Here’s why I never liked the debate team: I don’t know why they’re debating. I mean, I know why, of course... It’s for trophies, just like any of the athletic high school teams. But why would you bother debating something if you don’t even care when you’re right or wrong? As master debater Ginny (Okay, listen… it’s going to show up sooner or later in this review, so I’ve decided to throw it out early—Just be glad that the film’s humor is smarter than that)—played by Anna Kendrick with excellent coldness—says to our hero Hal Hefner (Reece Thompson) in the film, debate isn’t about what you believe in; it’s about what arguments you can make to trip up your opponent. Yeah, that right there, is something I consider pointless. So believe me when I say that Rocket Science does a great job at making debates look cool, at least for the purpose of this film.
The story pitch for Rocket Science is brilliant in itself: A shy, stuttering boy joins the rapid-fast world of high school debate… for love. The idea is just ripe for plucking; yet when the film started I was so sure I was going to hate it. The monotony of the debate, the condescendingly intrusive voiceover narration, the deadpan of the humor and the emo nature of the main character (first time we see Hal, he’s quietly observing his father leaving them)… it all came across like a bad Wes Anderson imitation, and that’s what the film seems to strive for most of the time.
However, Hal Hefner slowly and surely won me over, and the humor snuck up on me. Before long, I was howling at a lot of the jokes. It’s a quirky indie comedy, but with a knowing wink that lets its own offbeat characters acknowledge their quirkiness, and never too outlandish that they can’t exist in real life. Some of these kooky people are a Korean judge dating Hal’s mother, his ambiguously gay son, and an old couple who work out their marriage problems by playing cello. But Rocket Science doesn’t just rely on that kind of quirky gags. The script is sharp and incredibly witty at times, with a few lines that near genius in their hilarity. While for every massive hit there are numerous dull moments and overplayed quirkiness, it’s still a pleasant film to watch.
This is one of those underdog stories that win you over by having you take pity in the main character. Reece Thompson’s performance in the film is fabulous not because he stutters convincingly, but because he can make you care for a guy as introverted and unremarkable as Hal Hefner. Hal is the anti-thesis of Paul Dano’s annoying character in Little Miss Sunshine; he wants to say so much, but he’s so shy that he has an impossible time putting words together (and you don’t get the urge to slap him). This attracts Ginny, who tells Hal that “deformed people” are the best because they have something to prove. That turns out to be somewhat true, but not in the way that she, or the audience, expected. There’s also a clever bit explaining the existence of the voiceover narrator.
The moments leading up to the big finale may be totally formulaic (complete with debate training montage), but it’s just the kind of thing that makes this film work. It’s about people who take debate perhaps a little too seriously, and director Jeffrey Blitz injected a lot of energy into an otherwise dull competition the way he did with spelling bees in his documentary Spellbound.
A ruthless, cutthroat portrayal of high school in the style of Alexander Payne’s Election, Rocket Science is the anti boy-meets-girl romantic comedy. Instead of lots of bickering and misunderstanding capped off by the realization of love, Hal falls in love with Ginny pretty much instantaneously; and Ginny is such a pompous bitch that we spend most of the film waiting for Hal to grow a pair and tell her off. It’s a celebration of people\'s shortcomings in gaining confidence, and Rocket Science treats Hal’s transformation believably through many hilarious trials-and-errors.
Don\'t try to debate us on this.
"Rocket Science" opens August 10, 2007 and is rated R. Comedy. Written and directed by Jeffrey Blitz. Starring Anna Kendrick, Margo Martindale, Nicholas DAgosto, Reece Thompson, Vincent Piazza.
