WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
The downtrodden. The forgotten. The picked on. The bullied. The mundane. Whether we wish to admit it or not, high school is certainly some of the most formidable years when you’re considered one of the unnoticed specks sent adrift in a sea of elitist cliques. Tripped in the hall, signs taped on your back, constant harassment no matter where you try to escape to–yes, it’s a tedious existence. Therefore, oppressed nerds of the world–it’s time to stand up! However, it’s the getting there that hurts for uber-geeks Jodi (Victoria Justice) and Mindy (Eden Sher), whose brains and awkwardness land them square in the crosshairs of their Richard Nixon High’s ruling class Queen Bee, Whitney (Claudia Lee), who feigns friendship only to lure the pair into one prank-induced lesson in abject humiliation.
Finally realizing enough is enough, Jodi and Mindy decide to amass their own clique made up of a core group of the school’s misfits, including overachieving and cynical Virginia (Ashley Rickards), do-gooder Girl Scout Claire (Katie Chang), rough and tumble Sugar (Jazmyn Richardson), entrepreneurial Howard (Alex Shimizu), fantasy LARPer Louis (Harry Katzman), and sci-fi aficionado Martin (Noah Robbins), in order to rise up against the tyrannical Whitney and change the social structure of the school forever. However, even as the group enacts many of its nefarious schemes to do so, Jodi finds herself liking one of the “enemy”, Dave (Avan Jogia), even as the actual toll it all begins to take on Mindy and Jodi’s friendship becomes painfully real. Soon, the choice has to be made as to whether all their accomplishment is worth losing their sanity and deep-seeded camaraderie.
Next, my Mind:
Delivering a fantastically entertaining, contemporary-set ode to the geeks-rise-up classic “Revenge of the Nerds” while adding a dash of “Mean Girls” in for good measure, director Peter Hutchings’ teen-centered comedy hurtles along on its own unique merits while providing all the madcap, zany, over-the-top shenanigans one would expect from this style of film. Filled with every possible reference to modern geekdom while likewise addressing the concepts of wanting to fit in, loyalty to friends, the lure of power and the damage it can cause, standing up for yourself as a whole, and being willing to find one’s own identity amidst the harsh reality of peer pressure found in high school, it’s always refreshing to see a comedic effort so effectively cover serious topics like this while wrapped in such sheer nuttiness and jocularity. Plus, for this reviewer, kudos that it could all be presented in a “PG-13” shell, which still allowed some of the off-color humor anticipated, but not to such overtly crude levels as to become disengaging, distracting, or flat out off-putting like so many current comedies tend to go for. This is simply all-out fun!
Justice and Sher are an absolutely perfect duo here in their roles as lead geeks Jodi and Mindy, consistently delightful, charming, hilarious, and ultimately affecting as two best friends whose shared and individual experiences as two of their school’s “lower class” has actually prepared them more than they might first realize to take action against their oppressors. Encountering the embarrassment and indignities they do, followed by the action plan initiated afterwards, the initial victories they enjoy, but then the reality checks that shake them both to the core finally, all of it is enacted with a sincerity that belies the silliness going on, much to Justice and Sher’s credit. Lee, likewise, is a wonderful choice to play their pair’s nefarious tormentor Whitney, the prototypical blond rich girl who dominates the school be sheer force of will and instilled “fear”, even though there’s more to her story than meets the eye. She’s the kind of character you mainly love to hate while laughing at how well Lee plays it so riotously exaggerated. The face-offs between the two factions only emphasizes this intentionally excessive execution, which again, is a total hoot.
The ensemble supporting cast is just huge, and honestly, they all deserve praise, as each lends a specific and necessary element to the greater narrative. From Rickards, Chang, Richardson, Shimizu, Katzman, and Robbins making up the totally hysterical geek uprising’s primary members, to Will Peltz, Nick Bailey, Brock Yurich, and Jeanette Dilone’s Whitney-led drones, Peyton List as Whitney’s true devotee and gofer MacKenzie, Jogia as an amiable drone deserter Dave, on top of appearances from Frank Whaley as Jodi’s father and Ted McGinley as the school’s domineering, nerd-hating Principal Whitmore, it’s one whopper of a foundation for the leads to play off of! In total, with its inherent goofiness, jovial atmosphere, outrageous antics, and effective cast, “The Outcasts” promises 95-minutes of amusement tempered with life lessons truly worth noting at its heart. Oh heck, just let your geek and freak flags fly, relax, and enjoy! Nerds rule!!
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
