'The Diary of a Teenage Girl': The way it treats risqu茅 material is a cop-out
Based on the popular semi-graphic 2002 novel by Phoebe Gloeckner and written and聽directed by first-timer Marielle Heller, 鈥淭he Diary of a Teenage Girl鈥� is聽the kind of movie that seems a lot more adventuresome than it is. Set in聽1976 in bohemian San Francisco, it鈥檚 about 15-year-old Minnie (frisky Bel Powley,聽whose big-eyed doeishness is constantly served up for us in close-up), a聽teenage high-schooler who lives with her younger sister and single mom,聽Charlotte (Kristen Wiig) and obsesses about sex. Monroe (Alexander聽Skarsgard), her mom鈥檚 sexy, 35-year-old layabout boyfriend, soon obliges, and they聽carry on an affair free of any real guilt or remorse. Inevitably Charlotte聽finds out, but since this is the '70s and San Francisco, we鈥檙e聽supposed to think it鈥檚 all going to come out all right. Maybe it鈥檚 even聽groovy.聽
The film鈥檚 (apparent) novelty 鈥� the reason it received raves at Sundance聽鈥� is most likely because Heller doesn鈥檛 take an obviously moralistic聽approach to this material. Minnie鈥檚 sexual longings are intended to be聽more 鈥渞eal鈥� than what Hollywood has doling out for years. But treating聽risqu茅聽material in this way isn鈥檛 a push toward a greater realism. It鈥檚 more聽like a cop-out.
Are we supposed to think that just because Minnie is a budding bohemian,聽her behavior gets a free pass? Or Monroe鈥檚? Any psychological damage聽she might face, or cause others, is blithely played down in favor of a free-floating air of pseudohipness. The film seems to be taking place in a聽neverland where, for example, Monroe goes out for a beer in a bar with聽the underage Minnie and nobody, least of all the bartender, blinks an eye.聽The supposedly caring Charlotte seems much more upset by the fact that her daughter stole her boyfriend than she is with how all this will affect Minnie.
It鈥檚 not that this material is, or should be, off limits in a movie. But聽鈥淭he Diary of a Teenage Girl鈥� isn鈥檛 exactly 鈥淟olita.鈥� Heller must think聽that taking a moral stance is tantamount to selling out. Commercially, she聽may be right. In every other respect, she鈥檚 wrong. Grade:聽C (Rated R for strong sexual content including dialogue, graphic nudity, drug use, language and drinking, all involving teens.)
