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A more sentimental but no less geeky Superbad style
crude-lite slice of burb teen life, Bart Got A Room is not
so much about prom night renting rituals, as moving metaphorically
about in the perplexing space between adolescence and the
unfathomable adult world. And the refreshing hormones-in-crisis
humor here derives, not from the conventional yearning to
attain high school popularity 'it'hood, but rather treading
just above the terror of sinking way down into bottom feeder
tee n exile.***
Steve Kaplan gets it just right as Danny, a nervous
wreck Florida high school senior in frantic search of a
dream date to take to the prom. His tubby pal Craig (Brandon
Hardesty) merely spouts unhelpful backyard pool hip musings
like a chatty beached whale, while strictly platonic best
friend Camille (Alia Shawkat) is brokenhearted because Danny
isn't asking her.***
In the interim, the exasperated romantic daydreamer
who can't seem to hunt down an ideal date, has all the incidentals
lined up like the limo and tux, courtesy of his recently
divorced parents (William H. Macy and Cheryl Hines) in rediscovered
heat of their own, as they pursue new and unusual sex partners.***
Bart Got A Room projects touching without trite teen
loser lyricism consumed in equal measure by broken hearts
and broken families. Though with the self-possessed adults
bearing the brunt of writer/director Brian Hecker's resentful
satirical tone in this autobiogrpahical outing. While a
major disappointment is an all too fleeting ditzy Jennifer
Tilly cameo, as Dad's sexpot chat room blind date who prefers
her men 'like a layer of damp leaves.'***
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