S.F.W. (1995)

This has to be the ultimate teenage rebellion movie and it does not get better than this. An attack on the media - I don't think so, the media as usual always turn things upside down. The plot, Directing and acting were top class especially Stephen Dorf. I am 40 years old and can still enjoy watching this movie, it's just so dam good. I bought this movie as soon as it was released on DVD, it's a classic and I think it will remain that way for many years. Anybody who didn't enjoy this movie might want to see it again and get a fresh perspective. The truth it tells about society and the media is brilliant and if you cant see that then you must be blind. Top class movie and well done to everyone involved.

The only reason I checked out this movie is because in the credits it states that China Kantner is in this movie. She might have been, but I didn't see her. I loved her in a movie called "The Stoned Age" (1994), so I wanted to see her again. She might have had a very very small role, but it wasn't worth my time watching this movie for a blink. I have never been a Reese Witherspoon fan, but I love Renee Zellweger and I rented "Dazed and Confused" (1993) just to see her, but just like this movie, I was disappointed to find out that she is only in it for a moment. I don't think they should list actors in the credits unless they have prominent roles, and if they do, then maybe the word "bit part" should be next to their names.

A great movie about the hypocrysy of the american media. I've heard people saying about this move: "I would like to have seen more about what happened in the store". Then I think: You haven't understood the movie at all. Stephen Dorff is brilliant in his role as the anti-hero Spab who has to run away from the media because he has no interest for them, leading him into more and more problems until there is no escape then to just play along with them. Reese Witherspoon plays the role of Wendy very well, the rich kid who has tasted the live without her tight parents strings. And then, the climax in the end of the film... The only bad thing is that I read the novel afterwards and they changed the end!! Why????

While S.F.W could have been so much better than it actually is, Jefery Levy deserves praise for successfully highlighting the fickleness and parasitic nature of celebrity. The film has an uneven feel to it, often seeming like scenes are randomly cut and pasted together, but it does communicate its message effectively. I felt the film would have been better if the first half had dealt with the hostage situation and the second with Spab's elevation to generation spokesperson. The constant shifting from the here and now to a small segue of Spab acting up to the terrorist camera doesn't seem to work very well. Stephen Dorff is quite good as the slacker cum hero, however the rest of the cast are fairly marginalised and have little to do. It might have been better if we had seen more of Spab's best friend Joe and saw more of their relationship, then the tragic events would have had more impact. I believe this plot point fell a little by the wayside amid the beer drinking and cursing that was slightly overdone. S.F.W does make you wonder how our society has become so vacuous that we bestow fame and adoration on ordinary people, stars of fake, idiotic reality shows like Big Brother and Survivor. In this respect the film was indeed ahead of its time. S.F.W is not a great film, but it is not a bad one and is worth a look if you're bored of teen comedies.