Stream it now Rocket Science 2007

 

A rather silly, but acute and charming observation of teenage nerdiness, Rocket Science could be interpreted as a lightweight imitation of the similarly themed titles like Rushmore, Election, The Squid & The Whale, The Royal Tenembaums and Napoleon Dynamite. Though it's attempts at imitating the quirkiness of these contemporaries sometimes feels contrived, the combination of smart dialogue and a colourful ensemble cast succeeds in delivering a genuinely insightful and affectingly funny indie comedy.

A great film. I had never once hear of this film (As many) and after watching it once with a friend who consistanly was pushing me to watch it, i fell in love with it. The plot is fun and enjoyable to watch, its performances were really good and story was even better. I would recomend this movie to anyone craving a good laugh,lovestory, or just overall great film. A must see

SPOILER ALERT. i chanced upon this movie at my local rental store, and what a great find it was. although there are some strange/unexplained elements in this movie, for instance i really cant fully place the reason for the omniscient narrator or why the character ben completely looses it at the debate. However, aside from these very small oddities, the movie handles itself very well. there are elements all of the characters that we can relate to, shyness/reservations, high aspirations or complacency. the ending of this movie is also especially poignant, it's not the typical clich

I never had even heard of this movie, seen the trailer, or noticed any of the actors and actresses when I first saw this. This is an offbeat comedy movie about high school debating and in a way I think it has something to do with pushing yourself and accomplishing things in life you never thought you could do.

Oh god I can't believe I never saw this movie.I just saw it today.The characters are played nicely and everone seems to have their own book like characteristics.The quiet but outspoken main character,the neat freak brother,and that ex girlfriend.Ugh how I despised her.Just kidding.Its such a well written story and noone in this seems to feel like a cheesy actor.Good music,great story,genuine performance of actors,and all together a genius of a movie.

I absolutely loved this movie. It's on par with Little Miss Sunshine with it's heartfelt quirkiness. I also loved how realistic it was, how it stayed as far away from cliches as possible.

Thompson and Kendrick are absolutely fantastic supported by equally impressive performances from the rest. Blitz gives you consistent laughs coupled with an endearing story.

Rocket Science, fueled by genuine performances from a laundry list of B-list actors and actresses, reaches both the heart and the mind. A comedy that is filled with the drama that comes from being an adolescent trying to fit in, whether it be in school, at home, or his own skin. The soundtrack sets the scenes perfectly as Hal Hefner discovers, little by little, just what life is all about.

Protagonist Hal Hefner is a very unlikely pic, but the way the movie unfolds, the director makes you care emensly for Hal, and the end is how real life usually works out, not hollywood.

Back in 2003, director Jeffrey Blitz (along with co-director Sean Welch) brought to the world the documentary Spellbound, which followed a group of kids through the National Spelling Bee. To those who don't participate in or follow the event, myself included, spelling bees aren't something you'd expect to find yourself absorbed in, but Spellbound managed to make a topic that I don't care much for into something that was completely riveting. I wonder if with that film, Blitz drew an inspirations for his characters in his scripted feature debut Rocket Science?

Rocket Science has "indie flick" written all over it. It centers around a quirky character, (a stuttering teenage boy named Hal Hefner, played by Reece Thompson) who themselves is surrounded by all sorts of odd individuals. And the film has its characters taking part in an activity that wouldn't appear to make for good entertainment; a high school debate. And the film manages to make everything completely charming and funny in all the right ways.

Great casting choice with Reece Thompson. Usually when films have a character that stutters, it is either used in a mean way (mostly for laughs), or the stutter doesn't come off as real. But Thompson was fantastic with the stutter and very convincing, and managed to turn it into something so much more than just a plot tool. In a way, his stutter is an overly exaggerated expression of the awkwardness that happens when we first start to notice people in that special way, and try to chat them up. We don't always find the right words to say, but it must be even worst when you can barely even get anything out of your mouth. Thompson was pitch perfect at all of this, and always a blast to watch.

Anna Kendrick was really good as Ginny, the object of Hal's affection. I guess you could say that Blitz' screenplay is mean-spirited, but I like how all of this nastiness is used in the end. Ginny could be such a simple character, one that you either really like or absolutely hate, and that would be fine. But Blitz develops her nicely, resulting in one of the most heartbreaking, and rewarding, outcomes. And Kendrick was awesome through the thick of it.

Also great was Nicholas D'Agosto as Ben Wekselbaum, former debate partner to Ginny who choked at a major debate and soon after dropped out of school. I liked that Wekselbaum becomes the mentor to Hal, and I enjoyed seeing them on screen together. I know that D'Agosto isn't heralded as a great actor, but I like him a lot as an actor. Sure, he has done a lot of crap in his career, but I feel he has good screen presence. And both he and Thompson clicked wonderfully together in the film.

I like the title of Rocket Science, and feel it's a very cleaver choice. You know the proclamation made to anything that shouldn't be difficult, "This isn't rocket science!" But sometimes, something that you wouldn't think is as complicated as rocket science, in this case love and understanding human beings, is still just as hard to understand. Blitz has made a nice, if a bit mean, little flick here with Rocket Science.