Clich? pileup causes film to crash and burn
When Matt Dillon and Ben Affleck designed “Project Greenlight,” they envisioned the program as a way of allowing struggling filmmakers with original voices to bring their dream projects to the big screen. It’s a terrific concept and HBO’s documentary series “Project Greenlight,” which follows the writers and directors as they venture into the treacherous world of movie-making, provides compelling cable viewing.
Too bad “The Battle of Shaker Heights” – the second “Greenlight” release (after 2002’s “Stolen Summer”) – crashes and burns due to a pileup of cliches.
The PG-13 picture ranks as nothing more than a bland TV movie worthy of a one-night airing on TNT, not a theatrical release.
In “Shaker Heights,” talented Shia LaBeouf (“Holes) plays an angry and poor 17-year-old high school senior trying to make sense out of life and love and spending far too many hours avoiding reality as a World War II re-enactor.
He becomes smitten by his friend’s older sister (Amy Smart of “Road Trip”), is bullied by a high school jock (Billy Kay of “Halloween: Resurrection”), resents his recovering-alcoholic father (William Sadler of “The Green Mile”) and butts heads with his salt-of-the-earth mother (Kathleen Quinlan of “Apollo 13”). Where does all of this lead? Straight to every clich? in the book.
Screenwriter Erica Beeney and co-directors Efram Potelle and Kyle Rankin, who are making their filmmaking debuts thanks to Project Greenlight, obviously saw “The Battle of Shaker Heights” as a touching coming-of-age story.
Viewers, however, may see it quite differently and consider the very modest work as little more than an after-school special with less of an edge than an episode of “Touched by an Angel.”
FILM REVIEW
“The Battle of Shaker Heights”
Grade: C-
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Amy Smart, Billy Kay, Kathleen Quinlan and William Sadler; produced by Chris Moore, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon; written by Erica Beeney; directed by Efram Potelle and Kyle Rankin.
Running Time: 85 minutes.
Parental Guide: PG-13 (harsh four-letter profanity, sexual innuendo, adult themes).