Awkward Teen Years

Movie: Submarine

My Rating: 4 stars

I’m inordinately interested in actors that resemble my family members.  I find myself watching a disproportionately large amount of these actors’ films, despite my actual opinion of their talents.  This explains why I end up following the careers of some pretty questionable stars.  (There is a suspicious amount of Shia LeBeouf films in my Netflix queue since I think he looks like my little brother).  Although, plenty of skilled actors make their way into my life through this avenue as well.  I think that James McAvoy, Jeff Goldblum, and Meryl Streep also bear a striking resemblance to members of my family as well.  And, that’s why I’ve been closely monitoring the career of Richard Ayoade.  I think he looks just like my dad circa 1980—the hair, the glasses, the nerdy vibe, everything.  However, this isn’t the only reason I’m interested in him.  While the resemblance is what caught my attention in the first place, Ayoade’s talent is what kept me coming back to his work.  This guy is brilliant!  He’s a skilled director, hilarious comedian, and he’s so gosh darn humble about all of it.  Plus, I’m not embarrassed to tell my friends that I’m a fan of his.  (Cough, Mr. LeBeouf I’m looking at you). 

Richard Ayoade directs this film, which is based on a novel.  He first showed it at Sundance, but since I wasn’t able to make it out there this year, I had to wait until it started to pop up in regular theaters to see it.  It’s another coming of age film, but this one has a darkly comedic spin on the whole thing.  It follows Oliver, a Welsh teen, as he negotiates the tricky social battlefield of high school.  And, the film is a lot more self-aware than your classic, earnest tale of coming to terms with being a teenager.  It’s very mindful of all the little absurdities in life.  I guess that’s because it’s told from the point of view of an adult looking back on his formative years.  We always have a better handle on these issues once we’ve had a few decades to mull them over.  And, the conclusion that most of us come to after some thought is how stupid we were as kids.  Everything seems so important when you’re a passionate fifteen-year-old.  And, you think you have everything all figured out.

I appreciate a film that looks back on those awkward years from a position of comparatively more wisdom.  Especially, since the “narrator” has something of a sense of humor about the whole ordeal.  Really, that’s the only constructive way to process the trauma.  The story in this film focuses on the nervous first fumblings of our protagonist in the love game.  Romance is pretty tricky for teenagers.  They’re so insecure and self-conscious; terrified that one wrong move will condemn them to social Siberia.  So there’s plenty of opportunity for dark comedy here.  It’s an awesome movie, and you should definitely check it out.  Go ahead and look up Richard Ayoade’s other work too.  You won’t be disappointed.