TAGLINE: A new comedy about giving first love a second chance
It is no surprise to me that Miramax was so eager to get this film produced. Down To
You may seem like just the next teen film, but it is much more intelligent, mature, and
realistic than most of those in recent years. Hey, who would have thought teenagers actually had
sex in teen films? The film, written and directed by newcomer Kris Isacsson, is a true-to-life
analysis of the difficulty to keep a relationship together with all the complications that try to
interfere, such as sex-driven friends, pregnancy, and fear of commitment. I do not see why
critics feel the incredible need to bash this movie. Sure, it is not exactly at the status of
classic, but as a teen, or post-teen, film this is rather accomplished. Admittedly, this film
does have its flaws, mainly due to a bit of droll dialogue and miscasting. Do not get me wrong,
I like Freddie Prinze Jr. and I do believe he is talented, but I am getting tired of him playing
the same type of character. I know he can accomplish different roles because I have actually seen
him do so in a couple of indie and direct-to-video flicks, so maybe it is the fault of Hollywood
for not letting their teen actors actually grow up. In any case, I would have preferred to either
see someone else in the male lead or at least have the character pulled off as not such an
innocent nice guy. I also found Ashton Kutcher particularly annoying. His Jim Morrison started
off as an interesting character, but quickly grew to be his That 70�s Show character Kelso.
Luckily, the rest of the cast was right on cue, particularly Selma Blair as the pornographer
Cyrus, an incredible difference from her timid character from Cruel Intentions
(an even more intelligent teen film). One point that did drag this movie down was its ridiculous
arguments between the main characters. The characters fought over the most unintelligible things,
but we are talking post-teens, so in a way it actually works. Continuing with my negativity, I
have to say I would have preferred if Al and Imogen did not end up together in the end. This
would have shown that Al actually did choose illusion over love, and making the story a bit more
intelligent. But, hey, you have to please the pre-teens (though I personally think it may be it a
bit mature for most of them in the first place). Overall though, this is not as bad a film as
critics try to make it out to be. It has great chemistry between its talented young actors, a
sappy storyline, and, here is the highlight, an ending that does not revolve around the prom.
Give the movie a chance, you may be pleasantly surprised. B!
