THE IN CROWD / (2000) *1/2 (out of four)
Mary Lambert's "The In Crowd" has "straight-to-video" written all over it; with horrible box office grosses and horrible reviews, it is a wonder why Warner Bros. and Morgan Creek Productions even considered purchasing the film in the first place. This is one of the worst movies of the year, with little to no plot, corny, campy situations, disgraceful performances, insipid direction, and a screenplay that is not even capable of wandering off in various directions, which would have been much more interesting than focusing on these boring characters.
What little story present deals with a young woman named Adrien Williams (Lori Heuring) who was just released from a psychiatric hospital: she had sexual obsessions. Her doctor (Daniel High Kelly) has arranged for her to get a summer job at a wealthy seaside club where young adults party amongst theirselves. There she meets a semi-lesbian named Brittany Foster (Susan Ward), who runs a private clique of locals, The In Crowd. The two become friends, share secrets, erotically attempt to seduce the other, all while other club members, including Bobby (Nathan Bexton), Kelly (Laurie Fortier), Tom (Ethan Erickson) and Morgan (Katharine Towne), become confused about Adrien. Soon bad things happen and Adrien is not so sure about the identity of Brittany.
The dialogue provides an excuse to continue the movie forward, but goes nowhere with a pointless and meaningless theme of action. There is simply no plot here, and the scenes do not provide the necessary tension, suspense, conflict, or character development required for anything to be of any interest. What are the characters trying to achieve? Most individuals in the film just drift around the lush landscape drinking, showing off their shapely bodies, and playing tricks on the "new girl": there is no purpose or motive to propel the screenplay. The film's final half hour is revealing, involving, and inquisitive, but still ranks as a pale shadow to similar, better productions like the sexy and twisted "Wild Things."
"The In Crowd" contains a showcase of lazy, deprived performances from a variety of unknown novice actors. I am a part-time Broadway actor myself and have seen seven-year-olds portraying Shakespeare who had most of a clue of what they were doing than these bland performers. Lori Heuring, Matthew Settle, and Nathan Bexton act like they are in a cheesy soap opera. They lack energy, style, and depth, but contain attractive allure and seductive gestures. Does director Mary Lambert ("Pet Cemetery") think good movies are made from good looks?
The movie also fails technically. Although there are times when the various camera angles and intense cinematography impressed me, the cuts are often too meteoric and fragmented. Its style is lush, but cannot overcome the lack of any good qualities.
"The In Crowd" earned a discrepancy-laden PG-13 by the MPAA, but deserves an R-rating. The film is for adults with its almost constant sexual content, nudity, homosexual undertones, often lethal violence, and the whole subject of sexual obsession and alcohol abuse. If this movie goes as far as it does erotically, why didn't it push the envelope or emphasize shock value, like "Wild Things," instead of holding back. I guess boldness was not what these filmmakers were looking for, but instead constructing eye candy that tastes like moldy bread.
Mary Lambert's "The In Crowd" has "straight-to-video" written all over it; with horrible box office grosses and horrible reviews, it is a wonder why Warner Bros. and Morgan Creek Productions even considered purchasing the film in the first place. This is one of the worst movies of the year, with little to no plot, corny, campy situations, disgraceful performances, insipid direction, and a screenplay that is not even capable of wandering off in various directions, which would have been much more interesting than focusing on these boring characters.
What little story present deals with a young woman named Adrien Williams (Lori Heuring) who was just released from a psychiatric hospital: she had sexual obsessions. Her doctor (Daniel High Kelly) has arranged for her to get a summer job at a wealthy seaside club where young adults party amongst theirselves. There she meets a semi-lesbian named Brittany Foster (Susan Ward), who runs a private clique of locals, The In Crowd. The two become friends, share secrets, erotically attempt to seduce the other, all while other club members, including Bobby (Nathan Bexton), Kelly (Laurie Fortier), Tom (Ethan Erickson) and Morgan (Katharine Towne), become confused about Adrien. Soon bad things happen and Adrien is not so sure about the identity of Brittany.
The dialogue provides an excuse to continue the movie forward, but goes nowhere with a pointless and meaningless theme of action. There is simply no plot here, and the scenes do not provide the necessary tension, suspense, conflict, or character development required for anything to be of any interest. What are the characters trying to achieve? Most individuals in the film just drift around the lush landscape drinking, showing off their shapely bodies, and playing tricks on the "new girl": there is no purpose or motive to propel the screenplay. The film's final half hour is revealing, involving, and inquisitive, but still ranks as a pale shadow to similar, better productions like the sexy and twisted "Wild Things."
"The In Crowd" contains a showcase of lazy, deprived performances from a variety of unknown novice actors. I am a part-time Broadway actor myself and have seen seven-year-olds portraying Shakespeare who had most of a clue of what they were doing than these bland performers. Lori Heuring, Matthew Settle, and Nathan Bexton act like they are in a cheesy soap opera. They lack energy, style, and depth, but contain attractive allure and seductive gestures. Does director Mary Lambert ("Pet Cemetery") think good movies are made from good looks?
The movie also fails technically. Although there are times when the various camera angles and intense cinematography impressed me, the cuts are often too meteoric and fragmented. Its style is lush, but cannot overcome the lack of any good qualities.
"The In Crowd" earned a discrepancy-laden PG-13 by the MPAA, but deserves an R-rating. The film is for adults with its almost constant sexual content, nudity, homosexual undertones, often lethal violence, and the whole subject of sexual obsession and alcohol abuse. If this movie goes as far as it does erotically, why didn't it push the envelope or emphasize shock value, like "Wild Things," instead of holding back. I guess boldness was not what these filmmakers were looking for, but instead constructing eye candy that tastes like moldy bread.