Skipped Parts
Based on the novel by Tim Sandlin, Skipped Parts focuses on 13 year-old Sam Callahan, and his perception of life in the early '60s. Caspar Callahan, a domineering old coot (brilliantly played by R. Lee Emery) exiles his 28 year-old daughter Lydia, and her 13 year-old son, Sam to Gro Vont, Wyoming. Once there, Sam meets Maurey Pierce, played by 13 year-old Mischa Barton. The two start off as rivals, being of similar intellectual aptitudes, and grow into a sort of competitive friendship.
After having several speculatory conversations about sex, Maurey comes over to Sam's one afternoon so they can try it out, just as friends of course. She figures they'll have to do it for real one day, so they should practice with each other to be ready. Their attempt at sex is hilariously unsuccessful so they retreat to the kitchen. A rather brazen Maurey casually announces to Lydia what they were up to, so Lydia and her friend school the two youngsters in the art of love. After a pretty candid talk on the subject, Maurey suggests that they go back upstairs to "look at comic books."
The relationship between Maurey and Sam is both funny and sad. Sam is very obviously falling in love with this girl he is 'practicing sex' with, but she already has a boyfriend, and considers Sam just a friend. She even sets him up with a very religious girl in class, much to his dismay. The film is much more forward about teen sexuality than most, but the lack of reciprocated feelings leaves you helplessly rooting for Sam. It certainly captures the heartbreak of young love, but not quite as well as the book.
Mischa Barton's portrayal of Maurey Pierce is nearly perfect. She captures her straightforward, no-nonsense approach to life, yet is equally as powerful in her tender, more vulnerable moments. She certainly know how to seize your attention. During an uneventful drive to the lake, she calmly asks "How do you know if you're pregnant?" 
Overall, Skipped Parts is a wrenching look at young love, but not without numerous sub and side plots like Lydia's roller-coaster relationship with a Native American, Sam's trials with his 'girlfriend' Chuckette, and Maurey's relationship with the class bully, Dothan. The film is good, but the book is much better in some respects.
Brad Renfro & Mischa Barton in Skipped Parts
