"For every moment that is full of charm, it's then ruined by a bathetic, unromantic sequence..."

The Myth of the American Sleepover arrives in Britain with quite a reputation, having been in selection at Cannes Film Festival, whilst picking up the Grand Jury Prize at SXSW in 2010. However, one must question why this film has been so well received, as David Robert Mitchell’s romantic teen drama is uninspiring and tedious.

We follow a group of American teenagers looking for romance and adventure during the final weekend of summer. With a host of sleepovers taking place across this small town in Detroit, for one night the neighbourhood is run by the younger members of society, as parties and gatherings take precedence. Amongst those looking for love, is Rob (Marlon Morton) – desperately searching for a mystery girl he spotted in the supermarket earlier that day. 

We also have the confused Maggie (Claire Sloma) who starts to fall for stranger Steven (Douglas Diedrich), as well as Claudia (Amanda Bauer) – the new girl at school who, despite having a boyfriend in senior year, has her eyes on someone else. And finally we also follow the story of college student Scott (Brett Jacobsen), who having recently come out of a long-term relationship, chases up a former love interest, as he goes on the hunt for twin sisters Aby (Nikita Ramsey) and Anna (Jade Ramsey). Between the group there is as much space for love as there is disaster…

Those names and narratives mentioned above are not even half of what Mitchell attempts during the course of this picture, in what proves to be a relatively difficult film to follow. There are simply too many characters and too many sub-storylines which don’t allow for the audience to truly identify or relate to anyone in particular. We’re introduced to the majority of the cast within the first ten minutes and instantly this feature becomes difficult to comprehend as we struggle to remember who fancies who, and what motives are attached to each individual character.

The Myth of the American Sleepover is also unbearably twee and mawkish in parts. There is an actual scene where two young lovers lie on their backs and look up to the night sky and search for a shooting star. I’m not kidding. Such a scene would work if tongue-in-cheek but this clearly isn’t the approach Mitchell is taking. Although there are a couple of endearing and somewhat sincere moments, on the whole it’s far too cringe-worthy and pretentious.

There are also issues to be found within this picture from a realism perspective as the dialogue feels extremely unnatural and although it appears to have been deliberately implemented, it simply doesn’t work. Naturalism isn’t imperative in such a film, but the feature is making an attempt to appeal to young lovers who can relate to this picture, but I can’t imagine how anyone truly could. The relationships seem false and have little substance to them. How can we be expected to root for love we don’t even believe in?

Staying within the aspect of realism – or lack of – one does wonder how there are about five or six sleepovers taking place in one night, without a single parent/adult in sight? Where are they all? A swingers’ retreat? Now there’s a film that would be worth watching.

On a more positive note, the film does have a memorable look to it – mostly darkly lit, but creating an interesting atmosphere, and I like how the film is completely set over the course of just one night. In that respect, this film is similar to Superbad, just without the jokes. Also, in some ways The Myth of the American Sleepover does manage to capture part of the essence to young love, full of spontaneity and naivety. There are comparisons to be made to American Graffiti, in that there are lots of juveniles not knowing exactly who or what they want. However, any such comparison made to George Lucas’ inspirational comedy ends there.

The Myth of the American Sleepover is simply not enjoyable enough on the whole, as for every moment that is full of charm, it’s then ruined by a bathetic, unromantic sequence that devalues any good work Mitchell had previously achieved. Mitchell is evidently going for teen cult status – of The Breakfast Club ilk – but this picture remains too self-conscious. When cult status is actively fought for, it very rarely works.