The cast is led by Freddie Highmore, the actor who broke as the adorably depressed orphan in Finding Neverland.  Since then, he’s consistently chosen mediocre projects that actually seem to be a good fit for him.  He plays George, a fatalistic teenager who’s about to graduate a private high school in New York, despite having never turned in a single assignment for the last year.  He’s really meant to be depressed, but Highmore just doesn’t have the skills to make anyone believe it.  He doesn’t seem to be able to do anything without a half smile and a glint in his eye.  If we can’t believe he’s depressed, we must believe he’s just lazy.  And what is interesting or new about a lazy, unmotivated teenager unsatisfied with what is actually a pretty good life?

George is paired with a popular girl named Sally, also meant to seem unhappy.  She’s played by Emma Roberts, who’s reprising her role from It’s Kind of a Funny Story.  George begins to mentored by a successful artist in his twenty, played by Michael Angarano.  If you don’t immediately see a love triangle that leaves George out in the cold, this probably is a film you’ll enjoy.

In this attempted creation of a world where high school is meant to seem like the catalyst for the rest of your life, Wiesen has placed all his teenage characters in apartments where they live by themselves.  They run hip dance clubs during New Year’s Eve celebrations, and if any of the characters need to have mildly serious talk, they go to a bar, and do it over a beer.  Despite the fact they all look like they’re thirteen years old.  Even though George’s parents are getting evicted from the offices of their business, and forced to sell their apartment, he still seems to have plenty of money to drink champagne out of the bottle, or to take Sally out to a restaurant on Valentine’s Day.  The whole thing seems disingenuous, artifically emotional, and overall unsatisfying.  And with a soundtrack that must have cost the filmmakers much more than the entire budgets of most of the films at Sundance, Homework sticks out as an awkward, sore thumb.

1.5 out of 4 stars

Scott Bartlet (Rory Culkin) is a typical 15-year-old boy growing up in late-1970s Long Island.  His suburban existence is primarily marked by a nerdy interest in Star Wars, fending off bullies at high school, his longtime crush on neighbor/best friend Adrianna Bragg (Emma Roberts), and navigating the dysfunctional terrain of his parents’ rocky marriage–all against the paranoid backdrop of a Lyme disease outbreak, which has freaked out Scott’s high strung mother, Brenda (Jill Hennessy), and has already claimed Adrianna’s father, Charlie (Timothy Hutton) as a victim. With Charlie out of work due to his illness, Adrianna’s mother, Melissa (Cynthia Nixon), takes a job working for Scott’s father, Mickey (Alec Baldwin), a successful real-estate developer, and soon embarks on a messy affair.  When eldest son Jimmy (Kieran Culkin) returns from army training and confronts his father about Mickey’s less-than-discreet adultery, both families are forever changed by the devastating consequences.

The film is especially impressive as it’s Derick Martini’s directorial debut.  He co-wrote the script with brother Steve Martini (who penned the terrific original score) and also produced.  The film is hilarious with some very touching moments that keep the film grounded.  The ensemble cast is terrific as well.  Rory Culkin may end up having a more successful career than older brother Macaulay.  Although Lymelife has a few missteps, it will provide most with an enjoyable story of the dysfunctional American family that may hit closer to home than is comfortable.  Be warned though, the pitchblack humor may not be for everyone.

3 out of 4 stars