Ghost World

If there is one thing American cinema has too much of, it's coming-of-age dramedies. At this point, you can't go to the bathroom without a new semi-autobiographical teenage quirkfest being released while you're gone.

While it is far from a great film, "Ghost World" manages to set itself apart in this genre by refusing to substitute idiosyncracies for genuine characters.

The film begins at the high school graduation of Enid Coleslaw (Thora Birch) and Rebecca Dopplemeyer (a 16-year-old Scarlett Johansson), two social outcasts happy to break free from the yoke of academia. As a practical joke, Enid answers a "Missed Connection" classified ad placed by a lonely music collector named Seymour (Steve Buscemi). Watching him from afar at the diner at which she instructed him to meet her, Enid begins to take pity on Seymour. The two soon strike up a friendship which burgeons into a crush. Meanwhile, she begins to drift away from Rebecca, who has more conformist tendencies.

What makes the movie work are its honest, real characters. Enid constantly changes her appearence; like so many teens, she can't seem to settle on an identity. Rebecca, meanwhile, is torn between her longing to be accepted and her desire to maintain her dignity.

The huge age difference between Enid and Seymour may make her attraction seem a bit ridiculous. But their bond is not as unreasonable as it sounds: have you met most male college freshmen? I wouldn't want to hang around them either.

The film is not without its faults, chief among them the mediocre acting. Birch and Johansson are very stilted at times, their inexperience showing through. Buscemi is fine, but he hasn't been given much in the script to sink his teeth into.

A few of the egregious quirks that can plague films like this do pop up as well. Why, oh why, must we be subjected to Norman, an old man who sits at a bus stop 24 hours a day? The point he illustrates--that everything but Norman is changing in Enid's life--could easily have been left unstated.

Ultimately, though, "Ghost World" succeeds in the same way that all good stories do: by connecting us with the characters and making us care about what happens to them.

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

Before Mark “Rat” Ratner goes on a first date in the severely undercooked “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” he is advised by his friend to play the first side of Led Zepplin IV for his lovely lady. Cut to the date scene, with Ratner driving and blasting—you guessed it—“Kashmir.”

But wait—“Kashmir” isn’t on Led Zepplin IV, it’s on Physical Graffiti. This may seem like a minor error, but the carelessness is symptomatic of the pervasive half-assed filmmaking featured in “Fast Times.” Scenes and storylines feel underdeveloped, like sketches never really filled in. In one particularly egregious example, a fantasy scene is plopped into the middle of the film in which a surfing trophy is given to stoner Jeff Spicoli (Sean Penn, in probably his least intelligent role--yes, I am including the retarded man in "I Am Sam"). There are no references to surfing anywhere else in the film. There isn't even evidence that Ridgemont High is anywhere near a body of water. The scene seems to mostly be an excuse to show off a couple of scantily clad women and the finest stock footage of ocean waves money can buy.

The sloppiness would be forgivable if “Fast Times” offered a realistic portrayal of life as a teen in suburbia, but it largely fails on this point as well. When Phoebe Cates gets an abortion, it’s treated as nothing more than a minor inconvenience, like getting a flu vaccine. Contrast this with the weight given to the abortion decision in “Juno” and you see just how far “Fast Times” falls short.

And of course, matters aren’t helped by the painfully unfunny stabs at humor. When Phoebe’s friend Stacy discovers that Mike, the man who knocked Phoebe up, neglected to take her to the clinic and pay for the procedure, it’s payback time. So Stacy writes “prick” on Mike’s car and his locker! Major burn! (This under reaction would be akin to the President declaring that we needed to fight carbon emissions with a voluntary program. Oh wait...)

Even the film’s iconic scene (altogether now, “JENNIFER JASON LEIGH TOPLESS!”) is a pathetic throwaway masturbation joke. When you’re making the “American Pie” films look clever, you might want to quit while you’re ahead.

Dogville

"Dogville" is one of the most depressing films you will ever see. It is not dark because of a glut of acts of violence and cruelty--although it certainly has those--but because it questions our very abilities to forgive and be virtuous.

Nicole Kidman stars as Grace, a fittingly named young woman who mysteriously arrives in the town of Dogville in the wake of gunshots in the distance. Tom, the town's resident philosopher, senses she is in danger and suggests she hide in the village. Located deep in the Rocky Mountains and boasting a grand total of 15 adult residents, Dogville is an ideal place for Grace to seclude herself.

Tom convinces the townspeople to hide Grace from the gangsters and policemen who periodically come searching for her. In exchange, Grace performs menial labor for them. At first, the inhabitants are too proud to accept her help. Seeing how easily she is manipulated, however, they soon grow accustomed to exploiting her. Grace is raped and punished with ever increasing amounts of labor. She tolerates these indignities, reasoning that she would do the same things if placed in the shoes of these impoverished people.

How long can Grace endure this abuse? And why are mobsters and policemen on her trail? These questions sustain the energy of a film that stretches nearly three hours.

The film is all the more impressive for captivating us despite appearing to have been shot on a soundstage. The town has no buildings and a minimum of props. The streets are outlined with chalk; characters open and shut imaginary doors. At first this is a distraction, but after an hour I hardly noticed it.

Indeed, writer-director Lars von Trier has a gift for convincing us to accept melodramatic and unrealistic situations. We go along with his unreasonable premises because we wish to see the vision of a truly original auteur.

If you don't want to question mankind's capacity for compassion, don't watch "Dogville." But if you want true insight into the frequent horrors of the human condition, von Trier has made a compelling statement.