a5c7b9f00b A teenage special ops agent coveting a "normal" adolescence fakes her own death and enrolls in a suburban high school. She quickly learns that surviving the treacherous waters of high school is more challenging than international espionage. Agent 83 (Hailee Steinfield) a trained assasin, is on a mission and notices that she's missing the teenage world. When on another mission to catch one of the most notorious criminals of all and finds a way to get out of being an assassin she takes it and finds out that being a girl in high school isn't as fun or exciting as she first thought. The idea behind Barely Lethal is that the government has some sort of top secret program that adopts orphan girls and trains them to be ninja-like assassins. Sounds a bit like Spy Kids and at least the first Spy Kids film was good. So, I went into watching this film with relatively high expectations–especially when it's billed as a comedy. Plus the boss is played by Samuel L. Jackson…and everyone loves Samuel L. Jackson, right?<br/><br/>There is trouble brewing at this secret agency. Megan (Hailee Steinfeld) is a great little killer but secretly she harbors a dream to be a normal teenage girl. When it looks like she's been killed on a mission she decides to use this opportunity to disappear and reinvent herself as a high school student so that she can experience a normal life. So why did the film utterly fail for me? Well, the film appeared to be a comedy but almost never made me laugh. A HUGE infusion of humor really would have helped. It was at times just too serious. Additionally, the film much like any teen film–with the same clichés (such as the nerdy but nice guy she meets but ignores until she finally realizes he's dreamy…just like I saw in The Duff and several other teen films) and same inappropriate content (such as the hilarious notion of calling one of the characters 'Rape-it Ralph'–which is about as funny as jokes about pedophilia or cancer). The bottom line is that the film started off with nice credits, an interesting premise and then it just went nowhere for me. In the film's defense, I am not exactly the target audience but shouldn't any audience deserve a bit better than a by the numbers teen film that promises to be different but really, down deep, isn't? Plus…Rape-it Ralph?!?!<br/><br/>If you care, the film was just released on DVD this week to Netflix but I think you could do so much better, such as the great OLD teen movie Better Off Dead…now THAT is a funny and original teen movie! An Intriguing Premise that is Done In by it's Own Failings, seemingly Oblivious that the Lightweight Tone is Undermining both the Teen Angst and Secret School Intertwining Plot. <br/><br/>The Action Stuff is so Anemic as to be Forgotten just after it happens and the Teen Comedy bits lack anything but Clichéd Clumsiness. A Familiar Cast is Beckoning One to Watch but the Talent on Screen is Disappointing.<br/><br/>Hailee Steinfeld does OK and Her Gravitas as an Actress are Confirmed. The others are just there for the Paycheck or so it seems. The Film will most likely Appeal to an Age Demographic about a Half Decade Younger than its Target Audience, Because the whole Thing is Immature and Generic and only truly Digestible by Innocents.<br/><br/>The Film cannot be called Bad, because it isn't. But should Neither be given Credit for anything beyond Competent. The Movie Lacks Wit, and there is a Stock bunch of Characters that do Nothing to make this Movie Their Own.<br/><br/>Overall, a Thin, Non-Threatening bit of Fluff and will be Embraced by Parents because of its Nice and Normal Display of a World where even Brainwashed Youth Assassins can Exist Comfortably Beside the Girl Next Door. While Barely Lethal is conscious of the clichés of the genre, it’s also the type of film that won’t let that get in the way of regurgitating them.
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365 weeks ago