Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		2.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

Dare Blu-ray Movie Review

An acute love triangle that’s too slim for its own good.

Reviewed by Casey Broadwater February 1, 2010

The tendency in Hollywood is to sanitize adolescence. Let’s face it, the awkward pangs of puberty don’t exactly put people in theater seats. If the average coming-of-age film were a commercial for acne medication, we’d only see the “after” photos, the clean skin and pearly smiles. But of course we all remember the often-ugly truth—the confusing quest for identity, the social anxiety, the nascent sexuality. And that’s what Dare is all about; it explores the seamier conflicts of body and mind that inevitably arise in high school, though it often takes these themes to a credulity-stretching extreme. Originally a 16-minute student film—which is also included with this release—Dare has been expanded to feature length by writer David Brind and director Adam Salky, who are both adept at avoiding most of the usual teen-movie pitfalls. Stereotypes are studiously inverted, real problems are addressed, and the R-rated film takes dramatic turns that would be impossible to imagine in squeaky clean teen fare like the recent Fame remake. While the filmmakers’ intentions are admirable—even brave, some might say—the execution doesn’t quite match the ambitions of the story.

Three's company...

The Phantom of the Opera’s Emmy Rossum plays Alexa Walker, a studious high school senior who dreams of becoming an actress—not too much of a stretch for Rossum, I’d imagine. When a successful actor and alumni (Alan Cumming) comes to sit in on Alexa’s drama class, he notes that her performance as Blanche in a scene from A Streetcar Named Desire lacks understanding and genuine emotion. “Acting is about having something to draw on,” he tells her, with the obvious subtext that Alexa is clearly not sexually experienced enough to know what Blanche is feeling. “Shake it up a bit,” he says, “do something you’re afraid of, and fail.” Alexa takes him literally and later seduces her scene partner, Johnny (Zach Gilford, TV’s Friday Night Lights), the school’s resident Mr. Popularity and a bit of a rebel without a cause. This in turn alienates Alexa’s best friend, Ben (Ashley Springer, Teeth), a closeted gay drama geek who also develops feelings for Johnny, but hasn’t come to terms with his own sexuality. After sleeping with Alexa and having an unexpected poolside “encounter” with Ben—which he initially resists—Johnny is caught in a sexual game of tug of war, when all he really wants is a friend.

It’s all about transformation and exploration, two –ation words that essentially define adolescence (there’s some masturbation in here too, if you were wondering). Told as a triptych, Dare is split into thirds, with sections for each corner of the film’s bizarre love triangle. Alexa goes from ultra-prim scholastic champ—she’s even got the L.L. Bean backpack with her initials on it—to a dedicated seductress out to explore her newly discovered sexual powers. And curly-haired Ben is a tangle of guilt and repression who comes leaping out of the closet after his first fumbling homosexual experience. But it’s Johnny, almost inexplicably, who becomes the soul of the film. We’re predisposed to hate the preppy jock archetype—he’s typically the bully, the nemesis, the aggressor—but Johnny is actually the film’s most complex character. Insecurity masked by a false front of confidence is nothing new, but the film gives out the details of Johnny’s psyche in carefully measured doses—his panic attics, his father, who’s always off in Belgium, the fact that he’s always alone in a massive mansion (the kids are all richy-rich types). He just wants to be loved, and the specificity certainly lends credence to the character’s arc. For Alexa and Ben, however, their mental and physical makeovers come much too quickly. This is most apparent in a scene where they invite Johnny over for a “dress up” party. When he arrives, Alexi is on the couch in a short skirt and fishnets, while Ben is wearing a tight black tank top. Both seem much too eager to paw at their newfound boy toy. The resulting scene—an aborted ménage a trois—is simply too much too soon for us to believe.

The believability of the characters is mirrored in the performances. Emmy Rossum definitely looks the part—her smile is all winsome naivety—but I never quite buy her once Alexa’s sexual awakening begins. The same goes for Ashley Springer. He’s good as the goofy “loser” who cherishes the only friend he has in the world, but post-outing the creepy I want you looks that he shoots at Johnny are overplayed and unnerving. Zach Gilford is on a much more even keel, though, and the subtlety with which he handles the mounting intensity of Johnny’s situation is absorbing. The bit parts are exceptionally well cast. Alan Cumming turns his brief role into one of the film’s most memorable scenes, and look out for SNL-alum Ana Gasteyer as Ben’s psychoanalyst mom.

