominately female, growing up in extremely well-off parts of the world but having unfulfilled tendencies that money cannot buy. This is arguably related to her father being one of the most famous and renowned directors of his time, and a family that found ways to make news in Hollywood, one of the most known cities in the world. This kind of ubiquity and outside hunger for the next big thing from the family like prompted Sofia to frequently feel alone, which lead to films like Somewhere, Marie Antoinette, The Bling Ring, and Lost in Translation, all of which about an outsider's (or outsiders) desire to fit into society.

Gia feels like she's elaborating on this idea by focusing on several teenagers, already tumultuous characters, bombarded by hormones and stimuli they have no idea how to respond to or control, and looking for the basic routes of human gratification through alcohol, sex, or meaningless shindigs. But what occurs when the buzz wears off, the clothes are put back on, and the parties die or are raided? In Palo Alto, many conversations between teenagers and their peers occur as, at the end of the day, a teen's companions are those that can resonate with them the most because of circumstantial similarities.

Such is explored to considerable effect in the film, as characters ramble and converse quite frequently, discussing everything from trivial sexual tendencies of people to the random stupidity teenagers often debate over. While Palo Alto may be messy and often scattershot in its ideas and pacing, it definitely portrays its characters effectively, often devoting time to the inane questions teenagers ask each other and their basic desires for reassurances and empathy. Because these kids come from wealthy areas but have no direction by their parents, one can perhaps call this an outlaw story in suburbia, as these kids are not gridlocked, or even partly- committed, to any particular future, leaving them about as wayward as the cowboy on the trail.

Palo Alto is a film of essences and details rather than long term significance, but such is the teenage way. One will likely remember certain features and events of the film, but find difficultly in defining a theme or an overarching idea grandiose enough to justify itself in a larger sense of time. I applaud it for its portrayal of a demographic I never tire of seeing on screen, and for not only including but emphasizing the random questions teenagers find themselves asking each other ("what would you do if you got in a drunk driving accident?") and their own moronic tendencies, like mixing tequila and vodka because it felt good in the moment.

Starring: Emma Roberts, James Franco, Jack Kilmer, Nat Wolff, and Zoe Levin. Directed by: Gia Coppola.

"Palo Alto" (2013 release; 98 min.) brings the story of a group of high school kids. As to movie opens, we see best buddies Fred (played by Nat Wolff) and Teddy (played by Jack Kilmer, yes son of Val--who also appears in the movie) sitting in the car in an empty parking lot. Fred eventually rams the car into a wall from short distance, freaking Teddy out. We also get to know April (played by Emma Roberts, yes Julie is her aunt), who is on the girls soccer team, coached by Mr. B. (played by James Franco). Soon a theme emerges: what most high school kids care about is to party, get wasted and smoke pot, and that's about it After one of those parties, Teddy, driving under the influence, hits another car. He barely avoids juve and must do 150 hrs. of community service in the local library. At this point we're a good 20 min. into the movie and to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: first, this is the big screen directing debut of Gia Coppola, yes THAT Coppola. Francis Ford is her grandfather and Sofia is her aunt. Gia was a mere 25 years old when this movie was shot. You can't help but wonder at the parallel between this and "The Virgin Suicides", Sofia's debut (when she was herself only 26 or 27). Second, the movie is based on James Franco's book "Palo Alto Stories" of a few years ago. I have not read that collection of short stories, so I can't comment how close the movie has stuck (or not) to the original stories. Third, Jack Kilmer absolutely steals the movie with his performance of the vulnerable Teddy. We surely have not seen the last of him. And Emma Roberts of course confirms all the good things that we have seen of her before, although hopefully she won't be playing a 16 yr. old high school kid much longer (she's now 23). "Palo Alto" contains so many "big" and "promising" names, yet in the end fails to truly set itself apart from other "coming-of-age" movies. It's certainly not a 'bad' movie, but in the end it feels like the sums of the parts don't make up the whole.

I saw "Palo Alto" this weekend at the Lincoln Center Film Society in New York, and the matinée screening where I saw this at was strongly attended, somewhat to my surprise. Despite its flaws, "Palo Alto" is still worth checking out, be it in the theaters or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray.

