New Review: Twelve

Party Monsters

For the record, I don't want to despise Joel Schumacher. In fact, I think his visual artistry behind the camera can lead to some inventive storytelling, and while I don't think I've ever seen a film of his that I have "loved," the ones I do respond to have a way about them that feels creative and engaging. His latest piece of work is, without a doubt, trying for that same tempo. And like most of Schumacher's works, it succeeds in some parts and fails in others, leading to yet another film that cannot be recommended for its few merits.

Based on the well known bestseller that was published by a seventeen-year-old author, the film wants to take a keen, up-close look into the world of spoiled, rich kids in New York whose shallow obsession with looks, fashion and drugs lead the inevitably down a life of downtrodden torment. At the center is White Mike (Chace Crawford), the local drug dealer who divides his life between his business and the subtle relationship with childhood friend Molly (Emma Roberts). But the one drug White Mike won't deal is called "Twelve." One man who does is the dealer that Mike gets his weed from, played by Curtis Jackson, a.k.a. "50 Cent." What follows are these characters slowly circling the drain of self-destruction.

To be fair, I do like what Schumacher does with most of the film. He manages to retain an inspired visual flare that manages to keep you invested throughout most of the story. Even though Schumahcer can't help but stretch his creativity too thin by indulging in an erratic pace and often times suffocating the story in quirky editing and framing, but somehow he manages to pull off the right tone in nearly every scene. His record as a filmmaker has always been erratic, but I think this is one of the few times where his eye is very controlled, and he delivers what is necessary through direction.

However, as accomplished as Schumacher's direction may be (and that's not praising a lot), there is a much larger, fundamental flaw with the material. This is a world inhabited by very few characters that have a relatablity to the audience, and this is a problem. Not every character is unlikable, but they all are not redeemable. White Mike refuses to sell the potent drug Twelve, but his "heart of gold" doesn't stop him from simply taking clients to the more dangerous man who does. There's also a deep melancholy brewing in him because of the death of his mother, but even that feels contrived and shallow. And even when the film is trying to jump through hoops to convey how these lives end up miserable for all involved, the film never fully conveys the tragic nature of these characters, making those miserable ends seem just as fake as the glossy surface they put on for the world.

Nobody here is giving a bad performance, but very few feel like they're doing more than just reading from the script. Crawford's got the rugged charm, but his character feels so two-dimensional that his predictable character path loses the impression of depth to his performance. Most others have the same similar qualities of Crawford's acting, only with even more complexities erased. The only ones who strike any resonance are Emily Meade, as a "Twelve" addict whose downfall is the only one sincerely felt, and Rory Culkin, who, as a young kid whose ambitions to have sex only means partying with people he can't stand, feels like the only one based in some kind of reality.

For the first time, it seems, a film by Joel Schumacher hasn't been damaged by his own heavy direction. He's actually the only one who seems how to responsibly handle this material, and delivers the right amount of style and flash that coincides well with the tone. Still, a boatload of bland performances and a story that feels cheap in its messages, sloppy in its storytelling, and borderline exploitative in its melodramatic ending can't rise this sinking ship. Schumacher is doing his best here, and I suppose that's something to be grateful for. But even though the situation is reversed, and he's doing a good job while everyone else is doing bad, the equation still comes out the same.

C+