CS Weekly Archive > Weekend Read > 10/07/05

Just Another Weed

By M. elizabeth rivera

Dandelion

Mark Milgard, Richard Murphy, and Robb Williamson

This story of a troubled teen (Vincent Kartheiser) who takes the fall for a crime he didn't commit and comes home from juvie to find things haven't changed begs to be taken far. It isn't. In fact, it doesn't really go anywhere, and nothing ever really happens. Mason's stay in juvie is offscreen, and there's no real evidence of his struggle during incarceration or the after-effects. He simply returns, goes fishing with his dad, and everything is hunky-dory. We never get to see Mason's story, his thinking, his motivations. Instead, he simply walks around silently (and, frankly, rather boringly). There are lots of long shots of beautiful countryside, scenes of teenage partying, and Mason's quiet glances, along with adults stamped out of the standard capital-D Drama cookie cutter: angry father (Arliss Howard) and bitter, repressed mother (Mare Winningham). In these small, personal dramas, you want to be riveted to the screen, always asking, "What next?" With Dandelion, you'll be asking, "When will it end?"

Dandelion
Independent Artists
Not rated; 93 min.

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Freelance writer M. Elizabeth Rivera can be found bumming around the greater Los Angeles area, looking for great story material and general mischief.

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