16 to Life (2009)

Number Rolled: 2

Movie Name/Year: 16 to Life (2009)

Genre: Comedy

Length: 89 minutes

Rating: NR

Director: Becky Smith

Writer: Becky Smith

Actors: Hallee Hirsh, Theresa Russell, Shiloh Fernandez, Mandy Musgrave, Jaime Gomez, Will Rothhaar, Carson Kressley, Emily Foxler, Pamela Dunlap, Nicholas Downs, Ryan Gourley, Michael Cornelison, Julie Mickelson, Ian Paul, James Serpento, Gabrielle McNally, Brendan Dunphy, Stewart Hayden Butler, Rachel Storey

Kate works at an ice cream kiosk during the summer in a small riverside town. “16 to Life” follows her throughout the day of her sixteenth birthday. She interacts with her co-workers and customers; playing matchmaker and obsessing over never having been kissing.

It sounds like your average typical coming of age story. There’s no way around that. However, for all its faults, I have to give the movie credit. There were some really original ideas in the storyline. About twenty minutes into the movie I was sure the script was one of the worst bits of obnoxious writing I’ve ever come across but, as the movie continued, I liked it more and more. Maybe the writer is just bad at beginnings, or she got to know her characters better as she wrote, but the beginning and the end are like night and day. It went from complete drivel to brilliant throughout its hour and a half duration.

To be honest, I’m not familiar with the majority of the actors portrayed. Fernandez I know from the new Evil Dead and I think I remember Rothhaar from an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Because of that, I can’t really comment on whether or not they acted as one would expect. It’s kind of nice, actually. I don’t remember the last time I went into a movie with NO expectations for any of the actors. I didn’t really have a problem with any of them either.

It was a decent romantic comedy. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the randomness that was shown.

Overall Opinion – 3/5

P.S. The Random Rating: A hard PG-13 or soft R (for sexual reference and explicit drug use)