The older I get the more I can appreciate teen angst movies. It would be easy to dismiss them as being whiny, melodramatic bore-fests, but that would be unfair to those that get it right. When a filmmaker chooses young love as his/her subject, they are immediately opening themselves up to severe criticism. The finger wagging reviewers will crawl out from under their judgmental covers eager to dissect a weak or tiresome plot.

The ’80s set the standard for the teen love story genre. Movies such as Say Anything, Pretty in Pink and Some Kind of Wonderful separated themselves from a large pack of lesser films. If you’re going to venture into this territory, you better have something original to say or at the very least offer a new perspective on a subject that has been attacked from every possible angle. Writer/Director Todd Kessler rolled the dice last year and came up seven with Keith, a nuanced high school romance that manages to surprise.

17-year-old Natalie (Elisabeth Harnois) is on the fast track to college. She’s smart, popular, excels at tennis and just landed a dreamy new boyfriend from South America. She’s got it all. That is until her new chemistry lab partner, Keith, turns her world upside down. Keith isn’t part of Natalie’s clique. He’s the quintessential loner with a yellow truck as his only friend. His eccentric behavior intrigues Natalie. Her feelings for him deepen the more time they spend together. But Keith isn’t Mr. Perfect. He suffers erratic mood swings and goes MIA from school for days on end. His strange ways send Natalie into an emotional tizzy, one that threatens her by-the-books lifestyle. Keith is hiding something from Natalie. Will the truth destroy their relationship?

The survival of any film in this genre is dependent on the performances of the two leads. Both Elisabeth Harnois and Jesse McCartney stand out. Harnois, in particular, is quite convincing. Her transformation from stable do-gooder to rebellious wreck is the film’s strongest attribute. McCartney sells the Jesse character well. It’s not easy to figure him out, which is precisely why Natalie is drawn to him. Unlike everything else in her life, Keith is unpredictable. He represents something lacking in Natalie’s safe little world. Mystery. For once, she follows her heart and embraces the direction it takes her, no matter how painful it might be.

Todd Kessler – known for kiddie fare like Blues Clues – treads some serious ground and does so with care. It’s important in teen love tales to never forget the voice of your characters. They aren’t 25 or 30, they’re 17. Their actions and behavior should reflect that of a teenager ill-equipped to handle feelings foreign to them. Too often writers make the mistake of writing in an older voice, which is a surefire way to ruin a movie. Watching actors act appropriately immature is evidence the writing and directing are on point. Kessler gets this and it’s the main reason why Keith works. The story doesn’t break any new ground, but it’s a credible departure from the glut of teen dramedies that fail to capture true emotions.

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