Cute but hardly engaging. Some excellent performances -- especially from Saul Rubinek as Leon's dad. And Colm Feore had some good moments as Mr. Berkoff the high school principal.
Jay Baruchel's Leon is not so convincing. He's all clipped voice (sounding like he was channelling Christian Slater) and quirky mannerisms. This works up to a point, but we never really penetrate the idiosyncrasies of the character to discover why this guy is the way he is, or even if he's authentic. Perhaps Leon is just an act. (Actually, it would have been more interesting if we were to discover that Leon has metamorphosed into Leon Trotsky to protect or hide himself from the world.) As it is, the character comes across as a snotty, though brilliant, know-it-all. And, sadly, not terribly likable.
The script fails to live up to its potential -- and I do believe the story has potential. Regrettably, it seems content to come in well below par. Leon's fascination with Alexandra, a woman almost 10 years his senior, is a case in point. He's so odd and off-putting in his genial way, one can only question Alexandra's intentions (or sanity) for eventually falling for him. I understand that boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-gets-girl is inevitable, if not essential, in these light romcoms, but the audience has to 1) be rooting for them to get together again, and 2) it's gotta be believable. Neither succeeds here.
And just one additional point... Who is the audience this movie is aimed at? I suspect the creative team would say teens. Maybe the 14 to 34 demographic? While it's not laced with swearing and expletives, it does have dialogue about BJs, older women having sex with young men, and a jarring use of the "C" word. Yes, that C word. Hm. Is this the writer/directors attempt to be hip or provocative? Dunno. But it seems glaringly inappropriate -- not just because it works against the lighthearted tone of the story, but because it seems so imposed for no other reason than to... well, be an imposition. Seems to me the producers are needlessly cutting out a sizable group of youngsters -- say early high schoolers (13 - 16 years old) that won't be admitted to the film because of content that, in reality, does nothing to make the story better.
Jay Baruchel's Leon is not so convincing. He's all clipped voice (sounding like he was channelling Christian Slater) and quirky mannerisms. This works up to a point, but we never really penetrate the idiosyncrasies of the character to discover why this guy is the way he is, or even if he's authentic. Perhaps Leon is just an act. (Actually, it would have been more interesting if we were to discover that Leon has metamorphosed into Leon Trotsky to protect or hide himself from the world.) As it is, the character comes across as a snotty, though brilliant, know-it-all. And, sadly, not terribly likable.
The script fails to live up to its potential -- and I do believe the story has potential. Regrettably, it seems content to come in well below par. Leon's fascination with Alexandra, a woman almost 10 years his senior, is a case in point. He's so odd and off-putting in his genial way, one can only question Alexandra's intentions (or sanity) for eventually falling for him. I understand that boy-meets-girl, boy-loses-girl, boy-gets-girl is inevitable, if not essential, in these light romcoms, but the audience has to 1) be rooting for them to get together again, and 2) it's gotta be believable. Neither succeeds here.
And just one additional point... Who is the audience this movie is aimed at? I suspect the creative team would say teens. Maybe the 14 to 34 demographic? While it's not laced with swearing and expletives, it does have dialogue about BJs, older women having sex with young men, and a jarring use of the "C" word. Yes, that C word. Hm. Is this the writer/directors attempt to be hip or provocative? Dunno. But it seems glaringly inappropriate -- not just because it works against the lighthearted tone of the story, but because it seems so imposed for no other reason than to... well, be an imposition. Seems to me the producers are needlessly cutting out a sizable group of youngsters -- say early high schoolers (13 - 16 years old) that won't be admitted to the film because of content that, in reality, does nothing to make the story better.