This film is about several suburban teenagers who live hedonistic lifestyles, and slowly their lives spirals out of control.

"Palo Alto" shows the teenagers getting up to all kinds of trouble, but there is not really a focused plot. We get shown various events that happen to various individuals, but it is all superficial and we don't get to see any real meanings behind their actions. The plot meanders but never seems to get anywhere, with no central message to get across. I thought it was as if I watched a bunch of events happening, and that was it. It did not leave me feeling satisfied, touched or entertained. In fact, I felt a little bored by it.

"Palo Alto" has a lot of direct ancestors and even more godfathers. On the shared DNA side, we have, from Gia Coppola's grandfather Francis Ford, "The Outsiders"; from her aunt Sofia, the (very recent) "Bling Ring". George Lucas, Peter Bogdanovich, Gus Van Sant, and many others look on, no doubt benevolently, at the many echoes of (or direct quotations from) their work, while Larry Clark kind of peeks in from the wings, no doubt shaking his head over how the sexy parts never go all the way.

The sad news, I'm afraid, is that the sum does not reach the quality of the many appropriated parts.

Interestingly, it is above all Van Sant who seems to be channeled here. This is partly due to the cinematography of Autumn Durald, which echoes, but does not equal, the work that Harris Savides and others have done for Van Sant. The many tight shots of the talented young actors have, at their best, much of the empathy and meaning that Van Sant invests in even the slightest of his young cast members. But there is nothing in this film that can remotely touch even the most casual, off-hand exchanges of the opening moments of "Elephant", for example.

But Van Sant comes to mind above all because of the arrival here of Val Kilmer's son Jack, whose resemblance to the River Pheonix of "My Own Private Idaho" is startling. This cannot be coincidental: James Franco, the author of the source material of "Palo Alto" (and an actor in it), worked with Van Sant on a tribute to Phoenix, "My Own Private River", and the resemblance cannot have been missed as the younger Kilmer was being cast. In a film about teenagers, he alone (born in 1995) actually looks like one. (Though not as absurdly as in so many other American movies, all the other young actors look just a couple of crucial years older than the characters they are supposed to be playing.) And he feels like one, and projects complex emotions in ways that are attributable to one He is extraordinary, and required no help from the make-up department, I'm sure, to produce the growth of peach fuzz on his upper lip that appears in several of his scenes. (All credit to Coppola for letting it be.) I hope and trust that Uncle Gus is paying attention and will do something great with this talented kid before he grows too much older. (It should be noted, by the way, that Kilmer père plays a cameo here, as a step-parent grotesque who could have wandered in from a Judd Apatow movie. His brief, hammy sequences are embarrassingly out of synch with this film and should have been cut.)

Others are quite good, too, and Emma Roberts (niece of Julia), as the female lead, is more than that -- she is revealed here to be an extraordinary actress, perhaps even the next Scarlett Johannson. Too bad that she also, as mentioned, looks a few years too old for this particular role.Still, the camera captures her with real affection and sympathy. Oddly,though the budding romance between her character and Kilmer's is the central plot line of the movie (to the extent that there is one), neither actor is seen to best effect in their (few) actual scenes together.

Franco plays a girls' soccer coach with a dangerous glint in his eye quite well, though the camera (a recurring problem in this film) holds his reaction shots for too long, weakening rather than underlining his predatory smirk. The rest of the adults are negligible, and the other teens are more run of the mill young American actors.

Of the plot there is little to say: teenagers in yet another California town, left to their own devices by distracted adults, stumble around, get drunk and stoned out of their minds. Sex ensues, of course (rather prudishly portrayed, with everything below the belt taking place below the frame). Attractions and jealousies sprout, with some age-appropriate hints of sexual ambiguity. Friendships hit a brick wall. Something like true love seems in the end to be brewing.

The classics of the genre have all been made. This calling-card film shows Gia Coppola to have talent, and she no doubt will go on to do bigger and better things. One could question whether, had she not been a Coppola, this film would ever have been made, but that would be churlish, as it is in its way not bad at all and, at moments, is very good indeed. And we should all be grateful for its revelations of the younger Roberts and, especially, Kilmer, who should, by rights, head on from this to greater things in the hands of more seasoned directors. In this sense, "Palo Alto" might turn out to be "The Outsiders" of their generation: we saw them here first.

