ActuallyGlimmer
The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.
Asad Almond
A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.
Deanna
There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
rooprect
If you're drawn to this movie because of its DVD box description--something about a "scorching", "seductive", "dangerous" and "sizzling hot" drama--hmm, you might be let down. Ironically enough, if you're somewhat turned off by that sensational marketing but decide to watch it anyway, read on because there's a real treat in store.I have absolutely no clue how I ended up watching this. I'm well past my teen years, and what's more, my teen years weren't exactly something anyone would write a movie about. My high school experience was about as sizzling hot as the Brady Bunch. I didn't really want to see a bunch of stylish supermodel teenagers doing all the naughty things I wish I could've done in some alternate universe designed by Mtv.Well, almost immediately I realized that's not the angle this movie chose to take. First of all, the acting is very genuine. Not like a bunch of cool vampires who speak entirely in clever 1-liners, but the way real humans speak to each other: sometimes awkward, sometimes goofy, with very real emotion and natural language, almost as if the actors departed from the script and would ad lib their lines, jokes and reactions. So OK, I thought, real characters and believable dialogue is a major plus. I'll keep watching another 20 minutes or so. (Aside: be sure to watch the deleted scenes for some amazing, brutally honest scenes with excellent acting. Why they got cut I have no idea except that maybe "real life" type conversations are too boring for the average moviegoer?)And then the real theme of the story emerges, grabbing me hook, line, and sinker. Sure, it's about a bunch of teens who form a strange (some would say perverse) 6-way love hexagon. But really their strange arrangement is meant to be the opposite of the rampant, casual sex hookups that all the other high schoolers are trying to do. Make no mistake: this is NOT about any sort of diabolical kinky sex orgy. The director was very careful to avoid all that, as well as drugs, alcohol (ok maybe I saw 1 beer), and gratuitous profanity, because all of that would've upstaged the real point of the story.And so the central question emerges: is an exclusive 6-way love relationship morally inferior to a love life of fleeting hookups? Or more directly to the point: is it better to have a bunch of trusted friends-with-benefits, or take your chances in the whole boyfriend-girlfriend meat market? Furthermore, what happens when you fall for someone who can't understand the logic in your deviation from the norm?This is what I meant by "Chasing Amy" in my title. "Normal Adolescent Behavior" challenges the viewer by presenting a type of "abnormal" or "deviant" sexual idea that can actually make more sense than our normal human mating rituals. And, as in Chasing Amy, severe conflict arises when a deviant character and a normal character fall for each other.What I really liked about this movie is that nothing is canned. Nothing is black & white predictable, and each character undergoes dynamic changes just like we do in real life. Nobody is the designated good guy or the obligatory villain (although Kelli Garner "Billie" has a few awesome psycho scenes that would make Glenn Close shake in her boots). What we get is a very appealing, realistic and mature portrayal of relationships that could apply to anyone, not just 17-year-old high schoolers.In fact, the high school setting made this story more universal because it wasn't weighed down by the adult baggage that grownups have. Also this movie remains relatively tame, believe it or not. There is some nudity but only when necessary to convey a point, and even then the nudity is obscured or blurred.So yes, if you're looking for a scorching sizzling seductive late-nighter, you might want to look elsewhere. But if you're up for an intelligent, morally challenging exposé of love, sexuality and the bizarre mating rituals of the human species, then grab your popcorn and settle in.
