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source: Palo Alto

As aimless as the teens it portrays, Palo Alto see's yet another Coppola enter into the movie making business, this time Gia, Francis's (The Godfather) granddaughter and Sophia's (Lost in Translation) niece who in adapting James Franco's collection of short stories of the same name has created an at brief times realistic and insightful look into modern day teenage hood yet stumbles in actually saying anything of merit in a tale that starts depressing and ends there to. Palo Alto clearly wants to be a showcase for the Los Angeles brackets of teenagers, the type that party first and study later and the type that have fun by chopping down trees with chainsaws late at night. Palo Alto actually feels like more of a fever dream of a cautionary tale or look into this life as to be honest it never really connects on a level that feels wholly realistic. There type of films work best when scenarios and characters feel real or relatable and while Palo Alto can for brief moments do this, a majority of situations and players either do things that feel utterly ridiculous (like a lot of teens do, just not to this level) or downright unbelievable. This would largely stem from the source novel from Franco, who seems to make his business in being weird/alternate but Coppola shows enough here to suggest that he could've done more to make the material better. What Coppola does succeed in is in her direction of her young cast, while supports Nat Wolff and Zoe Levin don't do a lot to suggest they've got a career ahead, with Wolff in particular an incredibly annoying presence (how his been cast in so many movies since this effort is beyond me), young leads Emma Roberts and son of Val, Jack Kilmer show a real talent in their field. Roberts has long been a talent to watch (and much more bearable than her relative Julia) and her portrayal of confused April is a great piece of work while Kilmer as similarly wondering Teddy suggests he may one day to achieve the success of his father, with hopefully his father's weight gaining fall. Author of the novel himself Mr. James Franco also makes an appearance in what is on face value an on screen version of himself as creepy older guy looking to gain a much younger girlfriend. There are some nice touches to this film by Coppola, a keen eye for a nice shot makes you think she has a career ahead of her and some great lead turns by Roberts and Kilmer, but nothing could help such a cold and un-relatable piece of work ever become anything more than acceptable. We've been blessed over the years to have countless and memorable entries into the young teen/coming of age drama catalogue and with Palo Alto you're much better off to find one of these, instead of watching this instantly disposable offering. 2 Grand Theft Auto playing Val Kilmer's out of 5

It is supposed to be a high school drama, right? Well, it is not. There is no plot, no message to give and the cinematography is not worth watching. I can't even give spoilers, there is no way to spoil Palo Alto: it is already terrible! I can't say anything about the acting because there isn't anything to act in this movie. So I cannot be sure if the actors were convincing. Characters have no background story, we don't get the chance to know why they behave the way they do. Don't tell me because they are teenagers: I am also a senior and my life is nothing like that or my friends'. This movie is pointless and boring and these are not the reasons why I hated it. I hated it because it is one of those movies (the worst one actually) made to show "how painful the teenage life can be". Let me get this straight: it is not. We are not shallow as they show us in these movies. Of course we have some problems but not these kind of things. This movie is not realistic or it doesn't capture the essence of teenage life. To sum up: It is not "one of the best movies ever made about high school life in America". No, it is the worst. But, it may be "a knockout". It surely knocks you out of boredom. Trust me, don't watch it. If you haven't already.

The movie revolves around five characters who are part of the same school. The lead character Teddy (Jack Kilmer) is about a boy who is on a path of discovering himself and has a crush on April (Emma Roberts), while April also having similar feelings toward Teddy but not having the courage to tell that to each other. Both having to go on a path of self-discovery and ultimately realising the love between them. Teddy going through a path of grievance mainly due to his one single mistake in not being able to read the situation, rising from a low in his life, during which he realises his true potential as an artist and coming forward with his love for April. April is about a teenage girl wanting to grow-up to be transformed into a woman but getting exploited during the process. The story of Emily (Zoe Levin) is of an average girl having problems expressing herself, who just wants to be known and loved among her peers. Out of frustration she gets into a self-destructive mode which results in her getting used by boys. Fred (Nat Wolff) a good friend of Teddy's, but having erratic and crazy behaviour. Always trying to disrupt the limits put in front of him, looks to be a mentally disturbed child having endured abuse from his father. Mr. B (James Franco) is about a teacher who exploits other girls, taking their advantage by favouring them and making them feel important besides other girls. James Franco, Emma Roberts and Nat Wolff perform brilliantly in the movie which is certainly expected from them. Jack Kilmer is also great for a newbie, certainly has talent but needs some polishing and maybe a big star in the future. Whereas directing is concerned, I think it was well done for a first film by Gia Coppola and I wish best of luck for her future endeavours. Overall it's a 8/10 from my side.

So I just created an account to review this movie. I wasted 100 minutes of my life on a piece of garbage. The story goes no where. I would recommend not to watch it. There is no story line, no plot, its just a disaster. I can honestly say I was expecting more of this movie because James Franco was in it but this movie is mediocre. I know I am being a bit harsh but I'm just so aggravated that I watched this movie. Take my advice and choose something else. Its just a complete failure I don't think they knew the message they wanted to portray to the audience. Its just like unfinished work on screen. They want to create a mood or theme like 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' but its utter failure.

So this is what it's like to be a teen in high school these days? So basically nothing has change? Gia Coppola's 1st film has no plot. it's just 100mins of watching Teenagers be teenagers. If you find that interesting than go for it. It does capture the essence of being a teen quite well. I never read the book it was based on, which was written by James Franco who also has a small role in the film. I know the book is just a collection of short stories which is what the movie feels like, just a collection of short stories. I would not reject a film just because it had no plot, but I think I'm too far distant from the situation to be that interested in it. Closer to my experience was the movie Kids, which is a lot like this movie, but has a plot to it. I do think that the fact that Palo Alto has no plot makes it a much bolder movie. This flick is more set up for those who can related to these specific characters, rather than semi-documenting the life of teens. So while I recognize myself in some of the kids and recognize other kids I knew growing up in some of the kids, it was not enough for me. I think Gia's aunt Sofia is better at that, but she is the more experience film maker and it might take Gia a few more tries to get there.