Film Review: 'The Wise Kids'

Synopsis:

In Charleston, South Carolina resides three churchgoing best friends: Brea (Molly Kunz), Laura (Alison Torem), and Tim (Tyler Ross). With high school coming to an end and college on the horizon, all three teens are going through some big changes--some scarier and more unexpected than others. Despite being a pastor's daughter, Brea finds herself questioning the faith she once followed without question. Tim remains a believer, but struggles to reconcile his beliefs with his homosexuality. Laura is a devout Christian and frets about the spiritual futures of her friends. Over the course of a few months, these young adults are going to learn a lot about themselves before leaving the bubble of their small town. Who will they be once the summer ends?

Story:

Despite the array of heavy topics it explores within its 95-minute runtime, The Wise Kids remains a relatively upbeat slice-of-life movie throughout most of that time. As opposed to loud and dramatic confrontations, uncomfortable truths are dealt with in a less over-the-top manner. This gives the movie a leisurely atmosphere that allows you to get invested in the characters and their inner conflicts without relying on theatrics. Admittedly, though, there is a certain point where the pacing isn't as smooth. By the third act, most of the plotlines have basically gone as far as they're going to go. So from that point on, the film slips into a somewhat bloated epilogue. At least it serves the purpose of tying in with the movie's fittingly ambiguous ending. In the end, none of the storylines featured come to a finite conclusion, as Brea and her friends' stories are just getting started now that high school is behind them.

A more persistent problem with The Wise Kids has to do with how the plotlines get divided. Overall, it seems that Brea's crisis of faith gets the most attention, with Tim and Laura's stories not getting as much development as a result. This is most felt with Tim, as despite having a very emotionally rich arc (being a young gay Christian in the deep South), we rarely get to see him truly grapple with this loaded conundrum. This is especially in regards to Tim's place within the subplot involving church music director Austin. SPOILER ALERT While the scene where Austin and Tim admit to each other that they're gay is powerful in its own right, they never discuss the kiss they shared at Tim's birthday party. Given the moral thorniness of that exchange, it's definitely something that the script should've addressed. Spoilers Over

Characters:

The characters are where Stephen Cone's script truly shines, as every one of them has a well-defined personality that keeps them from feeling one-dimensional. This is especially beneficial for Laura, a character who easily could've been written as a generic homophobic religious zealot-in-training. Instead, Laura's stance against Tim's sexuality and Brea's religious doubts is shown to be born out of genuine (albeit misguided) concern for her best friends. Factor in her own insecurities about her future, and it's clear that Laura is simply a confused young woman struggling to deal with so much change coming at her at once. As for Brea and Tim, they're both incredibly lovable people whose respective plights will have you hoping to see them both find the happiness and security they deserve.

Two of the adults in the young protagonists' lives have problems of their own: Austin and his wife Elizabeth. Austin is every bit as awkwardly endearing as Tim, which makes sense, given the camaraderie the two share. Elizabeth is a sweetheart in her own right and, as the extent of their rocky relationship and personal woes becomes clear, you're sure to sympathize with both halves of the broken marriage. The rest of the adults in the Charleston community are a charming array of your usual Southern small-town folk, from boisterous church employee Harry to sweet-as-pie grandmotherly congregant Ms. Powell.

Among these people, Tim's single father Jerry stands out for being surprisingly well-dimensioned. SPOILER ALERT Like Laura, it would've been incredibly easy to just have him be a straightforward homophobe who reacts to finding out about his gay son with hostility and abuse. Instead, his reaction is realistically layered. From his attitude about one of his other sons shunning Tim to the way he tiptoes around the subject of Tim's dating life, it would seem Jerry wants to be supportive, but will need more time to come to terms with who Tim is. His apprehension is just as understandable as Laura's when you realize he's dealing with this unexpected news on top of his own demons and his struggle with accepting that his eldest son is leaving the nest. Spoilers Over

Acting:

The core trio of The Wise Kids does a fantastic job playing a group of realistic teens getting their first taste of adulthood. Molly Kunz and Allison Torem bring Brea and Laura's internal dilemmas to life in vastly different ways, but each does so in a way that has your heart aching for both girls. Kunz plays Brea with a silent sense of pensive uncertainty and Torem plays Laura with more frantic energy. While she's mostly able to keep it hidden away, Laura lets her sadness and fears come to the surface when pushed too far. It's in these moments that Torem will leave you wanting to hug the poor girl and assure her that everything's going to be OK. Tyler Ross gives a more laidback performance, owing to Tim being the most self-assured of his friends and the script unfortunately shying away from the tragic side of his situation. Regardless, Ross is undeniably charming when Tim is just enjoying his last carefree summer with his friends and family. And when the film does let Tim's insecurities take center stage, Ross gives just as empathetic a performance as his co-stars.

The Wise Kids' writer/director Stephen Cone also stars in the film as Austin and takes after Ross in making his character adorable. While obviously some years older than Tim, Austin is just as awkward as the teen. As such, when Austin starts to break down as a result of his crumbling marriage and hidden self-loathing, it's a heartbreaking sight that Cone delivers on with poignancy. Sadieh Rifai is more quietly sympathetic as Austin's dissatisfied wife, as is Matt DeCaro as Tim's father. The quirky side characters are all wonderfully portrayed, from Lee Armstrong's Harry to Ann Whitney's Ms. Powell to Cliff Chamberlain as Dylan, the dorky and somewhat ineffectual candidate for the church's youth director position. There's also Ms. Powell's non-believer granddaughter Cheryl, who Sadie Rogers plays well as the woman becomes an unlikely ally to Brea. Rogers allows you to see that, while Cheryl may feel a bit out of place in an uber-religious community, she still loves her grandmother and considers the town her home.

Overall:

Apart from a few hitches it has in the writing department, The Wise Kids is a touching exploration of religion, friendship, and discovering who you are. As the well-written and wonderfully acted characters demonstrate, learning and evolving as a person is a lifelong process and one which can get bumpy at times. For the most part, the story is decently paced and knows how to keep you invested in the lives of its main characters. If you have the time and patience to curl up with a deliberately paced drama that aims to tug at the heartstrings, The Wise Kids goes well with a warm beverage and a relaxed summer evening.

Score: 7.5 out of 10 youth minister resumes.