DETENTION
Directed by Joseph Kahn
Written by Joseph Kahn and Mark Palermo
Starring: Josh Hutcherson, Shanley Caswell, Dane Cook
I have no idea what I just watched… I also don’t think I
hated it.
This review is going to require some soul searching. I’m not
even sure I can describe what Detention
is without sounding like a lunatic off his meds. There are practically seventeen
plots in this film (blink and you might miss one), all contrived, all genre
specific, and all done with tongue firmly imbedded in cheek. Does that mean
it’s a satire? Umm, I think so…
I’m not entirely sure because even though it’s absolutely a
satire, it’s earnestly put together with style and an ADD approach to pace. I
don’t even know if that makes sense.
Let me start over...
Detention, written
and directed by Joseph Kahn (co-written by Mark Palermo ), is the story of
Riley and Clapton, two high school seniors on opposite ends of the social
strata. Clapton Davis (Josh Hutcherson) is inexplicably the coolest kid at
Grizzly Lake High School, sporting neon yellow aviator sunglasses and
skateboarding in the halls. Riley Jones (Shanley Caswell) is a
sometimes-suicidal, overalls-wearing, vegetarian feminist who is just looking
for another cause to get behind. Already, our heroes are obvious amalgams of
every teen movie stereotype. What’s oddly refreshing is that everyone behind
and in front of the camera is aware and comments on it directly.
Alright, so there’s this movie within the movie about a
deformed prom queen killer called Cinderhella.
The sequel is about to come out and there’s this real killer who is knocking
off the students of Grizzly Lake by wearing a Cinderhella mask. *coughcoughScreamcough*
So that’s happening.
There’s also some students that are way too informed about
1992 pop culture which may or may not have to do with mind-swapping, time
traveling bears, aliens, and wishing on shooting stars. Did I mention the kid
with a TV for a hand and fly blood in his veins? Or the Patrick Swayze versus
Steven Segal debacle? Oh, and Dane Cook is the principal. Ugh, my head hurts-
but in a good way, like an ice cream headache.
Just as interesting as the movie is the story of its
inception. Joseph Kahn, a prolific music video director in the early 2000s made
quite the splash with his feature directorial debut, Torque (2004). Torque is
the story of crotch-rocket daredevils doing things on bikes and there are bad
guys and lots of quick cut editing. Universally panned, it was a financial
failure and the butt of many jokes. Torque
represented the end of that MTV era of film-making with whip-fast cameras and
excessive CGI stuntmen (or did it, Fast
& Furious Part 12!?)
After the epic failure of Torque (personally, it’s the kind of movie that is what it is and I
don’t mind it), Kahn wasn’t particularly a hot commodity anymore. He stood by
the film because he delivered what he wanted to, an over the top movie. People
just didn’t get it (including the studio that promoted it). Facing the
possibility of never getting the opportunity to make another movie, he decided
to write/fund/produce/direct one himself. Because this new endeavor was a labor
of love and may be a one-time thing, he threw reservations out the window and
included every genre under the sun. What resulted is a high energy,
schizophrenic, action packed, post-modern, science fiction, fever dream of a
high school comedy called Detention.
Immediately upon it ending, I was taken aback and didn’t
feel any affection for it. I think I liked it. Since that first viewing four
days ago, I’ve revisited the movie three times (once just to watch the last
half hour). I think I like it. I think I like it a lot. It’s so bad it’s good,
but so good you don’t think it’s very good at first. But, it sticks with you.
It’s like witnessing something with incredible speed. In the moment, your brain
can barely process it. Upon reflection, your mind begins to fill in the gaps
and flesh out the chain of events. Yeah… that probably sums it up the best.
I optimistically recommend Detention with the pessimism in mind that not everyone will take
away from it what I did. I was able to appreciate the controlled chaos on
screen where nothing was sacred. Not everyone’s brain is wired the same, which
is fine. Movies are subjective… that’s why you’re reading a review.
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