Teenagers are bizarre creatures. Let’s face it, the awkward transition from child to adult is rife with comedy, awkward moments, and stupid, stupid decisions. It’s no wonder that it’s such a popular time in life for films. There is no being more self important than the teenager. With the world in front of them, teenagers seem to instead focus on the morose thoughts and feelings drummed up by raging hormones. Good times. The problem comes, however, when so many of these movies refuse to give the characters the respect that they deserve, turning them into nothing but sex-crazed subhumans. This is not the case with Submarine.
I have to say right here that Submarine is one of the better coming of age films that I have seen. The film focuses on oddball Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts), a quiet, awkward 15-year-old from Wales. The character is peculiar enough to demand your full attention, and when his oddities are combined with those of Jordana (Yasmin Paige) the film really shines. The director, Richard Ayoade, does a fantastic job capturing the emotions, problems, and desires of this awkward time in the human lifespan. It’s an impressive first film for Ayoade, as he not only gets great performances out of his young actors and treats the subject matter with respect, but he also brings a certain amount of style to the visuals.
Life certainly isn’t easy for Tate. We see him deal with all the usual trappings of the teenager: acting like a fool to capture the attention of the opposite sex, getting into fights, wallowing in angst, and all the other fun things we all remember about being 15. Tate also has some not so usual things to struggle with, including an odd set of parents (Sally Hawkins and Noah Taylor) and their struggling sex life. The movie really begins and ends with Oliver, though. This film belongs to him, and ultimately shines because the character is so quirky, unique, and at the end of the day immensely likable.
Looking at the DVD packaging it’s hard not to notice the enormous “Ben Stiller Presents” above the title. I find it incredibly curious. Do the marketing folks for the film believe that Ben Stiller has such an enormous fan base that such a proclamation will raise sales? Or, does Mr. Stiller himself have such an enormous ego that he insisted on having his name plastered on the packaging, in all caps? I’m certainly in no position to make judgements on the man, and he clearly had some part in bringing this delightful film to a larger audience, which is a very good thing. It just struck me as odd.
The DVD itself is fairly sparse. If you’re looking for a bevy of special features and commentary tracks, you’re going to be out of luck. There is the obligatory collection of deleted and extended scenes and a brief making-of documentary. Other than that, there’s not much. That shouldn’t detract you, though. The film itself is the star here.
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Oct 10, 2011 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
Well said, I saw Submarine two days ago as a big fan of Ayoade and really enjoyed it. I loved how introspective and overly-analytical Oliver was, and it was very funny too.