small time (FILM REVIEW)
small time
Film Review
by Kam Williams
H.S. Grad Considers Skipping College to Sell Used Cars in Fact-Based Father-Son
Saga
Although Freddy Klein (Devon
Bostick) is about to finish high school, he still hasn’t decided whether to
attend college in the fall. That’s because he’s considering taking a job as a
salesman on his father’s (Christopher Meloni) used car lot.
The very
idea of it frustrates Freddy’s mother (Bridget Moynahan) to no end, since she
divorced Al years ago for being such a slippery character and poor provider. For
that reason, she raised her son without her ex’s involvement.
Consequently,
she’s dismayed at the prospect of his serving as a role model upon belatedly
coming back into the picture on graduation day. Predictably-unreliable Al even proceeds
to screw up that occasion, arriving with his girlfriend (Garcelle Beauvais) too
late to see his son walk across the stage. Nevertheless, Freddy opts to work and
live with his long-estranged
dad, an ill-advised decision which prompts his mom to warn, “I will hang
myself, if he ends up like you.”
This is the
intriguing point of departure of small time, a compelling, coming of age tale ostensibly
inspired by a true story. The movie marks the directorial debut of veteran
scriptwriter Joel Surnow, who is best known for the Emmy-winning TV series
“24.”
Putting a
unique spin on the “last summer before college” genre, the film revolves around
a father-son bonding opportunity as opposed to the familiar escapist theme of
hedonistic teens nostalgically reminiscing while bidding each other farewell in
wanton fashion. Instead, we have Al and his partner (Dean Norris) showing
Freddy the slimy tricks of the trade as the kid immediately takes to the sleazy
profession like a fish to water.
Of course, this development is not
lost on his worried mom who hates seeing her son emulating those slippery con
artists. Ultimately, it all boils down to whether Freddy will continue down
this checkered path or wise up and start school in September?
A refreshingly-realistic,
slice-of-life drama highlighting the plight of a teen with a hole in his soul who’s
understandably torn between moving on with his life and making up for lost
time.
Very Good
(3 stars)
Rated R for sexual
references.
Running time: 95 minutes
Distributor: Anchor Bay
Films/Freestyle Releasing
To see a trailer for
small time, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hurvmhuwa1k
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