Franco fantasy. Adults acting like idiots. Teachers sexually assaulting students. It's just handled awkwardly not deftly. Poor dialogue.

Bizarre and slow. And weird.

Gia Coppola's first film is a winner. I'll admit I made the mistake of reading a few reviews before heading to the theater, all rather shallow and seeming to miss what was important, but they influenced me to the point that I planned to switch films after an hour. But when that hour came, I couldn't leave. I was thoroughly engrossed and invested in the characters. I wanted to know how things worked out for them, and I wasn't disappointed.

Several reviewers have said that it's a good first effort, but it meanders. That it doesn't have much substance. That it has no plot. All wrong, in my opinion. I haven't read James Franco's short stories, upon which this film is based, but I can say that Ms. Coppola has done an excellent job of writing a cohesive screenplay with a good story arc and enough plotting to clearly show that 3 of the main characters -- April, Teddy, and Emily -- learn something important enough from their experiences to change for the better by the end of the film. And the 4th, Fred, is heading for an epiphany, if he can survive long enough to have it. What many have missed is that Ms. Coppola has gotten to the truth here.

Palo Alto accurately captures the teen angst, how hard it is to figure things out, how adults can disappoint/mislead/manipulate us, how we make bad choices, but always with the feeling that we're propelled to do exactly that thing at that moment. High school is not fun. It's something we endure. And it can be an achievement just to get out alive and be heading in a better direction.

It's been ages since I was in high school, and even though this generation is very different than mine, human nature hasn't changed, and the problems haven't changed. I recognized every character, every situation, every bad choice, every consequence. I especially related to "not knowing what to say, so saying nothing." But most important, and I credit Ms. Coppola for this, I really cared about these characters. I even had empathy for one unlikeable character.

That's good writing (credit Franco and Coppola). And it's very good directing, considering the main characters played by Emma Roberts (a standout), Jack Kilmer, Zoe Levin, and Nat Wolff don't have a lot of experience. I like to follow directors whose works say something meaningful about life and honestly earn our emotions. I'll be following Ms. Gia Coppola's work. This is a fine film.

So this is what it's like to be a teen in high school these days? So basically nothing has change?

Gia Coppola's 1st film has no plot. it's just 100mins of watching Teenagers be teenagers. If you find that interesting than go for it. It does capture the essence of being a teen quite well.

I never read the book it was based on, which was written by James Franco who also has a small role in the film. I know the book is just a collection of short stories which is what the movie feels like, just a collection of short stories.

I would not reject a film just because it had no plot, but I think I'm too far distant from the situation to be that interested in it. Closer to my experience was the movie Kids, which is a lot like this movie, but has a plot to it. I do think that the fact that Palo Alto has no plot makes it a much bolder movie.

This flick is more set up for those who can related to these specific characters, rather than semi-documenting the life of teens. So while I recognize myself in some of the kids and recognize other kids I knew growing up in some of the kids, it was not enough for me.

I think Gia's aunt Sofia is better at that, but she is the more experience film maker and it might take Gia a few more tries to get there.

Don't come looking for plot - our teen years didn't have one either. Like Dazed and Confused before it, Palo Alto throws us into the joys, pains, and emotions of the life of American-suburban adolescence. Though unlike its defacto predecessor, Palo Alto takes a look at this world through a softer, more elegant, more personal lens. The film bounces us around from character to character, all high school students in the titled town. Reckless parties, desperate sexual encounters, jealousies, weed, breaking things, sexually aggressive teachers (James Franco) and, of course, homework. It's all part of the world of Palo Alto. There is no rhyme or reason. Or is there? James Franco (whose book of short stories the film is based on) plays Mr. B, the high school soccer coach, tells his favorite player April that everything has a reason. Maybe he's right. You be the judge. Director Gia Coppola, in her first feature-length effort, works wonders at keeping the characters and the world of Palo Alto authentic. "Glee" exists in a land far, far away from here. Instead, we get an unfiltered look at what it takes to navigate the turbulence of adolescence and find our path to adulthood. It's a painful but beautiful thing.

