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Erika Yurken hates school. She hates it even more when the near perfect Alison Ashley arrives and steals what little limelight is available. | score D |
moviereview rates films from A (unmissable) to E (unwatchable) |
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| Cast Saskia Burmeister, Delta Goodrem, Jean Kitson Director Geoff Bennett Screenwriter Christine Madafferi Country Australia Rating / Running Time PG / 99 minutes Australian Release March 2005 Official Site (c) moviereview
2005
ABN 72 775 390 361 |
Let’s
be clear. There are a lot of reasons to hate Alison Ashley and not all
of them are her character. This is Australian filmmaking at its most
mundane; a plot lifted from the scripting department at Home And Away
made with the subtlety of a Liberal election campaign. It stars Delta
Goodrem, herself a survivor of the worst kind of TV drama who has been
cast by the marketing department. And what a coup – beloved of
pre-teens and Nana’s the country over, Goodrem lends her
considerable appeal not as the heroine but the loathed Alison Ashley.
Satire? Not likely. Erika Yurken (Saskia Burmeister) is a 14 year old
hypochondriac who deals with her white trash family and high-school in
the Bronx, er, Barringa East by retreating to sick bay. With the
arrival of a new teacher, things start looking up until Cloud Alison
arrives to block the sun. This heart-of-gold rich-bitch wins what
little affection can be found at BEHS and totally ruins Erika’s
life. Or that’s how she sees it in this contrived
‘comedy’ about teenage angst and high-school revenge. Hating Alison Ashley
is a crude attempt at loathsome US teen-movies with tepid results. The
relentless Burmeister forces Goodrem into shadow and while the editor
was sleeping, set and costume designers jacked up on Tim-Tams threw
everything they had at the screen. This is busier than Baz on crack and
much, much uglier. It makes what is already a hard film to enjoy
unbearable, and that’s without consideration for plot holes so
vast and unrealistic only a mother could love them. Hating Alison Ashley? You betcha.
// COLIN FRASER |