Kids in America

KOA is worth a look by adults and mature teens, and it has a PG-13 rating for a reason. A rebellious young student gets expelled by his high school principal, and with his equally rebellious crew of misfit friends (which includes a drop-dead gorgeous cheerleader!) decides to seek revenge. The only problem is the pranks they pull grow increasingly dangerous, until ... well, you will have to see it yourself. I would say show KOA to high school juniors and seniors, at the very least. It is an independent film, based on several real high school stories, with a cast of unknowns who do a decent, if not spectacular, job. We get to see the real students and hear abbreviated versions of their stories during the end credits. The outtakes are worth a look as well, but they incredibly raunchy, so beware if you have a young one in the house.

It's an interesting and entertaining film about high school kids rebelling against their principal. But unfortunately all their causes are filtered through the liberal Hollywood writer's viewpoint without much respect for any alternative views. The kids gripe about the hypocrisy of authority without ever addressing their own. A mass same sex kissing scene involving dozens of teens will offend many - maybe most - viewers. The film might have been very effective without that, but as it is, it turns away anyone who doesn't agree with the agenda without a chance to win them over. In spite of good acting by Gregory Smith and others, the comedy and other good qualities of the film don't overcome that. At least, if you're not homophobic or offended by condoms, you can enjoy it as a light comedy.

The film offers viewers an all too brief journey into politics and playfulness in a public school with an overbearing principal running for political office. She expels the male lead and Mr. D, voted teacher of the year for 5 years running and the one teacher who challenges his students to think, is fired and as expected the students rebel. A somewhat predictable story of teenage angst and a 2005-view of sexual orientation. A public school ruthless in its policing duties, the protagonist-principal has no desire or purpose other than maintaining the free range of her own narcotic narcissism, spewing exclusivity and dominance over the intellect, conscience, human potential of the students and teachers at her every turn. Unreceptive to interrogation, she cannot form or tolerate new ideas, try as she might to shape the thoughts of others, or tolerate independent thought. Yet there it is - a diamond glitters: Emily playing an ABC (American-born Chinese, third generation) and a scene stealer of the first order, predatory, yet sentimental and sexy. We recommend you see Emily, oops!, the film.

good movie. text below should not be considered for the film rating.

the movie one sided in the fact that it definitely inspires thought and creativity...however it doesn't actually solve problems we face today. sure it incites change (aka protest) which is something to be heard. however, we all do things for a reason, not just personal gain. i think what our schools/governments actually do may be for personal gain at certain times (9/10 people probably do things for personal gain), but everyone should consider they may actually be trying to keep us safe. how about a movie that actually solves the problem today with security/safety vs. rights?

I just saw the film, and thought I'd post my review. I'm a little surprised by some of the comments, both the over-the-top enthusiastic reviews and the reviews blasting the film. I didn't think the film was hilarious or terrible. I thought the film was okay. I'd give it 2 1/2 stars out of 4, a marginal recommendation (6 out 10 on the IMDb scale). This is a story about a group of teenagers, lead by Holden (Gregory Smith), that lead a small rebellion against their vicious Principal (Julie Bowen), who has a penchant for suspending students and is running for Superintendent of Schools. I thought the story was pretty good and the acting was good. I did like the "movie love scenes" montage, but didn't think it had much of a point. One thing I didn't like were the student films and 2 talent shows, which looked like they were conceived and assembled by 3rd graders, not high schools kids, (or film writers). If these had been sharp and funny, they would've been entertaining, and would've fit the rest of the film. I'm not going to bother with any political angles, because films don't alter my political views. This is a simple story that could've been sharper, but is a nice, mild diversion.