Hooking Up

🎥 Synopsis

In the American comedy film Hooking UP,introduced to us is an enthralled secondary school student named Michelle (Leah Viens-Gordon). Acclaimed for her performance, she is caught trying out new hairstyles after “April” (Allyson Muñoz) catches eyes for her recent sexual encounters. As Michelle goes through this new chapter, she gets tangled up with several of her peers, leading it to get classified as a ‘coming of age’ comedy that tackles the intricacies of teenage sexuality. Besides, Colin (Jim deProphetis), April’s sibiling is struggling with his sexual identity, which adds depth to the tale.

🌟 Cast

Ryan Thompson – Corey Feldman
Michelle Jordan – Leah Viens-Gordon
April Winters – Allyson Muñoz
Dr. Jordan – Brian O’Halloran
Mr. Kimbal – Bronson Pinchot
John – Parker Croft
Colin – Jim deProphetis
Tyler – Ted Sangalis
Caroline – Alison Whitney
Jess – Jessica Howell

🖋️ Themes and Tone:

The film attempts to delve into themes of teenage exploration, peer pressure, and the quest for identity. Still, it overemphasizes irreverent humor and brash tactics, which may overshadow genuine intent. A split identity in tone- dramatic and comedic, often clashing mid-scene and jarring as this may sound leaves the audience feeling lost on where the narrative intends to lead its audience on to.

🎞️ Style and Cinematography

The low budget is apparent in ‘Hooking Up’, a film directed by VIncent Scordia because it lacks visual dynamism. There is no distinguishing style to the camerawork; furthermore, the editing decisions made highlight some of the film’s structural issues. The film’s backdrop does little to contribute to the scope of the story being told while most of the time, the scenes are bland and uninteresting.

🔥 Reception

The film has been exposed to a large number of negative reviews both from audiences as well as critics. Critics have described it as “an amateurish, pervasively unwatchable ‘comedy’” and “a shot-on-video monstrosity that is an affront to every decent and indecent raunch-com ever made.” Audience members echo theses remarks and most cite bad acting, poor humor, and a scattered plot that does not come together as major weaknesses.

📝 Conclusion

I do believe that the filmmakers intended to join the successful list of teen sex comedies, but failed miserably to execute it aptly. The film fails to provide a new twist on the coming-of-age tale by relying on stereotypes and half-baked humor. Those looking for a film with sound statements about teenage sexuality, nuanced storytelling, or an authentic comedic lens will most certainly find this film lacking.