Alien at the Movies

Slanted

It’s “Mean Girls” meets “Substance” in this high school drama/horror/very dark comedy dealing with racism, cultural assimilation, peer pressure, & identity. Eight-year-old Joan Huang immigrates to America with her parents. As an Asian-American, she has a hard time adjusting & being accepted into the American life style. Ten years later, she is in high school & wants to fit in with the popular girls group… rich, blue-eyed blondes. The insecure Joan (Shirley Chen) opts for an experimental ethnic surgery that will transform her to look like those popular girls she idolizes. After the surgery, she becomes Jo Hunt (Mckenna Grace) a new girl at school, joins into that popular girl clique, & chases her prom queen dreams. If you are familiar with the 2 movies I previously mentioned, you’ll know where this cautionary tale of “be careful what you wish for” is going. Like “Carrie”, the climax peaks at prom & the crowning of the prom king & queen. I️ liked the premise, but the film fell short on execution… not enough horror for horror fans… too twistedly dark for comedy fans…  I️ was hoping for more satire & humor to drive the themes.

Alien gives it 2 “the American Dream” stars out of 4.