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Teen Spirit

Play trailer 1:53 Poster for Teen Spirit PG-13 Released Apr 19, 2019 1h 32m Drama Music Play Trailer Watchlist
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73% Tomatometer 131 Reviews 55% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
A shy teenager dreams of escaping her small town and pursuing her passion to sing. With the help of an unlikely mentor, she enters a local singing competition that will test her integrity, talent and ambition.
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Teen Spirit

Teen Spirit

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Critics Consensus

Teen Spirit tells a story we know by heart, but writer-director Max Minghella's connection to the material and Elle Fanning's remarkable performance add an effective hook.

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Critics Reviews

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Christy Lemire FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles) This is pure formula, but it's really enjoyable -- glossy with tremendous energy. Sep 27, 2019 Full Review Randy Myers San Jose Mercury News Actor Max Minghella cranks up the energy and flashy style for a directorial debut that makes you want to both cheer and dance. May 21, 2019 Full Review Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com But while not exactly believable, this is still a feisty modern-day fairy tale that brought a great big smile to my face. Rated: 3/4 Apr 21, 2019 Full Review Tina Kakadelis Beyond the Cinerama Dome Like a really great pop song, it hits all the expected beats, but its sweetness is never too cloying. Teen Spirit is filled with warmth, the gorgeous cinematography, electric performance by Fanning, and familiar soundtrack make it all worthwhile. Jul 25, 2023 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews ...a familiar premise that’s employed to watchable yet perpetually erratic effect by Minghella... Rated: 2.5/4 Apr 10, 2023 Full Review Kip Mooney College Movie Review The musical numbers are electric. Rated: B Aug 15, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Elle Fanning is phenomenal in an overly-familiar story arc the title means both the singing competition and the amount of spirit Violet Valencia has to win so badly she's 17, Polish, lives with her mom whose husband left her, and she wants to get out of the farm-life/diner lifestyle she runs into a former opera singer who sees her as an opportunity to make himself useful since his past was very hard to walk away from Violet is asked why she entered the competition in the first place, she says she likes to sing but what exactly does she want from the whole experience, and more importantly, what does it mean for her after she wins? the movie is amazingly short, full of modern versions of familiar songs, and I was tapping my feet to a lot of them any competition is fierce plus the more experienced singers may overshine you, it's easy to get lost in the fame and success, and it's important to sing from your own heart Fanning is an amazing lead as well as a vocalist and the familiar songs will also be a treat to millenials the movie does its job without overdoing the many cliches Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 04/20/24 Full Review Victor P Teen Spirit does have a familiar engaging story, but Elle Fanning's vocal-performance was spectacular and it kind of reminds of a combination between a competition of TV reality shows like American Idol and The Voice, and director Max Minghella does a good job with high-energy, wonderful visuals, and great pop songs. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/24 Full Review Michael L Different to expectations based on marketing. Solidly good but the viewer needs to do a lot of work in filling-in the drama of the backstory and the emotional motivations that perhaps could have been explored more in the writing and on screen. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Elle Fanning is phenomenal in an overly-familiar story arc the title means both the singing competition and the amount of spirit Violet Valencia has to win so badly she's 17, Polish, lives with her mom whose husband left her, and she wants to get out of the farm-life/diner lifestyle she runs into a former opera singer who sees her as an opportunity to make himself useful since his past was very hard to walk away from Violet is asked why she entered the competition in the first place, she says she likes to sing but what exactly does she want from the whole experience, and more importantly, what does it mean for her after she wins? the movie is amazingly short, full of modern versions of familiar songs, and I was tapping my feet to a lot of them any competition is fierce plus the more experienced singers may overshine you, it's easy to get lost in the fame and success, and it's important to sing from your own heart Fanning is an amazing lead as well as a vocalist and the familiar songs will also be a treat to millenials the movie does its job without overdoing the many cliches Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/20/23 Full Review Cristian s Simpática, cae en todos los clichés de este genero pero no por eso hace que sea una mala película. Para pasar un buen rato sin esperar la gran cosa. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/30/22 Full Review Audience Member 2.7 pretty good movie Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/20/22 Full Review Read all reviews
Teen Spirit

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis A shy teenager dreams of escaping her small town and pursuing her passion to sing. With the help of an unlikely mentor, she enters a local singing competition that will test her integrity, talent and ambition.
Director
Max Minghella
Producer
Fred Berger
Screenwriter
Max Minghella
Distributor
Bleecker Street Media, LD Entertainment
Production Co
Metrol Technology, Automatik, Head Gear Films, Aperture Media Partners, Blank Tape
Rating
PG-13 (Teen Drinking and Smoking|Some Suggestive Content)
Genre
Drama, Music
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 19, 2019, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Jul 2, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$296.8K
Runtime
1h 32m
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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