Elle Fanning Elevates Max Minghella's Solid Directorial Debut

Max Minghella's directorial debut Teen Spirit totally won me over. It's one of those movies I hadn't planned to see in Toronto. One of those movies you see because it fits your schedule, and you just hope for the best. In this case, I was pleasantly surprised by this scrappy tale of a shy teen who sets out to realize her dream of becoming a pop star with help from a very unlikely source. It's a conventional underdog story as far as it goes, but it's handled quite well by Minghella and his leading lady, Elle Fanning.

Decidedly unimpressed with the wild-haired, world-weary old man, she doesn't think much of the interaction until it comes time for her audition for Teen Spirit, a British singing competition that requires the permission of an adult guardian. In a bind, Violet turns to Vlad and he agrees to become her chaperone/manager/unlikely mentor — for a staggering 50 percent! If you know anything about showbiz, you'd know that isn't a great deal for Violet, but at least it changes in time once the girl's mother finds out about their unusual arrangement. Vlad doesn't put up too much of a fight, as you come to discover that it's not really about money for him, but rather, a second chance to do things right. He may have squandered his potential and become content to drink his days away at the pub, but he also sees potential in Violet and finds renewed purpose in taking the reins of her career and coaching her technique. And off she goes on a true underdog story that will offer her temptation at every turn. Minghella effectively uses montage to whisk us through the early stages of the competition, but you've seen this story before, so you know it'll all come down to 'the finals' — though there are some pleasant surprises along the way.

Of course, the following isn't one of them, for assuredly when you enter one of these competitions, the idea is that you're kind of making a deal with the devil. In this case, Violet ends up being offered a recording contract prior to the final competition. If she loses, it doesn't really matter, because she'll still get to make an album. But if she wins, and other record labels come calling with more attractive offers, then she's stuck with the original deal… if she signs it. There's a catch, of course. The proverbial Devil, in this case, the Teen Spirit producers as embodied by a well-cast Rebecca Hall, want Violet to cut Vlad out of the deal. So not only does the competition test her talent, it tests her integrity as well. She wouldn't have made it this far without the crazy old coot, but does she really need him now that she has, to some extent, made it? It's an offer she shouldn't refuse, but whether she does or not is another question entirely.