The Myth of the American Sleepover

THE MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER is an attempt at authenticity. In showing the so-called teenaged experience, David Robert Mitchell treads slippery territory. For, always when showing an experience that's supposed to be specific to a certain group of people at a certain time, what you really end up getting is the experience of David Robert Mitchell's. Nevertheless, there's a lot of things in the film that ended up authentic regardless, which sadly accentuates the film's delusions, which, considering the knowledge at work, must just be dishonesty. What works though is Mitchell's dialogue, and the staging of that dialogue between the teens. There's also a lot of dubiety in age (he even has twin 23 year-olds play 14 year-old), no shying away from the amount of drugs done (which still, frankly, isn't realistically enough), and a lot of authentic material circling around glances, smirks, and movements. Deluded though, is the films sense of danger and stakes. In Mitchell's film, the night is a fantasy world where everyone can walk around (nobody walks in real-life by the way) and never have to worry about parents or other meddlesome adults. This makes for an unrealistic setting, and despite the nostalgia / etherial feelings that are obviously being attempted, it undermines the authenticity of the rest. However, the characters are all solid, and there's a lot of suspense that builds around what'll happen. Unsureness is the film's strength, but it also seems to be a flaw of the directors that leads to the film's major weaknesses.
The Myth of the American Teenager: ★★★