"Smooth Talk" is a strange, languid coming-of-age movie that makes a surprising shift into thriller territory toward the end.
It's about a young girl, played by Laura Dern, who has a strained relationship with her mother. She lies to her about where she is going so that she can go hang out with her friends. She flirts with boys, and some of these encounters are harmless and fun. Others are threatening.
At a party she meets a strange man in passing who tells her he is watching. We don't know how she feels about this, but if the encounter is expected to generate suspense, it doesn't. You might not even notice.
Later, the guy (played by Treat Williams) shows up, acting like a refugee from a generic thriller. The scene isn't scary, but the characters talk for so long that you don't know if it's supposed to be. Wouldn't she be scared to the point of ending the conversation?
The thriller aspect is handled so negligibly that you are left only with the teen girl angst stuff, which is also just not that interesting or convincing.
It's about a young girl, played by Laura Dern, who has a strained relationship with her mother. She lies to her about where she is going so that she can go hang out with her friends. She flirts with boys, and some of these encounters are harmless and fun. Others are threatening.
At a party she meets a strange man in passing who tells her he is watching. We don't know how she feels about this, but if the encounter is expected to generate suspense, it doesn't. You might not even notice.
Later, the guy (played by Treat Williams) shows up, acting like a refugee from a generic thriller. The scene isn't scary, but the characters talk for so long that you don't know if it's supposed to be. Wouldn't she be scared to the point of ending the conversation?
The thriller aspect is handled so negligibly that you are left only with the teen girl angst stuff, which is also just not that interesting or convincing.