Pretty Persuasion
Pretty Persuasion, Marcos Siega’s rendering of the teen angst black comedy genre, is what it is: social satire of wealthy, overpriveleged, understimulated, way under-loved teenagers as personified by the main character Kimberly (Evan Rachel Wood.) If only Siega and screenwriter Skander Halim had been satisfied with their strong representation of this pitiful soul weaved throughout their somewhat interesting tale and had not attempted to supplant superfluous messages, the movie wouldn’t come across as feeling so overcrowded and messy. Unfortunately for us they chose the latter.
Although Kimberly is initially presented as a harmless, if not fraudulently sweet, 15 year-old, it becomes clear that to take care of numero uno her modus operandi is borderline maniacal manipulation. In a plot for revenge, Kimberly maneuvers her main minions Brittany, blandly played by Elisabeth Harnois, and Arab transplant Randa (Adi Schnall) into her bucket seats and along for the ride. As part of Kimberly’s vengeful plan, the girls accuse a lascivious but (gasp!) apparently not guilty teacher, played by Ron Livingston, of sexual misconduct. The twists and turns inserted into this plot are not even as bumpy as a carousel ride, and the vehicle simply crashes and burns in a pile of meager attempts to shock and surprise.
What struck me as most poignant, and ultimately one of the few saving graces of this film, is the raw truth that comes through in the character Kimberly. It wasn’t the flicks Heathers or Mean Girls or even Pretty Persuasion that taught us that girls can be cruel; prepubescent girls learned that sad fact of life by actually interacting with their female peers. The most powerful cache of weaponry comes in the form of good looks and the brains to know how to wield that power. Kimberly epitomizes this life law and chooses a path most sordid all in the name of revenge.
Evan Rachel Wood plays her role brilliantly. (Because of or in spite of the fact that she’s so close in age to the character she plays.) When Kimberly proclaims that “there're just so many stupid, annoying, worthless people on this planet that just, like, get in the way of what you want,” you can’t really fault her for using her powers to eliminate said people. If you had the ability to do so, wouldn’t you want some of those people out of your hair? But, in the end, Siega tries to persuade of so much more and it just ain’t pretty.
Grades
Overall: C+
Story: B-
Acting: B
Visuals: B-
Originality/Innovation: B+
Enjoyability: C+
DVD Extras: C
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