16 to Life (2009)
Directed by Becky Smith
Written by Becky Smith
Starring Hailee Hirsch, Mandy Musgrave, Shiloh Fernandez
Release Date September 19th, 2009
Published September 18th, 2009
It is Kate's (Hallee Hirsch) 16th birthday or as her doofy dad puts it "Sweet 16 and never been kissed." The never been kissed part is something Kate is painfully aware of as she wiles away the hours at a tiny food stand in McGregor Iowa, just off the Mississippi River.
"16 to Life" is about a day in the life of Kate as she hopes and prays to get that first kiss while dealing with a series of nitwits, friends, family members and perverts who frequent the tiny food stand that will be familiar to anyone who's ever lived in a town with fewer than a thousand people.
Working alongside Kate is her pal Darby (Mandy Musgrave) who rattles Kate by announcing that she plans to go all the way with her boyfriend after work on this day, in complete violation of a long time pact she and Kate had made to wait till they were truly in love before they 'did it.'
In the tiny kitchen around the corner is the near mute oddball Rene (Shiloh Fernandez). With his slightly ambiguous sexuality you get a sense right away that Rene will not be in the running to help Kate get her first kiss. Among the possibilities however, is polo wearing college boy Harley (Ryan Gourley) and sensitive, god fearing Carson (Will Rothhaar). Harley is exactly who you think he is from my brief description while Carson reveals a few more layers. It should become clear rather quickly which boy is most likely.
What "16 to Life" lacks in originality or surprises it makes up for with endless charm. Star Hallee Hirsch, whose most high profile role to date was as Anthony Edwards' troubled daughter on "E.R," is a winning personality with charm to spare. Hirsch's best quality in "16 to Life," aside from being drop dead cute, is never allowing her charm to lapse into being too clever. Her Kate is a Midwest teenager and not some hyper-smart TV creature.
The supporting cast is a terrific blend of young unknowns and one terrific veteran. Theresa Russell is a name that made a splashy debut over two decades ago in "The Last Tycoon" and "Razor's Edge" and has since settled into a comfortable niche as character actress. In "16 to Life" Russell is a steady presence balancing being the authoritative adult and the kind of adult who wants to be friends with teenagers.
Russell has a lovely sub-plot romance involving a not so blind date set up by Kate. There is history between Russell's Louise and Jaime Gomez's Ronald but it's nothing that writer-director Becky Smith needs to dwell upon, these two subtle performances tell us what we need to know about these lovely characters.
The focus of the film remains with Hallee Hirsch and that is where it should be. Hirsch is pitch perfect in the role of Kate matching her easygoing energy with the breezy, light hearted pace of Becky Smith's direction. "16 to Life" blows by like a cool breeze that kicks up once in awhile but is mostly just refreshing.