wes-connors
Six "20-something" high school students have been best friends forever. Upon coming of age, they decide to avoid adolescent sexual angst by pledging to only screw around with each other. But, things get sticky for the sextet when hot Amber Tamblyn (as Wendy Bergman) gets a load of hunky new neighbor Ashton Holmes (as Sean Mayer). Should Ms. Tamblyn stay with her sex buds - Kelli Garner (as Billie), Raviv Ullman (as Price), Stephen Colletti (as Robert), Julia Garro (as Ann), and Edward Tournier (as Jonah) - or split for Sean? Surprisingly, nobody considered having Mr. Holmes join the group. This would have made the film more dynamic, and could still deal with the "one" v "multiple" partners debate. Also, Holmes could teach Ms. Garner (the only one who never broke the rules of the group) how to give a good spanking; because, as the group's unofficial leader, she really should know. The spanking scene between Tamblyn and Holmes is about as daring as the sexcapades get - although some more adventurous fun is implied to be going on.For some reason (possibly, to deceive you into thinking there is more nudity in this film), the studio decided to re-title this film "Normal Adolescent Behavior: Havoc 2" somewhere along the way to its DVD release. Be advised, "Normal Adolescent Behavior" has nothing to do with "Havoc" (2005), which was a good story derailed by some strained performances (Freddy Rodriguez was good, though).This film features a very connected Tamblyn (from "General Hospital", and the daughter of Russ Tamblyn) giving writer/director Beth Schacter an excellent lead performance. Tamblyn shows the dramatic fire of young Sally Field; hopefully, she'll have a long, successful career. And, you may recognize "Raviv Ullman" is indeed "Ricky Ullman" from "Phil of the Future", showing dramatic range of his own.Ms. Schacter works incredibly well with the cast. In probably the best-written of the secondary roles, Ms. Garner shows why she should be a more well-regarded actress. Actually, all the supporting cast members, including "Watchmen" comic reader and cookin' little brother Daryl Sabara (as Nathan), leave you wanting to see more of their film work... so, can anyone explain, after seeing him in this film, why Mr. Tournier has only ONE feature film credit? ******* Normal Adolescent Behavior (4/27/07) Beth Schacter ~ Amber Tamblyn, Ashton Holmes, Kelli Garner, Ricky Ullman
Nikki (psychopyro666-1)
I thought this movie was absolutely wonderful! Shocking, but honest. It really shows how teenagers are in our society today dealing with sexuality. And I love the uniqueness of it. Most filmmakers wouldn't dare make a movie dealing with polygamous issues but I'm certainly glad that this one did because it was great. Very clever and entertaining all the way through. And the best part was that the teens looked real, like real teenagers as opposed to mid-twenty somethings playing them. They were all relatively attractive young people but none of them were super models and I was so ecstatic about that aspect because most people DON'T look like super models. It was nice to see 'normal' people in a movie for once. I would have liked to see more of some of the other group members but they do show enough so that you can get a good idea of what type of person each of them is. There are so many little jokes tossed in there and if you are paying attention you'll notice. Its hilarious, some of their comments about things going on. The ending is unexpected...and...I admit...almost unsatisfying, BUT it makes sense and works out almost so that everyone and no one gets their way. It also is somewhat open ended, which is always nice for any movie because an audience always enjoys hypothesizing a little bit. All in all it was a great movie and I definitely recommend it! definitely recommend this movie. :)
hokiefilm
I watched this movie expecting it to be pretty good in the fashion of Dazed and Confused... something like that. It definitely was not. It took about an hour for the plot to get moving- the beginning is nothing but a compilation of scenes of a group of six friends hanging out. They're friends- we get it. Then, when the plot finally does start moving somewhere, it's slow and completely unrealistic. I was a relatively wild teenager not too long ago, but this film is just ridiculous- the group plays some sort of game where they put things in their own little box and they can take things out but have to explain to the other members of their little group why they are doing this. Also, there are rules like you always have to be honest. Oh, and they all have sex with each other. Because, you know, that fits so naturally within the poorly developed rules of the game they play. It really is just outlandishly dumb. While the story hints at a possible interesting twist at times- one of the friends turns out to be gay, but comes out in the last quarter of the movie to the main character, after which it's not mentioned again- the overall story is poorly developed and plays out unnaturally. The main character and her boyfriend are developed relatively well, but the rest of the supporting ensemble is horribly written and two-dimensional. The movie, in perfect over-the-top-attempt-at-artsy-fashion ends with a climactic outburst from the main character, yelling out all of her friends' secrets to the entire school (although, oddly enough, all of her friends seem to find this inspiring-even though she reveals things to the public about STDs and sex games-with the exception of her best friend, aka: the main villain) and then a short dialogue-less scene of the 6 friends finally becoming independent.Seriously, don't waste your time or money.
