All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (2006)
Starring: Amber Heard, Anson Mount, Whitney Able
Writer: Jacob Forman
Director: Jonathan Levine
Synopsis (Anchor Bay):
Amber Heard stars as Mandy Lane, an
untouchable Texas high-school beauty who is invited by her classmates
to a weekend getaway at a secluded ranch. But as the sun goes down
and the party rages on, the festivities take a disturbing turn. And
for Mandy Lane, a night of endless horror has just begun.
Review:
That synopsis is pretty misleading, but
rightfully so, as All the Boys Love Mandy Lane will work best when
very little is known about it. It's an absolute shame that Jonathan
Levine's 70's lookinh slasher-esque feature film debut sat on shelves
collecting dust for seven years, before earning a US release.
Criminal is a better word. In a way, this may even hurt the status of
the film in the long run. Let's face it- hype has a way of
determining a lot of people's overall reaction to a film. I’m not
sure why, but nearly everyone at one point has
bought into hype. It's best to put widespread acclaim – as well as
disdain – to the wayside, because it's YOUR judgment that should
determine how you feel about a film. It doesn't matter if a thousand
people say something is either awesome OR if it's shit; it matters what
YOU think, and that's important to remember while trying to absorb a
film.
With that being said, All the Boys Love
Mandy Lane is now available on DVD and Blu-ray, thanks to Anchor
Bay/Starz. It's waiting for the horror masses to take it in. The
movie may feel like somewhat of a myth to a lot of people at this
point, and that's okay. I'm not here to do a big plot breakdown,
because that just wouldn't be fair. What I can say is that when
seeing it a few years back I was pretty taken by it. As a fan, it's
one of those movies you want to show to all of your friends. One of
its best elements has nothing to do with the horror side, but more so
with the lead character, Mandy. Moreover, what her image is. I feel
like every high school has that one boy or girl that everyone swoons over, all cliques aside. Either they want to be a friend, a
lover, or just know them in some manner, other than seeing them in a school hallway. This person
isn't always part of a popular crowd; they are above that. They have
a glow. This is who Mandy Lane is, and Jacob Forman's writing,
along with Levine's direction, really captures that perfectly.
Even seeing this film years back, it
wasn't impossible look at Amber Heard and just feel that she'd have a
successful career. There's something about her, other than how
gorgeous she is. There's a whole lot of charisma in this girl. Even
her small role in Zombieland – which I am admittedly not a huge fan
of – is exceptional. She's only around for a bit but holy hell, did
I wish I could help her out. Then, she's a complete sexy badass in
Drive Angry. But All the Boys Love Mandy Lane is basically where it
started, and she's really damn good . Not to discredit the rest
of the cast, but Heard honestly stands out. Everyone else gives what it takes, but there's less complexity. In a way, that speaks volumes
about their performances. Most are portraying roles of stereotypical
high school kids, and it's pretty convincing. A few of them
have the depth of a rain puddle, but it makes sense and feels right.
Anson Mount stands out as Garth, the ranch hand. He's a
good lookin' fellow – I got a Mel Gibson/Mad Max vibe, by
appearance – with a charming voice. For one reason or another,
Garth has some type of connection to Mandy. Perhaps just because the
movie title is true. Either way, Heard and Mount have some great
screen time together that helps build background for their
characters.
I don't want to say a whole lot about
the horror side, but it's definitely layered in thick during the
second half. There's several genres coming all at once here, to
where at times you might forget you're watching a horror film. It's
admirable when a writer and director can do that and still manage to
keep things interesting. I feel the pacing is spot on. It helps
that sunning visuals are in abundance. Lots of color saturated camera
work, flaring, great wide shots and low angle work – which works
well for replacing how safe the story feels at times by injecting an
ominous tone.
The soundtrack is another high point
for the film. It's a mix of indie-ish type jams, 80s tunes,
classical, and more. It all adds to the accompanied scenes very
nicely. Mark Schulz provides the film score, and like the rock/pop
soundtrack, it fits the tone well.
Final Word:
That's about the size of it. As far as
I'm concerned, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane deserves attention, and
hopefully it will gather a cult status now that it can be seen by the
masses. No promises can be made, but hopefully it adds up to all
the good feedback you've heard for more than half a decade now. Or even more hopefully, you just forget about all that feedback.
Special Features:
As far as special features on the
Anchor Bay release, Jonathan Levine's commentary is a total delight
to listen to. It's the first time he's watched the film basically
since it's original film festival runs. You'd think that with a time
gap that extensive there would be a lot of dead air, or things forgotten. He
actually gives all kinds of great information. He also
unashamedly admits to things he wished he had done differently. I
admire that in a filmmaker. Lastly, the dude is funny as hell. Well
worth listening to.
- Eric (Brobocop)
