On W List of Movie Reviews
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Wassup Rockers (2005)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
7/21
7/21:
There have been so many films about characters experiencing a series of misadventures during the 80's with
After Hours being the best example that I didn't think the genre had any gas
left.
Then, Larry Clark comes along to reinvent the wheel, and the result is Wassup Rockers. Of course, this is
Larry Clark we're talking about, and I braced myself for any disturbing content. Fortunately, there's not much
of it although a couple of shocking moments do occur.
What I like is it's the first time ever a group of Guatemalan and Salvadoran teenagers with no acting credentials
are cast in a leading role for an American picture. At first, I thought Wassup Rockers was going to suck,
but in time, it became interesting. The naturalistic acting is accurate in terms of how
the out-of-it teenagers behaved back then and still do today.
There's an examination of the clash between the haves and the have-nots when it comes to race, class, and culture.
It reminds me of the mods-rockers battle in Quadrophenia. The poor kids
don't seem to notice the subtle differences, but they'll suffer the consequences for their missteps. A couple
of them are cute-looking enough to pass for models, but they end up being used by rich white people as sex toys.
All in all, Larry Clark continues to be a great representative of juvenile delinquents in cinema.