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DVD review: What Goes Up
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Hilary Duff is about to eat Steve Coogan's head.
The year is 1986, and the Challenger space shuttle is set for its tragic take-off. Down and out reporter Campbell Babbitt is sent to cover New Hampshire local hero and high school teacher Christa McAuliffe, one of the astronauts chosen to board the Challenger. Coincidentally, Campbell's good friend from college - Sam Calallucci, a once almost-priest - has died under mysterious circumstances shortly before Campbell's arrival. Sam had scrapped the idea of priesthood in favor of teaching a group of high school misfits, or "unteachables" as they are called. The story that follows centers on these outcasts as they come to terms with the loss of the teacher whom they loved dearly, while seeking a kindred spirit in Campbell.
Olivia Thirlby makes Robert Smith seem jovial.
Campbell is struggling with his own unfortunate mishaps, including a falsified journalistic endeavor and a resulting ill-fated love affair with one of his subjects. But the real struggles here lie within the unteachables, a group of sexually charged outcasts led by the beautiful Lucy (played unusually well here by Hilary Duff). Lucy was in love with Sam, and everyone knew it, especially Tess (Olivia Thirlby, an actress who has yet to disappoint), who has her own dark reasons to be overprotective of a young girl's torrid relationship with an older man. The world of the unteachables seems to revolve around Lucy at every turn, a characteristic that typically garners a general dislike, but her character is so sweet and confused, that one can only feel for the girl (note: not "feel up" the girl), especially when her love interests turn to Campbell.
Josh Peck's lonely and perverted Jim is a small but effective part. He dresses older than his age and tries to emulate adult language with his bumbling teenage mannerisms and overage of hormones. Jim is in love with Lucy (who isn't), and while this story line seems to drift slowly before taking a sharp turn and disappearing from the screen, it was a nuanced character development that could've been expanded upon.
Tess is easily the greatest underused character in this film. Olivia Thirlby skews darker here than she has in previous efforts, and it works. If Tess were the lead misfit, this film might have been a little stronger. Her story is sad, yet intriguing, to say the least. It's as if Allison from The Breakfast Club shed all of her dandruff and childlike charm for a few Cure records and sharp wit. Tess's story should have been more front and center here; however, with the quirky-cum-melancholy feel of the film, the dark ballad of Tess could never be told.
What Goes Up is filled with a myriad of sub-plots, including Sam's widowed (?) fiancee played aptly by Molly Shannon. The most amusing sub-plot involves Peggy, a wheelchair-bound teen with a curiosity about sex, who decides to give her cookies to the pathological liar of the class, Fenster. This makes for some comical moments.
Overlooking some character development issues and a bad case of overloading on small sub-plots, What Goes Up has a shining quirky quality with brave choices in editing, and a soundtrack reminiscent of Sofia Coppola and Gregg Araki films. In fact, What Goes Up seems to be a bastard child of these two filmmakers. Where Gregg Araki tends to be too pointless and head-scratchingly surreal, and Coppola tends to be too "every day", Jonathan Glatzer finds a middle ground. Unfortunately, the middle ground just isn't enough. The film is a nice slice of life with no real resolution, working in places where others have failed, and failing in places where others have succeeded. With a little more honing of his craft, Glatzer could easily have a career among other indie darlings.
What Goes Up (2009)
Rated: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Indie
Formats: DVD
Running time: 107 minutes
Starring: Steve Coogan (Campbell Babbitt), Hilary Duff (Lucy), Olivia Thirlby (Tess), Josh Peck (Jim)
Written by: Jonathan Glatzer, Robert Lawson
Directed by: Jonathan Glatzer
You can rent this at Netflix, or buy it from Amazon.
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