Bizarrely inspired by Franco growing up, this film isn't a movie I'd highly recommend nor recommend against. Worth the watch, at least.

As aimless as the teens it portrays, Palo Alto see's yet another Coppola enter into the movie making business, this time Gia, Francis's (The Godfather) granddaughter and Sophia's (Lost in Translation) niece who in adapting James Franco's collection of short stories of the same name has created an at brief times realistic and insightful look into modern day teenage hood yet stumbles in actually saying anything of merit in a tale that starts depressing and ends there to.

Palo Alto clearly wants to be a showcase for the Los Angeles brackets of teenagers, the type that party first and study later and the type that have fun by chopping down trees with chainsaws late at night. Palo Alto actually feels like more of a fever dream of a cautionary tale or look into this life as to be honest it never really connects on a level that feels wholly realistic. There type of films work best when scenarios and characters feel real or relatable and while Palo Alto can for brief moments do this, a majority of situations and players either do things that feel utterly ridiculous (like a lot of teens do, just not to this level) or downright unbelievable. This would largely stem from the source novel from Franco, who seems to make his business in being weird/alternate but Coppola shows enough here to suggest that he could've done more to make the material better.

What Coppola does succeed in is in her direction of her young cast, while supports Nat Wolff and Zoe Levin don't do a lot to suggest they've got a career ahead, with Wolff in particular an incredibly annoying presence (how his been cast in so many movies since this effort is beyond me), young leads Emma Roberts and son of Val, Jack Kilmer show a real talent in their field. Roberts has long been a talent to watch (and much more bearable than her relative Julia) and her portrayal of confused April is a great piece of work while Kilmer as similarly wondering Teddy suggests he may one day to achieve the success of his father, with hopefully his father's weight gaining fall. Author of the novel himself Mr. James Franco also makes an appearance in what is on face value an on screen version of himself as creepy older guy looking to gain a much younger girlfriend.

There are some nice touches to this film by Coppola, a keen eye for a nice shot makes you think she has a career ahead of her and some great lead turns by Roberts and Kilmer, but nothing could help such a cold and un-relatable piece of work ever become anything more than acceptable. We've been blessed over the years to have countless and memorable entries into the young teen/coming of age drama catalogue and with Palo Alto you're much better off to find one of these, instead of watching this instantly disposable offering.

2 Grand Theft Auto playing Val Kilmer's out of 5

"If you were in olden times, what would you do?" Fred (Nat Wolff)

If the ennui and aimlessness of teens, as depicted in Palo Alto, represents the upper-middle class's decline, then we all may be in trouble. The above question is answered about the universal life of teens throughout modern times: Things will be no different, and maybe worse. Writer/Director Gia Coppola captures the disaffection and confusion of late high schoolers in an affluent suburb while she eschews the basics of good story telling, like meaningful conflict and resolution.

The coming-of-age tale of burb loneliness has been told since the 60's. Yet, with cell phones to text each other, maybe these emotional wanderers are more connected and purposeful than I thought. It's just that the story too well mirrors their purposefulness.

Palo Alto captures the lost world of drug and sex-addled seniors who indulge too much and suffer the expected consequences of excess and conscience. April (Emma Roberts) appears to be the only virgin in the crew, a soccer player having a hackneyed illicit affair with her coach, Mr. B. (James Franco) but seemingly unrequited love for sweet artist Teddy (Jack Kilmer).The others lost in a fog of weed and useless sex like Teddy and Fred wander in the night doped up and hungry for meaning.

And that's all, folks. Like the lost souls of the story, the film wanders among the strands of James Franco's short stories looking for a common thread to bind the characters more than the typical stoner discursiveness and the serious limitations of suburbia. Look for Aunt Sofia's Bling Ring to get a better feel for true teen angst, disaffection, and lawlessness.

The best I can say is that Coppola shows the familial gift of mesmerizing compositions and lighting, promising the great patriarch Frances's gift for powerful storytelling. Right now, Gia Coppola gets the kids right, nails the mood, and will get the story in a few years.

