By Sara Pintilie/entertainment editor
Assassination of a High School President (4 stars)
Assassination of a High School President is a quirky high school comedy with a flair of film noir.
When the SATs go missing, Bobby Funke (Reece Thompson), a wannabe Woodward or Bernstein, tries to uncover the culprit after the high school’s it girl, Francesca (Mischa Barton), asks for his help.
All the clues point to the president of the student body, Paul Moore (Patrick Taylor), and Funke prints the incriminating story.
The president is suspended, Funke gets the girl, but the journalist starts wondering if he caught the right culprit.
Assassination of a High School President pays homage to film noir with a Catholic high school backdrop.
The film even has the slightly campy narrative weaving through the plot and the classic noir archetypes.
Though every aspect of the movie seems as though it should fail, it doesn’t.
The whodunit is compelling. The viewers find themselves trying to unravel the mystery, trying to beat the pee-wee gumshoe to the punch.
The film’s position between campy and edgy is perfect placing, only faulty in a few scenes.
And when the story unfolds, the end result is satisfying.
The protagonist, Funke, is endearing.
He rises and falls through the ranks of high school popularity in a matter of months, but the audience still can relate to his teenage awkwardness and vulnerability.
Bruce Willis is the school’s principal and the most effective comic relief in the movie. His performance seems over the top, but the audience can’t help but laugh.
Thompson is great. He carries the film flawlessly and keeps the audience on his side, even when they don’t want to be.
Barton’s Francesca is a great revamping of the femme fatale.
The supporting cast builds a strong foundation for the trio of headliners and keeps the audience engrossed in the teenage film noir.
The problem with the film is an outlandish scene dealing with a paintball gun.
The movie would be tighter, more believable without it.
Assassination of a High School President has its downfalls, but overall, the high school film noir is an indie treat.
