I have no idea if some stand-up comedian has already touched on this bit of wit, but I wonder what phrases people said about easy to comprehend or accomplish tasks before the advent of jet propulsion or cranial operations. After all, they couldn't use the introductory term, "It doesn't take a brain surgeon/rocket scientist..." when such vocations didn't yet exist. Maybe that's where the caveman slogan used by a certain auto insurer originated.
Whatever the case, it -- shock of all shocks -- doesn't take a rocket scientist to recognize that movies about teens cover the gamut of movie genres. Some are straight dramas, others are comedies (of any number of varities), and the rest are some mixture of the two. The most interesting of the latter are the ones about outsiders, especially if they're done in an introspective and intelligent fashion.
"Rocket Science" is one such film, but that probably shouldn't come as much of a surprise considering that its director last helmed the acclaimed spelling bee documentary, "Spellbound." However, rather than having kids getting up in front of others and having to compete in a national spelling bee, the filmmaker has created a fictional look at a related subject, high school debating.
The difference this time -- and from whence much of the comedy and drama arises -- is that rather than showing highly proficient contestants at or near the top of their game, the protagonist here suffers from a bad case of stuttering. While that might come off as a rather cruel indictment of a speech impediment or an uplifting tale of a young man overcoming such a vocal impairment, writer/director Jeffrey Blitz takes something of a hybrid, bittersweet approach.
That would seem somewhat fitting considering that the filmmaker is working from something of a loose autobiographical basis. According to the film's press kit, Blitz suffered from stuttering in school and managed to overcome that by, you guessed it, joining and eventually becoming the captain of his school's debate team.
Playing the loose version of the director is Reece Daniel Thompson, but rather than his character deciding on the debate team as the solution to his problem, the confident and smart but ultimately self-centered high schooler played by Anna Kendrick picks him as her protégé. That and the fact that she's pretty means the amusingly named Hal Hefner's life has taken a dual-edged turn for the better.
Yet, and is often the case in such matters of the love-is-blind, teenage heart, he misinterprets her intentions, and is thus crushed when she unexpectedly transfer to another high school to further her ambitious plans. While also having to deal with his older, kleptomaniac brother who's always putting him down, and their divorced mom with her new boyfriend, Hal tries to overcome his stuttering if only to show Ginny she was wrong for dumping him, both from a debate team and romantic (in his eyes) standpoint.
Quirky but not to the point of being cloying, and featuring a fun and eclectic soundtrack, as well as an occasional narrator who sounds like someone trying to channel Alec Baldwin's voice (but is really that of Dan Cashman), the effort is one of those intelligent, charming and offbeat dramedies that often become hits with the art-house crowd that craves and loves such "indie" fair.
Beyond that directorial flair and smart dialogue, the film also works because of the spot-on performances. Thompson and Kendrick are near-perfect in their respective roles, and bring enough nuances to them to avoid the usual stereotypical trappings of such characters. Vincent Piazza is also good as the brother who has his own issues and constantly puts down his brother, but obviously loves him deep down, while Nicholas D'Agosto is engaging as a burned out debater who reluctantly returns to the field. Others, minor character performances are also quite good.
While probably not likely to have mass appeal, especially to audiences that like easy and dumbed-down humor and/or cookie-cutter plot trajectories and outcomes, the film is something of a find for those desiring a smart and unconventional dramedy look at the teen experience. "Rocket Science" rates as a 6.5 out of 10.
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