Crazy/Beautiful

Director John Stockwell (distinguished credits include Breast Men) fumbles the camera in what could have been a smart teen flick but instead is a cliché-ridden Standard Hollywood Product. Kirsten Dunst stars as Nicole, a promiscuous and neglected rich brat daughter of a congressman played by Bruce Davison (the title character in '70s rat-epic Willard) who is smitten with Carlos (Jay Hernandez, presumably because Freddie Prinze Jr. was busy), an East L.A. barrio kid who is hoping to make good by attending Pacific Palisades High and getting a Naval Academy appointment. But Carlos is drawn to the troubled Nicole like a dog to its own genitals, and as a result puts his one shot at transcending poverty in serious jeopardy. What?s most disappointing about Crazy/Beautiful is that it might have been good, given the sizeable appeal of both Dunst and Hernandez. However, there are too many overused plot devices (lovers caught between two worlds, anyone?) and by the end it degenerates into trite, feel-good teen-demographic exploitation. And, due to some last-minute editing, you don?t even get to see any nude shots of Dunst (or Hernandez, for that matter). Sadly, this movie doesn?t even exploit properly.