Rocket Science

Reviewed by:
Pete Hammond

"Smart" and "brainy" are not usually adjectives used to describe most teen comedies these days, but Rocket Science transcends the genre and is actually a bright and funny look at a group of high schoolers that anyone at any age could probably enjoy. This Sundance Film Festival award winner is a sharp, witty coming-of-age movie that is original and authentic. Inspired by his own adolescence, writer/director Jeffrey Blitz, who made the impressive 2002 Oscar-nominated spelling bee documentary Spellbound, now explores the world of high school debate teams, centering around young Hal Hefner (Reece Thompson), a hopelessly complicated kid whose incessant stuttering problem keeps getting in his way. When he becomes smitten with a star debater (Anna Kendrick) after she inexplicably approaches him about becoming her partner on the team, he proceeds to embarrass himself by trying to succeed in an endeavor that isn't his strong suit, to say the least. When she dumps him, the still-lovelorn Hal seeks the advice and help of a former debate team superstar (Nicholas D'Agosto) who dropped out of school after a disastrous performance in the state championships. The two outsiders proceed to try and make love-struck Hefner an unlikely star in his own right. Adding to all these problems are various parental and adult figures who are more messed up than their kids! According to this offbeat charmer of a movie, which is loaded with great characters, relationships and figuring out a simple way to deal with life doesn't have to be "rocket science." There should be no debate that this little gem deserves to be as big a hit as it was at Sundance.