Film review: big time adolescence (2019)
Sometimes you come across a film that is a hidden gem and for me recently, Pete Davidson has been the star of those films. So when I came across Big Time Adolescence I was pleasantly surprised. This is a movie that will hit home for many people in their twenties who are struggling to navigate what life after high school and university “should look like”.
The synopsis according to Rotten Tomatoes is, “A drug-dealing college dropout becomes a mentor to his best friend - a straight-laced teen who idolises him.” Zeke (Davidson) and Munroe “Mo” (Griffin Gluck) meet when Zeke is in a relationship with Mo’s sister.
Despite the age gap, and the break up, the unlikely pair become best friends. Zeke, now 23, Mo, 16 spend their days getting drive-thru food and socialising with Zeke’s much older friends who drink beer and smoke marijuana. Mo’s family are concerned about the relationship but their concerns are trumped by the fact that Mo idolises his lost best friend.
The relationship takes a turn when Mo becomes the seniors drug dealer and alcohol supplier. The advice given by Zeke in relation to dating, dealing and life are very questionable and pave way for some fatal mistakes by Mo in the later scenes. I’ll not give too much away because I urge you to watch the movie to appreciate the nuanced relationship they have.
What I do want to comment on is how you can’t help feel sad and disappointed for Zeke. He’s 23, hasn’t a relationship with his parents and his primary carer grandmother has died. He’s stuck in a dead end job and relies on drink and drugs to numb the disillusionment of adulthood.
There’s a scene between Mo and his dad that highlights the coming of age journey. Reuben refers to people like Zeke, who talk the talk about their plans yet fail to follow through. You often hear the Steven Bartlett’s of the world say the difference with “successful” people is that they have the drive to put their plans into action. In the final scenes, Zeke talks about how he’s writing a script that actually sounds like a great hit but when asked if it’s ready to read, it’s all in his head. It was all talk, no action.
The final scene in the movie is genuinely heart breaking but totally understandable. As a young person, you’re often told that it’s those you spend time with that determines what you will do in life. If your group spend the day drinking and smoking, you will too, it’s a hard routine to break from and something so prevalent for teenagers after university.
I think Big Time Adolescence should be a movie every teenager should see. It showcases how choices made during your teen years can impact your future. Everyone has their own plan on what they want their life to look like and it can get pretty dark if that plan is all talk.