Remember the Daze

If you were in the party crowd in high school, then this is like watching a home movie of people you don't know - boring. And if you weren't, this movie nails reality - it all seems better than it actually is. I'm a nutshell, "Beautiful Ordinary" is just this, the actors are beautiful, and the film is ordinary.

How's this for a plot line? "A glimpse into the teenage wasteland of suburbia that takes place over 24-hours on the last day of school". Sounds like "Dazed and Confused", right? "Remember the Daze" feels like a film made by people who did nothing in High school but watch "Dazed and Confused". I'm sure that not all the similarities between the movies were intentional. Let's be honest though, this film is like a poor man's "Dazed and Confused", crossed with "American Pie". I'll start off with a little background information.

I myself am just a smidge younger than the Dim Wits portrayed in the film. Class of 2004 (Ugh). I can tell you, without ANY hesitation, this is about as accurate a portrayal of High school life in 99' than "Saved by the Bell" is. This generation was not nearly as hip-to-drugs as the filmmaker wants to believe. EVERY high schooler in this flick is carrying at all times. Please. Not that my generation is any better. You couldn't do a "Dazed and Confused" in the 2000s. Every kid is too busy on Myspace and whatnot to even get out of their chairs. Most high school seniors today couldn't roll a joint if their life depended on it.

So, right off the bat, "Remember the Daze" is plagued with a sense of unauthentic narrative. Making things worse are the fact that every character is a stereotype (multiplied by about 100). Not one realistic teen in the bunch. Not that it matters, the only dialogue any of them get is along the lines of "Let's get wasted", or "Who's got some pot". I kid you not; those lines are spoken once every 30 seconds. The cast of young actors are all apt, with a couple doing some above average work. Unfortunately, the fact that they all play whiney degenerates doesn't help. Marnette Patterson, the young woman that plays Stacy, gives by far the most layered and lively performance.

This film is far from terrible though. Apart from being fake and overly derivative of a certain other teen/drug film, it does have some finer points. The whole thing moves along pretty well, with some interesting scenarios and occasional humor. The cinematographer also seems to know what he's doing, and the film looks a lot more polished than one would expect. While the film definitely features a bit of phony sentimentality and lame profoundness, it never really demands much from the viewer and provides a consistently pleasant atmosphere.

Before I forget, two last thoughts. Was it just me or was the inclusion of the "Photographer kid" beyond pretentious. Ouch. They could have easily cut him out and saved a lot of embarrassment. Although I suppose that lost shot of the photos was suitable. And the title, "Remember the Daze". That's just corny and in no way fits with the tone of the film. They should have just called it "Remember Dazed and Confused", because anyone who watches this will find themselves gawking over the similarities. If you're a fan of the former though, this should be worth a free rental if you've got a coupon lying around. Or better yet, pick up "Can't Hardly Wait", which is leagues more realistic and enjoyable than this.

So there was this woman who went to film school and saw "Dazed and Confused" and decided that she could make a movie just like it. And she tried. And she failed. But you can learn something about what makes a real film if you watch them one right after another. Oh wait IMDb thinks all movies deserve at least ten lines of text. This one doesn't but here goes.

The music was almost interesting. The young actors tried their best but unfortunately when there is no plot it is hard for the characters to develop. Many have gone on to act in real movies so I guess this was some kind of learning experience for them. Actually, the most impressive thing about this movie was the ability of the filmmaker to get so many talented and pretty young people to be in the film to begin with. Perhaps she has a future as a producer. She would be much better off if she let someone else write the script, direct the movie and come up with an better idea then let's rip off a mediocre Linkletter movie.

Remember the Daze is an authentic look at high school students on the brink of graduation. It reveals the trepidations and excitement that students feel at this very important juncture in their life. The middle class life style will connect to a large segment of the population, but some will see it as how the "rich" live, especially because they all seem to be driving cars. However, the class distinctions are minor in the film much as they were in "American Graffiti." One of the biggest differences in "Graffiti" was that the most daring thing a kid could do then was to get an adult to buy whiskey for him in a liquor store. Some parents may be shocked and horrified to see the promiscuous use of mind altering drugs. On the other hand, it might be healthy for them to get an authentic look at what's going on.

I'm probably in the minority for saying this, but this movie sucks. The movie jumps from character to character and it gets confusing after a while. The cheerleader character seemed enjoyable in the beginning, but I started to hate her after she was so whiny about wanting to get wasted. The only reason I saw this movie is because Amber Heard is in it, but not even she could save this movie. Watching Never Back Down (another Amber Heard movie) will erase the torture I went through with watching this movie. This movie makes Can't Hardly Wait look like Avatar and I hate Can't Hardly Wait. I am baffled at all the positive reviews this movie has gotten. Don't let the skewed numbers fool you. Pass on this or you'll be in a "daze" after seeing this horrible movie!