This film follows the actions of a group of teenagers who take it on themselves to deal with the behaviour of a school yard bully. They plan to play a prank on him that will make him pay for his bullying behaviour, but everything starts to go wrong right from the start.
The actor that plays the role of the bully (Josh Peck) does an excellent job in the role. Initially he is your typical unlike able bully, but as we get to know him he begins to grow on you and you begin to feel sorry for him, however it does not take long to return to not liking him as the actor does an excellent job of portraying a believable bully. The character has a number of facets that it would have been interesting to explore further, but that would have deleted from the intent of the movie. If we ever saw a portrayal of this character at 30-40 years old, I am sure we would be seeing the typical wife beater type.
The second actor of particular note in this film is Carly Schroeder, who plays the girl friend of the boy receiving the bullying that lead to the prank. Carly's character is along for the ride, and does not initially know what the plan is. In the additional features section of the DVD, Carly refers to her character as the conscience of the film, which is a good way of putting it. She initially encourages almost everyone to back off from the prank, however, things are not that easy and things eventually turn bad. Carly plays a very believable role, and displays a great degree of promise as a young actor (keep an eye out for this one in future productions).
There have been references to Deliverance when discussing this film, and in the context that they are on a river and a tragedy occurs, they are right, but that is about where it ends, there is far more substance to this film as it addresses the issues of bullying, pranks, and adolescent behaviours.
Finally if that is not enough to make the film worth the watching, there is a also the cinematography. The prank takes place on a river teaming with wildlife, and beautiful scenery. The use of these elements is done through normal camera action as well as through the use of film taken through the camera of Josh Peck's character. If only we all had a river like this near our homes.
Well worth watching, and well worth keeping track of the careers of Josh Peck and Carly Schroeder.
The actor that plays the role of the bully (Josh Peck) does an excellent job in the role. Initially he is your typical unlike able bully, but as we get to know him he begins to grow on you and you begin to feel sorry for him, however it does not take long to return to not liking him as the actor does an excellent job of portraying a believable bully. The character has a number of facets that it would have been interesting to explore further, but that would have deleted from the intent of the movie. If we ever saw a portrayal of this character at 30-40 years old, I am sure we would be seeing the typical wife beater type.
The second actor of particular note in this film is Carly Schroeder, who plays the girl friend of the boy receiving the bullying that lead to the prank. Carly's character is along for the ride, and does not initially know what the plan is. In the additional features section of the DVD, Carly refers to her character as the conscience of the film, which is a good way of putting it. She initially encourages almost everyone to back off from the prank, however, things are not that easy and things eventually turn bad. Carly plays a very believable role, and displays a great degree of promise as a young actor (keep an eye out for this one in future productions).
There have been references to Deliverance when discussing this film, and in the context that they are on a river and a tragedy occurs, they are right, but that is about where it ends, there is far more substance to this film as it addresses the issues of bullying, pranks, and adolescent behaviours.
Finally if that is not enough to make the film worth the watching, there is a also the cinematography. The prank takes place on a river teaming with wildlife, and beautiful scenery. The use of these elements is done through normal camera action as well as through the use of film taken through the camera of Josh Peck's character. If only we all had a river like this near our homes.
Well worth watching, and well worth keeping track of the careers of Josh Peck and Carly Schroeder.
