3.5 stars. Rated PG-13, for dangerous and risky behavior, sexual candor, violence, profanity, drug content and fleeting nudity, all involving teens
By Derrick Bang
Numerous psychological studies —
most famously Stanley Milgram’s electro-shock obedience experiments, and Jane
Elliott’s “Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes” exercise — have demonstrated the malleability
of human judgment, particularly when peer pressure is involved.
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| Having heard once too often that she's timid and unwilling to do anything wild and impetuous, Vee (Emma Roberts) impulsively signs up for an Internet social media game: as a "player" who, during the course of a single evening, will be challenged by a series of increasingly dangerous "dares." |
Or, to put it more bluntly,
Common sense ... isn’t.
Novelist Jeanne Ryan tapped into
that vibe, and quite shrewdly, with her 2012 young adult novel Nerve. Co-directors Henry Joost and
Ariel Schulman have turned the book into a thoughtful, absorbing and quite
suspenseful little thriller. Jessica Sharzer’s script is spot-on, and the young
stars are well cast. The result is one of the summer’s delightful surprises: a
modest suspenser that also functions as a troubling cautionary tale.
Because, quite frankly, the
premise feels all too probable. As Ryan notes, on her web site, “I write young
adult stories that could take place
next week — but let’s hope they don’t.”
Joost and Schulman mount their
film cleverly, utilizing cutting-edge personal tech and on-screen graphics in a
way that supports the narrative without calling too much attention to itself.
Unlike so many of today’s “found footage” efforts, where the story runs a poor
second to the technique, the various gimmicks here — CGI overlays, instant
message “balloons,” visualized smart phone apps and more — feel necessary.
Best of all, the co-directors
understand pacing. With a skilled assist from editors Madeleine Gavin and Jeff
McEvoy, they briskly set up the premise, kick it into gear, ratchet up the
suspense, and build to a stylish finale, all in an economical 96 minutes. It’s
refreshing to see filmmakers who know when to get off the stage.
Shy, straight-arrow Staten Island
high school senior Vee Delmonico (Emma Roberts) forever stands in the shadow of
her outgoing, aggressively slutty best friend Sydney (Emily Meade). The latter
is a school legend, always accompanied by an entourage led by Liv (Kimiko
Glenn), who functions as Sydney’s de
facto press agent.
Every waking moment of these
teens’ lives is monitored and motivated by an imprudent desire to enhance the
15 minutes of faux fame seemingly promised by Facebook, Tinder, Instagram and
their ilk. It’s a drug that requires ever-greater fixes: an addiction that Vee
has managed to resist, thanks to the support of longtime best friend Tommy
(Miles Heizer), who seems to understand the dangerous side effects of public
recklessness.
But that’s of little consolation
to Vee, who also chafes under the suffocating embrace of her mother, Nancy
(Juliette Lewis). Mom has cause: Just a few years earlier, Vee’s older brother
was killed tragically. As a result, Nancy expects her sole remaining child to
continuing living at home while attending a local college, whereas Vee — of
course — has her heart set on a distant arts school, where she could nurture
her talents as a photographer.
(Sharzer’s script is good, but
not perfect. Details regarding Vee’s brother’s death remain undisclosed, as
does any information about her absent father. These lapses aren’t crippling,
but they are noticeable.)
