Comically quirky (but not too much so), director Azazel Jacobs's “Terri” is a sweetly heartfelt dramedy centered around eccentric-yet-genuine misfits.
Granted, writer Patrick Dewitt's screenplay eventually finds itself as misguided as the adolescent characters which it is about; but thanks to his inclusion of several aptly atypical details, Jacobs's affectionate approach and the organically likeable personality that comes through star Jacob Wysocki's acting, “Terri” triumphs.
Jacob Wysocki plays the titular character, an oversized teen misfit who, having been abandoned by his parents to an ailing uncle (Creed Bratton), is mercilessly teased by his peers and garners even more unwanted attention from school authorities by coming to school still wearing pajamas – when he decides to show up at all.
Resigned to his outsider status, Terri is surprised when his loquacious but well-meaning vice principal Mr. Fitzgerald (John C. Reilly) reaches out to him. Although Mr. Fitzgerald's efforts are sometimes clumsy and occasionally dubiously professional, he genuinely wants to help Terri through this tough time.
The experience encourages Terri to befriends a pair of fellow misfits – Chad (Bridger Zadina), an edgy loner whose rebellion masks his own insecurities, and Heather (Olivia Crocicchia), a sexually precocious girl whose beauty proves to be a trap of its own. The trio of outcasts find an unexpected, imperfect bond that reflects the adolescent experience.
Despite handling Terri's story with near perfection for the film's first hour, Dewitt eventually takes “Terri” in an awkward direction in an effort to show the strength of that aforementioned bond. The last 30 minutes of the movie shine a spotlight on the imperfections that were in fact there all along, lurking in the shadows of quirkiness.
A lack of structure leaves “Terri” qualifying as more of a character study than a straight-forward story. The problem with this is that it makes the movie only as good as its weakest character. At first, Zadina's Chad is an interesting – if not creepy – character. However, as Dewitt draws closer to Chad, he becomes annoying, inhibiting intimacy between the other characters.
On the other hand, the creative irregularities that make up “Terri's” universe are worth the price of admission in and of themselves. Moreover, Wysocki gives a wonderful performance while Crocicchia is as alluring as she is talented. And there is no getting around the fact that Jacobs's unaffected approach to the coming-of-age genre is refreshing, to say the least.
“Terri” (R – 105 minutes) is now playing exclusively at Harkins Camelview 5. Visit FirstLook.com for specific showtimes.
Listen to Joseph J. Airdo's “Movie Maverick” radio segment, every Friday morning at 9:30 a.m. during “The Daily Blender with Jeffry O'Brien” on KBSZ - NBC 1260 AM and 96.1 FM.
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