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Wasted is much better than its given credit for

Schtinky | California | 03/29/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"While this film fictionalizes the account of the drug deaths in Plano, you can hear the ring of real voices inside the monologue. There is no romanticizing the use of heroin, the kids use simply because they want to use, and it there for them. Without comedy, exaggeration, or inflated drama, 'Wasted' simply tells the story of one girl's relationship with heroin and how it almost killed her.

Nick Stahl, Summer Phoenix, and Aaron Paul play their roles expertly and believably as Chris, Samantha, and Owen, respectively. I'm a fan of Nick Stahl anyway, part of the reason I rented a MTV produced movie. The production, photography, and presentation of the movie is better than I thought would come out of MTV also, so give this movie a try by renting and find out for yourself.

Samantha and her lifelong friends Owen and Chris grew up together in Plano, TX, what Samantha calls a "Pop-Up" city. Their parents are all wealthy, and the kids are all bored, waiting to find out which college they will be going to after high school. So they party and get high.

Samantha overdoses, and Chris, a track star and the only friend who doesn't use heroin, takes Sam to the hospital. Sam is forced to confront her addiction and attend NA classes. Owen, Sam's boyfriend who is heavy into using, doesn't want to take her, so Chris drives her to her meetings. Chris and Samantha develop a stronger relationship while Owen falls away from them, still deeply imbedded in his drug lifestyle. Regardless of the fact that Sam drops Owen and begins to date Chris, the three are still fast friends.

Sam slips, Chris blows his knee in a track meet and winds out trying heroin, Owen continues to behave like a mess, and meanwhile kids in this pop-up town are dying right and left, from boredom and heroin.

The results are typical, but what makes 'typical' not-cliché in this movie is that these events are based on the real facts that occurred in Plano, and the narrative based on real kid's voices. In spite of film's inability to ever reach box-office proportions, I felt that it was well acted, well scripted, realistic, and something I would certainly want my kids to watch. Definitely worth at least a rental. Enjoy!

"

Wasted Youth??

,Michael Casanova | Pittsburgh, PA | 01/12/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Wastedm, hits home by showing the insanity of heroin use amoung teens. Heroin use is becoming very prevelent amoung middle class suburbanites, and the movie accuratley depicts the motions of addiction. It seems that MTV made a movie based on my life. Furthermore, the movie is a very dramatic, heartfelt peice of art."

Good and bad points...

,Michael Casanova | 07/12/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I didn't have very high expectations of this movie, but there were some pleasant surprises.Somehow the movie draws you in right away, and gets you to really care about what happens to the characters.Frightening how the teens seem to be completely different people than who their parents think they are...but as a former teen myself, and mom of teens today, sadly it is true to life. Some parts of the movie however, were just not believable.From my own experience, it is possible for a teen to be friends with kids that do drugs, and yet not do them. But there's got to be a reason for that, like healthy fear! (And I never saw anything as scary as the things that happen in this movie!) I just didn't buy that Chris went from drug free,athletic, seeing terrible things happening to his friends,trying to help them,even going to to NA meetings with Sam one day, to sticking a needle in his arm the next..."