Ten9Eight: Shoot for the Moon

The kids are magnetic.

It’s the type of film you might expect to see at a fund-raising dinner or a convention banquet, not in a commercial theater. That said, it’s a very well-made piece of boosterism.

One of the main explanations for our country’s inner-city high-school dropout rate is that public education doesn’t teach skills applicable to life outside the classroom. Director Mary Mazzio’s film, part documentary and part public-service announcement, offers a plausible alternative, which may prompt a discussion of totally revamping standard curriculum.

Spending more observational time with her smart, resilient and stirringly positive subjects -- even seeing less-edited footage of their business plan speeches -- might have helped sell her inspirational story.

If Ten9Eight brings NFTE to the attention of you, your child, or your school administrator, that’s probably all that matters.

Like "Art & Copy," Ten9Eight is blindingly slick, with a glossy visual aesthetic more rooted in music videos and commercials than cinéma vérité.

A glorified informercial, complete with enough blandly upbeat guitar-cues to power all 22 seasons of "Real World" intros.