Clearly we tend to get the same sorts of films over and over again for a reason; they work. Then again, that doesn’t give anyone an excuse to just use and reuse at will. There has to be a balance; we need to get what we came for, but also experience something new. Well, Daydream Nation does that in a number of ways through writer-director Michael Goldbach’s script and shooting style and Kat Dennings, all of which know exactly how to satisfy our itch for a teen angst dramedy, but infuse it with a unique edge, too.
Caroline Wexler (Dennings) is not happy about relocating from the big city to a dull small town. Then again, there is quite a bit going on there from intense teen drug use to a massive local industrial fire and even a serial killer on the loose. But, no, that’s not enough for Caroline. She opts to spice things up even more by taking a class paper far too seriously and not only naming Monica Lewinsky the historical figure she most admires, but following in her footsteps by seducing her teacher, Mr. Anderson (Josh Lucas).
Seemingly madly in love, Caroline and Mr. Anderson decide they’ve got to cover their tracks with fake relationships, Mr. Anderson with the school gym teacher, Ms. Budge (Rachel Blanchard), and Caroline with an awkward and drug-loving yet honest boy named Thurston (Reece Thompson). However, for Caroline, it’s her falsified romance that might bear the most truth.
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