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Full of It (2007) New Line Cinema 1 hr. 33 mins. Starring: Ryan Pinkston, Kate Mara, Teri Polo, Carmen Electra, Joshua Close, Cynthia Stevenson, John Carroll Lynch, Amanda Walsh, Craig Kilborn Directed by: Christian Charles This film is rated: PG-13 Full of It Rating:  
E-MAIL FRANK OCHIENG Once a teen comedy...always a teen comedy. However, once a wretchedly lame teen comedy...er, never mind...you get the gist of the concept. Speaking of concept, there’s none whatsoever behind the instantly forgettable Full of It, an empty-headed farcical nerdy showcase whose only “wow” factor is that it actually got made and distributed. Still, there’s something that can be said about this prepubescent piece of piffle in comparison to a hearty belch—it’s obnoxious, loud, smelly then soon will disappear into the thin air. The woefully generic and blandly titular Full of It is the brainstorm (some may say brainfart) of director Christian Charles. Charles, who gave us the 2002 documentary Comedian, provides the audience with a very retro, outdated teen flick that looks like it may have been found within the rubbish located in filmmaker John Hughes’s cluttered garage. Painfully unfunny and about as pesky as a hardened zit, Full of It is yet another throwaway youth-oriented romp that dabbles in the tedious cliched sentiments about the hazards of high school life and the puckish protagonist that takes us on the ridiculously ho-hum journey into teen-ridden angst. Screenwriters Jon Lucas and Scott Moore sketch out a labored and loony-minded premise that dips its toe in a lake of dullness. The direction by Charles is sporadic and cobbled together by a string of overly familiar gags and wacky winces. Predictably, Full of It goes through the motions of trying to present a slaphappy yet sophomoric vehicle that wants to be in the spirit of the omnipresent 80’s teen flicks that begrudgingly overstayed their welcome. Consequently, Charles never really establishes any noticeable rhythm with this notoriously giddy session of peer pressure awkwardness. Relentlessly stale and not staggering in any considerable warmth or wit, Full of It stumbles into a broad and banal showcase of teen-induced idiocy. Mathematical genius Sam Leonard (Ryan Pinkston) is new to the scene at Bridgeport High School. As expected, he sticks out like a sore thumb and the bullies will have a field day with the dorky Sam. Wanting to rub elbows with the “desired” in-crowd, Sam yearns to do what it takes to become one of the “haves” while shedding his “have not” persona. Courtesy of a ruthlessly disillusioned guidance counselor (Craig Kilborn) he advises the desperate Sam to lie and be something he’s not in order to impress and assimilate within the school’s ruling clique. Sam’s brainy beauty Annie (Kate Mara, “We Are Marshall”) is against this particular intention to be something that her buddy is not in theory. Unfortunately Annie is as much an outcast as her pal Sam that she otherwise fancies on a different emotional level. Nevertheless, something magically happens—you guessed it—our bookworm hero has a new lease on life where he’s finally living his exaggerated lies. Finally, Sam is popular at school and things couldn’t be better in terms of his new revitalized reputation. Suddenly, math isn’t his forte but he’s an athletic wonder in basketball that makes him cool with the guys. Also, being the campus ladies man doesn’t hurt either. Sam finds that drawing the attentions of such curvaceous prospects as the cheerleading Vicki (Amanda Walsh) and a sultry English teacher (Teri Polo from “Meet the Parents”and “Meet the Fockers”) has its definite perks. Still, all good things must come to an end and Sam will find out soon enough. Will Sam ever learn his lesson that being yourself and true to your form is the best policy? Plus, will he realize that the real love of his life is down-to-earth fellow misfit Annie and not the likes of bubble-brained babes such as Vicki? Can Sam learn to appreciate what he has in his non-flashy parents (Cynthia Stevenson and John Carroll Lynch) and accept his drab fate in life? Imbecilic and utterly pointless, Full of It lingers on without so much a hint that its thinly veiled theme has run its trivial course. As the diminutive Sam, Pinkston is passable as the beloved nerd du jour that gets in over his head in an attempt to live a false existence that belittles his real life drudgery. It’s too bad that the movie couldn’t conjure up any striking distinction to Pinkston’s Sam where he actually has a colorful personality to enhance his underdog status. The movie, already unimaginative and disposable, suffers all the more since Pinkston doesn’t elevate the meager material beyond his hangdog look and pint-size body. As for attractive Mara, it’s inconceivable—even in a fetid fable about misplaced teenaged belonging—as to why she would waste her energy pining for someone like the dweebish Sam. This is the least of this interminable movie’s scattershot problems. Even with the well-intentioned undercurrent message about honesty and accepting one’s identify no matter how unflattering Full of It is too dispiriting to even grace the shelf at the local video store hosting instantly dismissive high school flicks about socially challenged geeks trying to get over on society’s mean-spirited neglect. Ironically, Charles does a disservice in helming such a dimwitted dud that may endorse the entertaining notion of pounding to pieces the Sam Leonards of the world as opposed to sparing them the humiliation of secondary school scathing. Click here to comment on this review or post your own thoughts. Frank Ochieng © TheWorldJournal.com |
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