I’ve got to give writer David Brind and director Adam Salky some credit for covering difficult terrain that other coming-of-age films go to great lengths to avoid. Teen sex is a sensitive subject —I mean real sexuality, not the fevered horniness of the American Pie franchise—and what the film does lack in credibility it makes up in candor. Sexuality is a part of growing up, and the film is smart to show it as something not to be ashamed of, but also as a force that has definite consequences. Unfortunately, the film’s potential power is defused by some strained dialogue and over-expedited character development. I’m glad the film pushes some buttons, but merely daring to be different isn’t enough to make Dare stand out.

Dare Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Dare makes a relatively weak appearance on Blu-ray, though the film's 1080p/AVC- encoded transfer seems to be true to its source material. Judging by the chunkiness of the grain, the noticeable softness, and the film's low budget, I'm assuming Dare was shot on 16mm, most likely using less-than-expensive lenses. If you open up the full-sized screenshots, you'll notice that fine detail is almost entirely absent. Textures are softened, edges are blunt, and faces seem smooth and soapy, with no evidence of pores, creases, or wrinkles to be seen. DNR isn't the culprit, though—the thick grain field makes its presence known throughout—it's just that the image simply isn't sharp. Thankfully, color saturation proves better, with the red stage curtains, the intense blues of Johnny's pool room, and the pinks that almost constantly surround Alexa all looking quite nice. Black levels are problematic, though, with detail frequently crushed in the shadows, and contrast seems flat most of the time. On a technical level, there are a few small issues—minor color pixilation and a split-second glitch at the 44:58 mark—but nothing that's any more distracting than the rampant softness. I really can't imagine this Blu-ray release being much better than the film's DVD.

Dare Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

On the sonic side of things, Dare's spartan DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track leaves little to discuss. This is a talky teen drama, and as such, the front channels dominate, leaving naught for the surround speakers to do but pump out the occasional piece of music. There's really nothing here that you could call "sound design," as even environmental ambience is kept to a minimum. (A series of wasted opportunities, it seems, as the track could've given us water lapping during the pool scene, school cafeteria chatter, party chaos, etc.) It's a wonder that this is a 5.1 mix at all, actually. That said, the dialogue is crisp and clear, with no muffled moments or dropouts, and the music is fairly hefty, with plenty of low-end kick and high-end punch. You'd never call this track engaging or immersive, but it does what it sets out to do.

Dare Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Commentary by Director Adam Salky and Writer David Brind
It's clear that Salky and Brind are friends—they finished the short film version of Dare while studying together at Columbia—and so this track is filled with the kind of insight and camaraderie that you only hear when two people have spent long hours working together on a project. Expect a commentary heavy on thematic content and less on "making of" aspects.

"Dare" Short (SD, 16:25)
Comprised of the pivotal scene between Ben and Johnny in the poolroom, this short film was the basis for Dare. It's worth watching if only to see the source material, but it's much less resonant without the lead-up and inevitable consequences that the feature film provides.

Deleted Scenes (SD)
Includes two deleted scenes, "Alexa Relaxes" (1:42) and "A Tense Threesome" (00:59), with optional commentary by director Adam Salky and writer David Brind.

Emmy Rossum's Audition (SD, 9:52)
It's kind of awkward to watch 10 minutes of Emmy Rossum staring directly into a casting director's camcorder at close range. That's not to say that she's not impressive—she does work up some genuine tears—but this isn't exactly something you're going to watch more than once.

Trailer (SD, 2:22)

Dare Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I've got conflicted feelings about Dare. It is unusual to see a film about teenagers that deals so matter-of-factly with issues of sexuality and identity, but at the same time, the production as a whole is a little rough around the edges. The script could use some polishing, the performances could be honed, and the characters would require a lengthier runtime to be developed to their full potential. The film isn't quite a sparkling high-definition experience either—the image is muddy and the soundscape is deserted—so I doubt anyone will be swayed by its technical merits. I'd say this is rental material only.