So I checked out a theatrical release last week that got wiped out by the new Avengers movie. It was a little indie flick called Teen Spirit that got snapped out of existence… so maybe if it shows up on streaming in a few weeks, it might be worth catching.
Teen Spirit is a pretty basic story of a Polish immigrant girl living on the Isle of White in England who gets the opportunity to try out for the singing competition show Teen Spirit. And that’s basically it… this is a small film about a shy girl with a good voice trying to break big. She has help from a drunken former opera singer from Eastern Europe and she has to decide if she sticks with him or the mega-glossy producers… but that’s about it too.
The film stars Elle Fanning with a dodgy British accent that maybe is sometimes inflected by her Polish roots… she’s fine in the movie except, you know, not sounding very British or Polish. But she does a fine job as the shy girl, the singer, the conflicted songstress, etc. So she’s good enough and the movie loves, loves, love pop song covers so there’s a certain sense of poppy joy in the flick which can be otherwise a little dour.
So maybe catch it if you like your American Idol / The Voice success story montages on those shows. Or if you like Elle Fanning’s certain stone-faced persona. Or a story about a nobody trying to become a somebody (via tv talent show). Or don’t see it at all. It doesn’t demand to be seen – it’s just a solid enough little film of no real consequence.
Score: 74