Follow Us
Join UsLOL is about Lola (Miley Cyrus), an American teenager, who is experiencing the growing-up pangs: unfaithful boyfriends, a loving but controlling mother (Demi Moore), and friends who are as unsure of themselves as she is. Find out more in the review of LOL.
Business rating: 1 / 5 stars (One star)
Star cast: Miley Cyrus, Demi Moore, Douglas Booth, Ashley Hinshaw, Thomas Jane, Jay Hernandez, George Finn, Ashley Greene, Adam G. Sevani.
What’s Good: Performances of the actors; a few scenes that will appeal to the teenagers, especially the girls.
What’s Bad: The ordinary and simplistic script; the excess of mush and romance which will put off a section of the audience; the absence of any real conflict in the story.
Verdict: LOL is an average chick flick. It will do below-average business in India.
Loo break: A couple.
Watch or Not?: Watch it if you are an adolescent.
Lionsgate, Mandate Pictures, Double Features Films and Star Entertainment’s LOL is a story about incidents in the life of a teenager during an academic year at school.
When a new semester begins, Lola (Miley Cyrus) discovers that Chad (George Finn), her boyfriend from last year, has had sex with another girl during the vacation. She breaks up with him but soon falls in love with Kyle (Douglas Booth) – Chad’s handsome friend. Kyle also loves her.
Chad and Kyle are part of a rock band but Kyle’s father is opposed to his son playing music as it affects his grades. Lola’s best friend, Emily (Ashley Hinshaw), has fallen for their teacher, Mr. Ross (Austin Nichols), while another friend in their group, Max (Adam G. Sevani), has the hots for every girl in school. Ashley (Ashley Greene), another classmate, is hated by Lola for her easy ways with boys.
At home, Lola is fighting a tug of war with Anne (Demi Moore), her divorced mother who is worried about Lola misusing the freedom she is given. But what disturbs Lola even more is the fact that her mother is having a secret affair with her divorced husband, i.e. Lola’s father (Thomas Jane).
One day, Lola mistakenly thinks that Kyle has had sex with Ashley and breaks up with him. What happens next? Is the misunderstanding clarified? Does the young couple get back together? Or does Kyle go for another girl? What about Lola’s mother? Does she get back with her ex-husband? The rest of the film answers these questions.
LOL Review: Script Analysis
Lisa Azuelos and Kamir Aainouz’s screenplay, based on a 2008 French film of the same name, is targeted at the Facebook generation. The writers have superimposed several elements common in the lives of city-bred teenagers on a rather ordinary teen love story. As a result, the screenplay is such that it appeals only to teenagers, especially girls who vie for romance. All the typical elements of a youth-oriented drama are present in LOL: hot-looking boys; some casual conversations about sex; girl-girl bonding and mother-daughter bonding; and a little sex. Why, there’s even a girl-to-girl kiss in the film!
All said and done, the script is boring for almost everybody other than lovelorn teenagers because of its repetitiveness and because there is no real conflict in the story at all. Moreover, the fun element in the film drops drastically in the latter half, something that even the teenagers will not like too much.
LOL Review: Star Performances
Miley Cyrus puts up a very good show. She is completely believable as the confused American teenager. Demi Moore (as Anne) looks her age and does an okay job. Douglas Booth (as Kyle) impresses. Ashley Hinshaw (as Emily) looks beautiful and does a fine job. Thomas Jane (as Lola’s father) is alright. Jay Hernandez (as the young cop) does well. George Finn (as Chad), Ashley Greene (as Ashley), Adam G. Sevani (as Max), Austin Nichols (as Mr. Ross), Marlo Thomas (as grandmother), Jean-Luc Bilodeau (as Jeremy), Fisher Stevens, Gina Gershon and others offer good support.
LOL Review: Direction & Special Effects
Lisa Azuelos’ direction is suited to the script. She is able to make the narrative breezy and interesting in the first half but fails to hold the film together in the last few reels. Background music, by Rob Simonsen, is very good. Kieran McGuigan’s cinematography is stylish. Production design, by Happy Massee, is okay. Myron Kerstein’s editing could have been better.
LOL Review: The Last Word
On the whole, LOL is a dull fare. It will do very limited business in the Indian multiplexes.
LOL released in India on 10 February 2012.