Being that this is from a book of short stories (though inter-connected I believe) from James Franco, it's interesting that Palo Alto works as well as it does. At first I wasn't quite sure, and the first half of the movie appears like it'll be just a lot of aimless partying and following 'oh, whatever' teen angst and mishaps; as one girl (Emma Roberts) navigates her own feelings for the boys around her, another guy (Jack Kilmer) gets into car-crash trouble and has to serve community service. Meanwhile, Nat Wolf is like De Niro in Mean Streets transposed into sunny suburban California: a don't-give-a-f*** guy full of crazy - or just a little attention perhaps - and is very likely a sociopath at best.

A lot of this is character stuff, and one could accuse Gia Coppola (daughter of the late Gian-Carlo, grand-daughter of Francis, the latter does a voice of the judge by the way), of doing some of the same middle-upper class navel-gazing as her Aunt Sofia has done in work like the Virgin Suicides or Somewhere. But the good news with Palo Alto is that, after kind of a rocky, ho-hum start, the characters gain some interest, some perspective. It helps that Robert's story involves her soccer coach with a romantic link and played by Franco himself and, whether it's due to his own material or not, he's really good here, subtle, damaged, creepy but not in an overt way, perfectly suburban. And Jack Kilmer's character - as does his performance - grows and deepens over the course of the movie through his work as an artist and in community service.

Palo Alto edges out to be a satisfying experience, though it's more cumulative; you may wonder where this is going after the first half hour and if these self-important teenage-wasteland-ers will be worth following. But I think the creativity in Frano and Coppola's writing is that, meeting them halfway, there's more depth and heartbreak and genuine empathy you get for them as they experience more and more. The most original stuff? Maybe not. At the least it keeps things relatively low-key, and is a revelation for Nat Wolf as the live-wire of the group. It's less about 'oh, don't you feel bad for these well-off people, they have feelings too' than 'these are just people, they're pained, they're growing, give them time before they self-destruct.'

Oh, and Val Kilmer's in it too as an off-in-his-world stoner step-dad. Which is awesome.

When I first began watching my first impression was "Wow this movie has this authentic feeling to it" and honestly, by the end I still felt the same way.

This movie captures these emotions that one feels as a person who is slowly transitioning from a teenager to a young adult. Movie focuses on the same couple of characters and you can see what they're thinking and feeling and you just know they're going to regret their actions later but you understand why they even made those decisions in the first place. It's really easy to get into this movie and think, this feels so real.

I think the strongest aspect of this movie is how well the movie conveys these feelings and delivers them in the most organic scenes I've ever seen. I think this movie is based off a collection of short stories also called Palo Alto, I haven't read any of that but yeah.

Honestly you can do a deep dive into every character in this film and you'll have a blast analyzing. Idk it's a good movie.

Palo Alto is one of my all-time favorite movies. It touches my heart unlike most dramas, and is more realistic than any other high school movie. It touches on important subject, and brings to life an atmosphere of what real high school is. It is powerful, and incredibly emotional at times. It doesn't try to be something it's not, doesn't try to make high school look better than it is. It's the most honest movie I have truly ever watched, and I go back to it again and again. Gia Coppola did an excellent job telling the original story of what James Franco had written. I thought I would go ahead and list some criteria (from least important, to most important: Filmography, and setting: The setting takes place exactly where the title says it does, Palo Alto, California. Most of the time the lighting in the film is somewhat dreary and gloomy. I would definitely categorize this as an "art film" because it's the actiong that brings this to life, the setting is merely a backdrop. Much of the filming has wide shots, and shots from down below, showing lots of shadows and emotion on the characters faces. Acting: I would give the acting an A, Emma Roberts being the one who did the best job portraying her character, although Jack Kilmer comes a close second. He really makes us believe he's s teenage guy in a small town, messing around to have some fun. Everybody in the film is extremely believable, they reminded me of people I know. Even myself-- I can relate to all of it. The small town boredom, and partying every weekend to try to bring some life back into our eyes. Theme: This is my most important criteria. We all know that the main plot of the story is what ties it all together. But with Palo Alto, the only major plot is teenagers dealing with everyday struggles, and how to maneuver around new relationships. Dealing with things like hook-ups, drinking, community service, friendship, and sports.It is so incredibly well done and believable. I have gone through high school myself, and first watched this back when I was actually in high school. It was a breath of fresh air from all of the other high school dramas portraying high school to be something it's not. I would highly recommend any high school-er watching this, or anyone really. We sympathize with the characters, and cry and laugh at the same time. It's a great film.

