Most viewers and critics jump straight to comparing "Pretty Persuasion" to the '80s cult classic "Heathers." As high school politics have not been depicted in such a dark and disturbing manner since the latter film, there is good reason for the comparison. Both newcomer director Marcos Siega and screenwriter Skander Halim provide "Pretty Persuasion" with all the right ingredients for a great dark comedy. Yet the biting sarcasm, absurd humor, talented cast and deep-rooted social commentary somehow all fail to connect.
Set in an elite private school in Beverly Hills, Evan Rachel Wood stars as Kimberly Joyce, an alarmingly intelligent and manipulative 15-year-old girl who knows what she wants and uses constant lies and sexuality to get it. An aspiring actress, she tries out for Anne Frank in the school play and gets the part without a hitch. But when she publicly slings a racial slur at a Jewish student, Kimberly quickly is removed from the production. Fixed on revenge, she becomes the ringleader behind false charges of sexual assault against their English and drama teacher, Mr. Anderson (Ron Livingston, "Office Space").
A trial ensues and Kimberly, enjoying the spotlight, does nothing to shy from the public eye. Cue the media frenzy led by Emily Klein (Jane Krakowski, "Alfie"), a local TV reporter who gets more caught up in the story than she should. Added to the mix is a troubled home life — a brother who recently died in Iraq, a mysteriously absent mother, a stepmother barely her senior, and her father, Hank (James Woods), a bigot only concerned with the effect the trial may have on his million dollar business. All the while, Kimberly's friendships with her co-conspirers and supposed best friends, Brittany (Elisabeth Harnois, "Strangers with Candy") and Randa (Adi Schnall) become shaky.
Wood's performance is by far the highlight of the movie. The young actress, who just recently turned 18, is becoming known in Hollywood as the go-to "it girl" for the role of a troubled teen. Prepared well for the role, Wood first gained attention as an anorexic on the TV series "Once & Again" and then garnered a Golden Globe nomination for "Thirteen," where she held her own opposite Holly Hunter, as a good girl who delves into the sordid world of sex and drugs.
However, Wood takes the heartlessness of high school drama to the next level in her portrayal of Kimberly Joyce. The detached manner in which she delivers every line is disturbing to a tee. For example, her matter-of-fact explanation to Randa of the ethnicities she would prefer to be, starting with white and working her way down to Middle Eastern becomes beautifully sardonic. Her whole demeanor emanates the calmness of a sociopath that is completely unsettling, making the protagonist fascinatingly evil.
Sadly, Wood's performance can only do so much to a script that is wrought with disaster. Although Kimberly Joyce is an intriguing character, the story she is given fails to be anywhere near as compelling.
Adding to its demise, the film drastically changes to a much darker tone during its closing minutes. The off-color jokes and tongue-in-cheek gags are gone, leaving an unexpected seriousness that is absent throughout the first hour and a half. The conclusion tries too hard to driving home a sense of distress. At its close, the audience is left puzzled, wondering if that was still the same movie. The film that had previously repeatedly joked about Kimberly's stepmother fornicating with the family dog did not transition well into its twisted "American Beauty"-esque ending.
Although the film tries its hardest at being a satire that plays on American views of racism, sex, war, family and fame, "Pretty Persuasion" bites off way more than it can chew. Its tasteless treatment of racism, although supposed to be tactless and disquieting, becomes stale, especially the gags played off of Randa, the wide-eyed Arab immigrant. The ill-humor more appropriate for an episode of "South Park" seems out of place and gets old fast.
In the same way it juggles too many taboo topics, the movie struggles to be a plethora of other films all in one, and more than just the numerous titles already mentioned. It is not quite as astutely clever as "Election" and not quite as sharply somber as "To Die For." "Pretty Persuasion" would have faired much better had it stuck to a more focused approach. It accomplishes its obvious goal of being wicked and disturbing, but only partly succeeds in that the meaning behind the shock gets lost along the way.
Grade: C
