Flower

Zoey Deutch has been steadily building a career as a bright comic talent and this film solidifies her place as one of the most charismatic new stars. She plays a bubbly high schooler whose up some gleeful mischief. She also has a crazy fun relationship with her mom (Katyryn Hahn). When mom's new boyfriend's son moves into their household, it changes things. The dialogue has plenty of original touches and all of the performances are interesting. Director Max Winkler (Henry's son) has created a exuberant world full of quirky teenage energy. I found this examination of a misfit teen and her mom much more enjoyable than "Lady Bird."

The bubbly, ditzy yet insanely intelligent Zoey Deutch steals the show here, as she does in just about everything she appears in. She is by far the reason to see this film. There's nobody out there quite like her. In FLOWER, she plays a high schooler (and it's good she isn't 100% convincing as being that young, considering the things that she does or happen to her), and we meet her as she is finishing a sexual act on a police officer. This is done so that a couple of her friends can secretly film what's happening in order to blackmail the cop. Purely for money. And this is an activity that she engages in frequently, and has NO qualms about performing this act on anyone. This makes her character uncomfortable to **** she "owning her sexuality" or is she deeply messed up. It's hard to say. She's clearly an intelligent and hyper-aware young lady. But she's got a messed-up relationship with her mother (Kathryn Hahn), her deadbeat father is now in prison and her mom's boyfriend (Tim Heidecker) and his fresh-out-of-rehab son are about to start co-habitating with them. Her intelligence is perhaps covering the pain. Or she could be totally in control of her emotions and her reactions. She's either very well-adjusted or very messed-up! Anyway, the blackmailing scheme takes a darker turn when Adam Scott, a former teacher, enters the picture. He could be a very bad guy, or he could be wrongfully accused. Choices are made and potential consequences are dire. The film walks the line between dark comedy and drama, not always comfortably. It wants to be silly and light-hearted at perhaps inappropriate times. It shoots for pathos that it hasn't always earned. Tonally, the film is a bit of a mess, frankly. Just like Deutch's character. She is capable of walking the line and making it all seem credible. The rest of movie isn't quite so successful. It's difficult subject matter, and perhaps it might be impossible to manage it better. I still enjoyed this a great deal. Deutch is great, and everyone else is pretty good as well. Scott does a good job, in particular. If you're looking for a quirky, squirmy, super-dark yet strangely upbeat (and pretty dirty) indie film, FLOWER would fit the bill. Who, exactly, IS looking for a film like that is a question that probably explains why the film had virtually no box office interest. It's an odd film, but I was glad to have discovered it.