Alex Strangelove (2018)

Director: Craig Johnson
Stars: Daniel Doheny, Madeline Weinstein, Antonio Marziale
Runtime: 99 minutes

Synopsis: Alex's plans to lose his virginity to his girlfriend Claire go awry when he meets Elliot at a party.

• Performances: 4/10

Why? None of the characters felt genuine for me. And while they were not given the greatest of material to work with, the actors had their share of the blame as well. They approached their roles with more of a comedic approach despite the film's very real and important themes. They weren't the movie's biggest problem, but definitely not part of the solution.

• Screenplay: 2/10

Why? A missed opportunity to say the least. When I read the synopsis of the film while browsing for a movie to watch on Netflix, it immediately reminded me of the plot of "Call Me by Your Name", my favorite film of 2017. But what I got instead was a cliché, goofy film that was focusing more on being this cheesy teenage drama than actually addressing the confusing phase Alex was going through. Aside from that, the jokes didn't work for me at all, the dialogue was cringeworthy, and the characters incredibly underdeveloped and borderline unlikable. 

• Costumes/Makeup: 5/10

Why? The characters wore clothes, I guess. Not really an area where they could've shined in.

• Editing: 4/10

Why? Lots of continuity mistakes that distracted me. The movie was also filled with filler scenes that I felt were just added in to justify the film's 99 minutes runtime.

• Cinematography: 5/10

Why? Nothing special about it and pretty safe all around. But then again, this type of movie rarely ever focus on that aspect and it shouldn't come as a surprise that this one was no exception. 

• Score/Soundtrack: 4/10

Why? Mostly relied on pop songs, which I understand since pretty much all teen dramas use pop songs as their soundtracks. I was never a big fan of that trend, as I find it lazy and manipulative.

FINAL GRADE: 3/10