Review: ‘Rocket Science’

There’s something special about those years we spend in high school, trying to figure everything out. We’re supposed to be learning algebra, biology and whatever else is required. In truth, the only thing we really learn is who we are, or at the very least we discover that being ourselves is the only thing that really matters. Rocket Science is just that, a story about a young man who discovers he is exactly who he’s been all along and that there’s no point trying to be something he’s not.

Reece Thompson (Smallville) plays Hal Hefner, a high school student with a serious and unpredictable stutter who is recruited into the school’s debate team by Ginny Ryerson, played by Anna Kendrick (Camp). Ginny is the school’s top debater and she claims to be able to turn Hal into the natural debater she believes he is destined to be. Hal must struggle to fulfill his supposed destiny, while also deal with his parent’s separation, his mother’s new relationship and a disturbed older brother, played by Nicholas D’Agosto (Heroes), who describes himself as an organized thief.

Hal finds his journey of transformation difficult, seeking advise from his eccentric, under-qualified guidance counselor Lewisnky, played by Maury Ginsberg (Law & Order). Lewisnky is one of many peculiar characters in Hal’s life that act as guides in his life, often presenting themselves in awkward situations. Lewis, one of Hal’s ‘geeky’ friends, has parents who have practiced every position in the Kama Sutra at least twice and perform a duet of Violent Femmes’ Blister in the Sun on cello and piano. The Violent Femmes’ modern classic actually serves as the theme song for the movie, as it reprises itself several times. Hal eventually becomes infatuated with Ginny and believes she is his true love. He soon finds out that her motives were not entirely up front and Hal finds himself left out in the cold.

Rocket Science was written and directed by Jeffrey Blitz (The Office, Spellbound) and is his impressive fiction feature debut. Blitz received an Oscar nomination for Spellbound, his documentary on the 1999 National Spelling Bee. The film has a lot of heart and the dialogue is incredibly sharp and witty. Rocket Science presents a sort of honesty that’s always there but no one really speaks about. The film could be equated to a 90’s version of Wonder Years, chronicling the life of a young man learning the ways of life and the world around him. Rocket Science did not receive a wide release in theatres, but the recent DVD release has been getting a respectable, much deserved marketing campaign.

[rating:4/5]

DVD Features:

• Documentary Featurette, ‘The Making of Rocket Science‘
• Rocket Science Music Video, ‘I Love the Unknown’ written by Eef Barzelay & performed by Clem Snide