-Written by Kyle Bain.
The fat kid, Angus (Charlie Talbert), is in love with the class beauty, Melissa Lefevre (Ariana Richards)–but she’s dating the quarterback, Rick Sandford (James Van Der Beek). When presented with a series of unique opportunities, Angus must learn to face his fears, swallow his pride, and learn to accept himself for who and what he is.
A clear product of the time in which it was created, Angus hits home for just about anyone with a nostalgic attachment to the 90’s. The world was different: more complicated in some ways, but more innocent and charming in others. Writers Jill Gordon and Chris Crutcher (based on his short story “A Brief Moment in the Life of Angus Bethune”) and Director Patrick Read Johnson capture the authenticity of that time, and of what that time meant to me. This is a story for those that have been bullied, but it’s also a story for those that have been bullies–a story ranging the entire spectrum of the bullying paradigm, and exploring the intricacies of what that can do to a person. I promise you that you’ll find yourself choking back tears at least once during your viewing of Angus.
A film so good that I felt the need to watch it twice–Angus appealed to me in new ways as I navigated the teenage dramedy for the second time. The thing that sat with me most after watching for the second time was the cinematography–in both good ways and bad. The issue I had with the cinematography is the fact that there are many instances in which Director of Photography Alexander Gruszynski lingers just a second or two too long, causing viewers to expect something else from the scene, but ultimately being left empty handed. Then there are moments in which it seems that characters can barely finish their sentence when Gruszynski and Read Johnson choose to cut to the next scene. I couldn’t decide whether this was just a simple issue of editing, or if the film’s DP was, in fact, to blame. After conferring with fellow cinephile Greg Vorob, however, my eyes were opened to the fact that there were other aspects of Angus’ life that were meant to be explored–and that their erasure from the film could have been a cause of some of these aforementioned issues.
Now onto the good. There are three moments in particular that stood out to me as being truly spectacular cinematography, and proof that the team behind Angus is beyond just talented, but masters of their craft.
When Angus’ friend Troy (Chris Owen) finally makes the decision to betray the one person in the world that always has his back: Angus. In the exact moment of betrayal, Read Johnson chooses to present Troy, Rick, and his cronies in a silhouette. This allows viewers to understand that this isn’t a true reflection of Troy’s character, one that continued to grow on us over the course of the film, but merely an act of weakness, a simple flaw in his character.
Just before Grandpa Ivan (George C. Scott) passes, the camera pans away from him, but viewers get a glimpse of him in the background, illuminated by a heavenly light. As we see him for the final time, we see him looking up, almost to Heaven, as he prepares for the end that he now knows is inevitable. It’s a perfect shot, a perfect scene, a perfect representation of his character and of what he means to Angus.
The final shot of the film as Melissa looks out her window in the direction of the titular Angus allows us to understand that there’s something between the two of them. Whether it’s romantic, or something far simpler, it’s clear that this unattainable character, one that was always out of reach for Angus, is, in fact, there for the taking. Not that Melissa is some object to be won, but that what she represents is finally available to Angus–ultimately solidifying that Angus’ journey was worth it.
Each of these three instances play pivotal roles in the development of Angus, even if he’s only present in one of them. The shots are far beyond beautiful, and what they represent in the grand scheme of Angus is truly spectacular. Thinking about them nearly brings a tear to my eye, because it’s not only something so pivotal to Angus, but it’s what I love about filmmaking.
These are small glimpses into the development of the characters present in Angus. Each and every character in the film has a complete arc, one that makes sense, one that viewers can appreciate and get behind. Characters like Angus and Troy experience more complete arcs, where characters such as Meg (Kathy Bates), Angus’ mother, and Rick see subtle changes in their lives, but viewers are able to see what lies beneath the surface–and they, too, have complete arcs that allow them to be more than what initially appears on the surface.
Angus is a brilliantly developed film that, without a shadow of a doubt, will appeal to viewers from all walks of life. We’ve either been a bully, been the victim of bullying, or, at the very least, known someone involved in bullying to some capacity. Angus drops us off in Angus’ world, a teenaged boy that simply doesn’t know where he’s going in life. There are clear antagonists, protagonists, villains, mentors, and more–however, by the end of the film every single character appeals to viewers. I truly adore this film–so much so that I’ve added this to my list of films to add to my ever-growing wall of DVDs.
Directed by Patrick Read Johnson.
Written by Chris Crutcher & Jill Gordon.
Starring Charlie Talbert, Chris Owen, Kathy Bates, George C. Scott, James Van Der Beek, Ariana Richards, Rita Moreno, etc.
8/10 = WORTH RENTING OR BUYING
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