Film Review: Big Time Adolescence Is Big Time Heart
I LOVED Big Time Adolescence. It is one of the funniest films of 2020, and also one of the most nuanced pictures on what it means to “grow up.” Pete Davidson shines as “that dude” in all our blocks whose greatest moment was in high-school. Yet, before you make fun of that man’s poor life choices and even poorer influences on others, Big Time Adolescence is a heartfelt, hilarious look at how your youth doesn’t save or protect you like you think.
Written and directed by Jason Orley, Big Time Adolescence is the type of film debut we all should envy. Who can honestly say there first attempt, at anything, was smart and clean, despite our talent? From visuals to pace, Orley captivates audience’s by assuring that his characters are first and foremost, especially in the defining bond between Pete Davidson’s Zeke and Griffin Gluck’s Mo. There is never a scene where they are not either A) together B) talking about each other C) paying for the other’s choices. For Orley, his debut is a witty, wise, and oddly tragic observance over what it means to grow up, especially in a world that tethers levels of maturity to an age.
Big Time Adolescence – Red Band Trailer (Official) * A Hulu Original Film
Pete Davidson as Zeke BREAKS MY HEART! He completely envelops the screen; making the heart and sadness of Zeke palpable. He is a guy in his early twenties that has so many dreams, but he peaked, in both popularity and education, during high-school. The things that once made him look cool and rebellious as a teen, like smoking weed with friends in parking lots or driving around and blasting music to unknown parties, now, make him appear like a slacker. He looks and moves like a man who is lost; trying to survive day by day and dreaming that, one day, surviving mysteriously becomes thriving. Yet, it is not just that he makes poor choices, but he really doesn’t have many. For being a young guy, he feels old, tired, and dangerously reliant on the rose-colored view Mo has of him.
Griffin Gluck as Mo, equally, magnetizes viewers with his heart. He is the quiet, intelligent kid that is too shy for high-school’s notoriously vicious and self-absorbed “cool kids.” In some ways, that is Mo’s attraction to Zeke; he is the highschool, cool kid but 10 years later. Thus, Zeke’s pointers feel both aged and selfish…. much like Zeke. You watch Mo’s views of Zeke go from wide-eyed to narrow, which breaks your heart, in some ways, because Zeke needs a good friend, but, at 16, Mo needs better guides. Thus, if you are 25, and the only sound, stable voice in your life is a 16 year old boy with a curfew and no driver’s license….. it is time to GET IT TOGETHER! Moreover, if you are 16 and your supposed, best and only friend is your older sister’s ex boyfriend and he encourages you to become a drug dealer………….RUN!
Overall, Big Time Adolescence goes by like a breeze. It is pristine in humor, thoughtfulness, and in its cast, which includes hilarious moments with Jon Cryer as Mo’s dad and Machine Gun Kelly as Zeke’s other best friend; the latter being a surprising, but welcomed comedian to the screen. While BTA comes out in theaters March 13, it also begins streaming on Hulu on March 20. SEE BOTH!
