Palo Alto: Don't Judge a Book by Its Shoddy Ratings
Katy Mundy | 7th July 2015
Photo credit: Twitter
Palo Alto is a generic tale of bored, reasonably well-off youths, facing the struggles of every poetic teen. The drama is scaled to just the right size: kids getting into trouble or imprudent situations, however, it is not overdone. Palo Alto lets us in to every parents worst nightmare, we see them in their natural habitat ,messing about with fireworks, skateboards, bullets, drugs and alcohol; trying to look a little older than they really are, while still of an age at which adults seem like a different species.
Gia Coppola proves she’s one more Coppola to watch with her latest aesthetic debut with this tale of malcontent youth, adapted from a book of short stories written by renowned actor James Franco. The star also appears as a personal favourite creepy high school soccer coach, object of desire for April (Emma Roberts).
Despite the teen-angst clichés and substance abuse, the film is unexpectedly engaging. Emma Roberts plays introverted April, the main protagonist. The schools virgin, whose mother happens to be another one of modern cinema’s dodgy vapers; her e-cigarette symbolising a spiritual void. April's vulnerability and naïve manners are a large advantage to the creepy soccer coach, Mr B (Franco). The guy April should really be with is Teddy (Kilmer), a sweet, down to earth guy and talented artist, who has the world's biggest crush on her but is himself being exploited by his aggressively insecure stoner best friend (Nat Wolff), who wants nothing more than to drag Teddy down with him into a pit of petty crime. Jack Kilmer is very open, with an attractive screen presence. He carries the film with unaffected charm.
After watching it a second time, I believe Netflix owe Coppola, and Franco, a sincere apology for it’s lousy two stars, but you know what they say right? Don’t judge a book by its shoddy ratings.