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| DIRECTED BY |
| Roger Avary
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| STARRING |
| James Van Der Beek |
| Shannyn Sossamon |
| Ian Somerhalder |
| Jessica Biel |
| Faye Dunaway |
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Warning: Spoiler in Final Paragraph
The film�s apparent objective � to show the excesses of college life (namely sex and drugs) as well as the heartbreaks associated with relationships there � is an admirable one, and if the film treated the subject with less exaggerated sarcasm and laughable facetiousness, then perhaps it could�ve communicated an effective message in the end. Instead, however, because of director Roger Avary�s decision to make this Ellis story more of an extremely stylized, whimsically �fun� film with some moments of thoughtful seriousness, it never quite hits home in the way that it perhaps could have.
For instance, there�s a suicide scene that is extremely powerful � with a particularly memorable overhead shot of a girl lying in a bathtub of her own blood. But then there�s also a suicide that is treated with jocular exaggeration � a kid overdoses, which results in a comedic helter skelter between his friends, concluding when he�s brought to a hospital where nobody seems to care about this dying kid, including the doctor who pronounces him dead when he�s actually still ticking. This seriocomic-like mixture just doesn�t work for this film because it ultimately detracts from its more contemplative elements.
Numerous subplots seem to have been added simply for humorous stupidity � the sequence involving Richard and Paul could�ve been cut entirely. And of course there always has to be a crime-related storyline, so that�s where the drug-dealing Clifton Collins Jr. comes in, in top �over-acting� form. Perhaps - instead of the inclusion of this clich�d nonsense - the film could�ve spent some more time developing its primary characters. There�s also much to enjoy about �tRoA,� however: Avary�s camera creativity is impressive and so is the editing, particularly in the split-screen to full-screen scene with Sean and Lauren. Also, the lightning-quick European trip sequence with Kip Pardue is hilarious.
There are some characters who are a little more redeemable than others on the morality scale, although eventually everyone becomes licentious. Perhaps Avary�s aim here was to show us that everyone will eventually succumb to the prurience of college life, but in doing so he also screws with the sympathy that these characters may evoke within us viewers.
Shannyn Sossamon plays a Jace-like role (from �The Last Picture Show,�) going from a virgin who practices abstinence to a virgin who eagerly pursues vitiation. James Van Der Beek is our protagonist, a flat-out asshole who we�re apparently supposed to find interesting � although I�ve got to give him credit for rejecting all notions of typecasting by taking this role. And Ian Somerhalder represents Paul, the gay guy who tries to come between the unconvincing love that Sean and Lauren have for each other, although it�s Sean who messes it up all by himself anyway. Nonetheless, I kind of liked the despondent way with which the film ended, and if �tRoA� had never stepped into that overly familiar territory of �comedic teen college flick,� it could�ve been great.
