|
|
Written and Directed by
Starring
Presented by Rated R 88 Minutes
|
 |
||
 |
||||
|
TEETH
Review
Let’s face it, in our generation, abstinence is something that very few teenagers think about, especially from males, who always seem to think not with their head, but with their, uh, head. The dangers of sex have always been the hidden element in a modern day slasher film, where unprotected sex could lead to being hacked to pieces, however with TEETH, the feature debut from writer/director Mitchell Lichtenstein, the film centers around a woman struggling with having sex while she discovers that her most private of areas has teeth of its own, and it’s not nice for those who poke. TEETH is set in what looks to be Texas, where by a nuclear reactor, young Dawn grows up with her ill mother, her stepfather, and creepy stepbrother Brad, the first to feel the effects of the teeth by biting his finger when the two were little. Now, Dawn (Jess Weixler) is a high school student and leader of a group that promotes abstinence, where she delivers speeches on how sex is bad and you should be pure until you find the one and marry them. She wears T-shirts proudly displaying this, which draws ridicule from other students. Her mother is dying, her stepfather is there for her, and her stepbrother Brad (John Hensley) has developed an affection for Dawn since her “teeth” bit him. She starts to think differently when the new kid in school, Tobey (Hale Appleman) takes a liking to her, and the two become fast friends, leading to a relationship. Once Dawn finds out what she has inside, she comes to terms with herself, her sexuality, and the men in her life. TEETH is an unusual film, a combination comedy/horror with the emphasis more on comedy, but the film has some truly horrific moments when Dawn’s vagina dentata come into play. For these scenes alone, TEETH is frightening for men who should ever think about one night stands again. What makes the film work is that although set in today’s time, for some reason the film had a 1950s feel to it, primarily due to Dawn’s proud stance on not having sex. The first act of the film sets up Dawn nicely, as well as Tobey and their relationship, but the other characters are a little undeveloped, save for Brad, who we know immediately that he has the hots for Dawn and is only using his current girlfriend to keep busy while he prepares for Dawn (the scenes are well done but seem a little out of place). It was good once Dawn learns of her toothy problem that it went in directions I didn’t see coming, and leading up to encounters with characters that are surprising. One highlight is a scene in which Dawn makes her first visit to a gynecologist which are meant with horrific while at the same time hilarious results from Dawn’s reactions. The film’s main strength is the performance of Jess Weixler as Dawn, who won a Special Jury Award for Acting at last year’s Sundance Film Festival and it’s easy to see why. This isn’t an easy role to take and Weixler succeeds on all levels: with the face of Uma Thurman and the eyes of Heather Graham, Weixler displays a combination of innocence when we are introduced to her to overt sexiness over the course of the film. She will be one to watch for sure. John Hensley of NIP/TUCK was fine as Brad, the family sleazebag who prides on being a bad boy, hence being a good villain for Dawn. What is surprising is who in the film turn out not to be the heroes they are meant to be. Hale Appleman is also good as Tobey, Dawn’s love interest who wants her but agrees with her decision to remain celibate yet struggles with showing her how much he does love her. Ashley Springer provides some great comic moments as geek Ryan, who also shows love for Dawn and offers help when Dawn’s problems spiral out of control with some very unpredictable results. The script is fine and the direction by Mitchell Lichtenstein is very solid, but one of the overall flaws of TEETH is that it packs in too many genres in its 88 minutes. Most of them work, some don’t or aren’t explained well enough. For example, drama sets in on the illness of Dawn’s mother, but the illness is never explained. Also, how Dawn and Brad became stepbrother and stepsister wasn’t explained except for an opening scene where his father just states who they are. I felt that they did take away from the main theme of the film. With that said, the comedy is very strong, with the graphic scenes both sickening but at the same time very funny, depending on the gender. Women will love it. Men will cross their legs (I did). In all, I am recommending TEETH as a solid independent film that is worth a look, mainly for Lichtenstein’s direction and Weixler’s terrific performance. It’s more of a film for women though, but for men it’s a great cautionary tale that will make them appreciate their little fellow more after seeing it. TEETH: 7 Out Of 10 Maggots CLICK HERE FOR AN INTERVIEW WITH WRITER/DIRECTOR MITCHELL LICHTENSTEIN!!! CLICK HERE FOR AN INTERVIEW WITH STAR JESS WEIXLER!!!
|
HOME
BLOGS
|
|||
