The main problem this film has is no follow through of any plot or subplot or even character development. And I didn't care one iota for any of the characters because while the film starts on a slow montage-like of the Addison's character loss of his mother; that's the only scene like that. There's no real development of characters; not even the main characters who we're supposed to root for; nothing's really known about anyone. Addison is sad and mopey, then normal and happy, then angry and frustrated. It's turned on/off like he's a psychotic person or something. Or maybe he's schizophrenic. Or maybe his character wasn't developed past the first page of the script. And all the characters are like that. You don't care about any of them because you really don't know anything about any of them.
If one is seeing this as a teenage detective story then I'd dismiss that because it really doesn't kick in until 45 minutes into a 1 hr 25 min film (minus five minutes for credits, 20 minutes; that's 35 minutes to solve the crime of Addison's friend's murder.) I laughed out loud when the character of Phoebe said she needed a break from Addison because "I can't do this anymore." Do what...anymore? It was a five minute scene. The next scene seemed as if Phoebe spends all her time over at Addison's house and that Phoebe sees Addison's father as a 'parent' because Phoebe's mother is upset over it. What? As stated before: how can one get that impression if none of the characters are developed? The film wants us to have that impression.
The film is so rushed. Either there are huge edits in this film and someday they'll have another cut with all the missing scenes or this is just a poorly written, poorly directed film. Sadly, I think it's the latter. You want to see a good teenage detective film, watch "Brick" from 2005. This isn't it. Or read the novel this film is supposedly based on. This film basically ended 1 hr 12 minutes in. What follows afterward is just drawn out fodder until the credits roll.
If one is seeing this as a teenage detective story then I'd dismiss that because it really doesn't kick in until 45 minutes into a 1 hr 25 min film (minus five minutes for credits, 20 minutes; that's 35 minutes to solve the crime of Addison's friend's murder.) I laughed out loud when the character of Phoebe said she needed a break from Addison because "I can't do this anymore." Do what...anymore? It was a five minute scene. The next scene seemed as if Phoebe spends all her time over at Addison's house and that Phoebe sees Addison's father as a 'parent' because Phoebe's mother is upset over it. What? As stated before: how can one get that impression if none of the characters are developed? The film wants us to have that impression.
The film is so rushed. Either there are huge edits in this film and someday they'll have another cut with all the missing scenes or this is just a poorly written, poorly directed film. Sadly, I think it's the latter. You want to see a good teenage detective film, watch "Brick" from 2005. This isn't it. Or read the novel this film is supposedly based on. This film basically ended 1 hr 12 minutes in. What follows afterward is just drawn out fodder until the credits roll.