The Stream (2013)

The Stream: Directed by Estlin Feigley. With Mario Lopez, Christopher Gorham, Kelly Rutherford, Rainn Wilson. A long time ago… in the summer of 1981, a tragedy of epic proportions (a broken plastic bat) sends five friends on an epic adventure to the mall. All they have to do is follow The Stream and back.

“Iu0026#39;m probably going to hell for posting a not-so-favorable review for this well intended film, but oh well, sometimes the Dark Side prevails. u0026quot;The Streamu0026quot; is an energetic production that makes use of upcoming talent from teens of the Boys u0026amp; Girls Club of America. Acting performances were good and cinematography was surprisingly robust; however I came away feeling as flat as Obi Wan Kenobeu0026#39;s robe on the hangar deck of the Death Star.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI remember when I was a teenager in my first rock band; we got a scathing (but pretty accurate) review in our local paper, and that criticism propelled me to actually learn how to play my instrument. I never got any good at it, but at least I got better. So with that experience in mind, hereu0026#39;s my critical review of u0026quot;The Streamu0026quot;.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIf youu0026#39;ve seen u0026quot;The Wonder Yearsu0026quot;, which is itself an 80s retrospective back to the 60s u0026amp; 70s, then you canu0026#39;t help but feel like u0026quot;The Streamu0026quot; is a total rehash of that formula, set 20 years later. A narrator, now in his 40s, talks us through his childhood memories from when he was 11 years old in 1981. Our hero u0026quot;Ernestu0026quot; is mostly a nerd, with an even nerdier best friend u0026quot;Chrisu0026quot;, a pseudo love interest u0026quot;Paxtonu0026quot; whom heu0026#39;s too afraid to do anything about, a pair of nice but mostly nonexistent parents with a home in suburbia, a neighborhood bully u0026quot;Wyattu0026quot; on his tail, and a brooding attitude exactly like Kevin in u0026quot;The Wonder Yearsu0026quot;. Itu0026#39;s a good formula, but in this case the story didnu0026#39;t offer much beyond what you might expect.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eTrue, the story has a novel approach of loosely following Ernestu0026#39;s obsession with Star Wars, but itu0026#39;s a very superficial association with only vague references to certain Star Wars characters. I felt like that was a missed opportunity.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI interrupt this sagging review to mention something that was excellent: the soundtrack. Memorable yet not overplayed songs from 1981 were peppered throughout the film, songs like Billy Squier u0026quot;My Kind of Loveru0026quot;, The Go-Gos u0026quot;Our Lips Are Sealedu0026quot;, The Who u0026quot;Let My Love Open the Dooru0026quot;, America u0026quot;You Can Do Magicu0026quot;, and charming use of Joan Jett u0026quot;I Love Rock u0026#39;nu0026#39; Rollu0026quot; in the tunnel scene. In 1981 I was exactly the age of the main character, and those songs really took me right back.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnd while Iu0026#39;m praising the film I have to add that the visual presentation and scenery (mostly in the woods in Bucks County, PA… not far from where I grew up) was beautifully done with lovely, saturated greens and polished camera work, accentuating the nostalgic vibe. I read somewhere that much of the crew was made up of teens, and if thatu0026#39;s true then they outshined what many adults in the business have accomplished.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eBut… back to the Dark Side… I feel like the screenplay felt a bit contrived, with predictable plot elements and corny gags, and with a preposterous climax (the showdown between the kid and the neighborhood bully). In the end I felt a bit cheated. I should also add that Rainn Wilsonu0026#39;s participation, though Iu0026#39;ve frequently seen him top billed, was limited to a 10 second appearance and a somewhat unimpressive narration.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOne thing is for sure, though, everyone involved in this production has a promising future in film, if given a more substantial screenplay to work with. I was particularly impressed with the kid playing the younger brother u0026quot;Bobbyu0026quot; (a tag along but with a lot of spunk) as well as the comedic presence of the best friend u0026quot;Chrisu0026quot; who added a lot of color, and Iu0026#39;m not just talking about his proclivity to barf whenever he gets nervous. Come to think of it, all the actors did a great job and had a very natural rapport with each other. If any of you guys involved in filming happen to read this review, I hope it propels you to perfect your craft and come out twice as strong next time. As a footnote, I should probably mention that I never did make it as a rock star. But thanks to that scathing review of my first show, I made dang sure that my second performance was… louder.”