On the other hand, I could see why people wouldn't like this movie. It doesn't sugar coat anything. It shows underage kids having sex, using vulgar language, and doing things such as drinking and smoking weed. It's not for everyone. I assume that older generations wouldn't approve... if only they knew that this is exactly what their kids are actually doing. It can be a hard movie to watch at times, one scene being especially fragile where a young girl is taken advantage of time and time again, and we can only watch as she makes one mistake after another. But that's truly what high school is about, learning and growing.

Some of my favorite quotes from the movie: "You don't care about anything.""I wish I didn't care about anything."

"there are girls looking for love, boys looking for trouble, and men looking for both."

"I'm shivering because you're beautiful."

Gia Coppola, the sixth director to emerge from the creative Coppola family, paints a realistic portrait of adolescence mired in insecurities and bored indulgence in her debut film PALO ALTO.

A filmmaker more in the vein of cousin Sofia rather than her grandfather Francis, Coppola's written and directed adaption of James Franco's collection of linked short stories titled Palo Alto, comes across on-screen like an evocation of old memories and moments. And just like the artless simplicity of youth, Coppola has opted to show Palo Alto with a societal veneer rather than delve further into her characters' underlying problems and relationships with unobservant and irresponsible parental figures. Cinematographer Autumn Durald's highlights and deflects these highs and lows nicely with the use of selective focus and soft lighting, coupled with lingering close-ups and textured Palo Alto cityscapes.

The story itself, weaves in and out and round and round like the veritable teenage merry- go-round of experimentation, hormones and angst that it is. Teddy (played by Jack Kilmer, son of Val Kilmer who incidentally has an interesting cameo as video-game stoner step dad to April) likes sweet, virginal soccer player April (Emma Roberts) but doesn't know how to tell her how he feels. Instead, he chooses to get a blow-job from Emily (Levin) who has never been in love before. Because of this inexperience, she also offers herself to Teddy's friend Fred (superbly played by Nat Wolff), who is also struggling emotionally but channels these emotions into reckless and illegal pursuits. With an irresponsible, pot-smoking father at home who propositions Teddy, Fred also uses Teddy's naiveté to his advantage by getting him in to trouble with the law and keeping him away April. April likes Teddy but doesn't know how to tell him of her affection. She also has a crush on her soccer coach Mr B. (played by James Franco) who takes advantage of inexperience and vulnerability. Phew.

What it boils down to is a sophomoric story of drunken experimentations and escapades interspersed with teenage angst, all wrapped up in an unpretentious bow. There's a couple of moments in the film that will make you question 'What was that for?/What's the point of that inclusion in the film?', but the performances by it's relatively unknown cast are definitely worth viewing.

You can read more at my Twitter handle or at The Hollywood News.

This independent work from Gia Coppola "Palo Alto" is one interesting film of life, character study and decisions. It's one that after watching you as the viewer kind of wonder and think where did the characters go with their lives and which new world exist with each. Set in Palo Alto, California the story centers around April(the cute Emma Roberts)and she's a quite shy girl who's coming of age with peer pressure it's all about choices and being liked. April likes a boy named Teddy a classmate who's on the wrong side of the track he's got a criminal problem. And to complicate matters April's soccer coach(played by James Franco)is a pervert type who seduces her making this trio a complicated love triangle causing the lives of all to swirl and spiral out of control. Overall good film that has you the viewer wondering about how the lives of each character will turn out.

Why are pedophilia type themes even adopted in mainstream Hollywood? yea, I get it-these things happen. But, I don't think it needs to be one of the themes of the movie. Seriously, what an absolutely worthless message it's exploring. The character Nat-if he's anything close to his real life person-which I'm scared given his parental background that the answer is yes-what a nightmare type of person to actually have to actually interact with. I'm anti-religion but what a waste of space this movie is...how do people of such low value add to society progress . Of course, it's because of their connections. If he's related to Draper, maybe he can make him CEO of his new proposed Silicon Valley territory since he's obviously so qualified to lead public policy.