Palo Alto movie review

Article by Gabe Zia

Lazy Film Critic reviews....

So Palo Alto is the directorial debut of Gia Coppola, the most recent member of the Coppola family to become a director (Other Coppolas have been Francis Ford Coppola who made The Godfather, and Sofia Coppola who made Lost in Translation). The film stars Jack Kilmer, Emma Roberts, Nat Wolff, James Franco, Val Kilmer, and Zoe Levin. The film centers around two teenagers who are both going through difficult points in their youth. The film is also based on a book, "Palo Alto Stories" written (oddly enough) by James Franco.

Nat Wolff and Jack Kilmer in Palo Alto

Now, high school films as a genre can be very hit or miss. You can either get something smart and clever, or something shallow and immature. However, luckily for Gia Coppola, this film hits its marks very well. This is a superbly well made and well rounded film. Gia Coppola shows that she is certainly a director to watch for, because she shows major talent here with this film. The cinematography in the film is brilliant, each shot has a small colour tint, or a bit of a haze, giving the film this unique look and overall tone that I just couldn't get enough of.

Emma Roberts in Palo Alto

The acting in the film is also great, each of the actors do a good job at making these characters feel real and human. Jack Kilmer does a good job as (kind of) the lead, playing a character who is definitely conflicted, he may have problems, but he's still a likable character. Emma Roberts was one of the biggest surprises for me, walking out of this film. She shows remarkable talent here, displaying a lot of emotion, and a lot of character. Nat Wolff was the standout for me, playing Fred. Fred is one of the most interesting characters I've seen in a film this year so-far. He shows off some craziness and some humour earlier in the film, stealing some of the scenes with his lines. But, as the film progresses, this character turned from comedic relief to a dark and depressing character. His character is clearly emotionally troubled, and he does a good job of putting that in the film, but through subtle nuances.

Emma Roberts and Jack Kilmer in Palo Alto

I have some gripes with this film, however. A smaller gripe is Val Kilmers character, Stewart. Val Kilmer does a pretty good job in the role, but I don't think he's in the movie enough. In the scene's he is in, he pretty much stole the scenes, but there's only around two of them, so that's kind of a bummer. Also, the film is very short, at only an hour and a half. For something small and constrained, like Enemy, that runtime works. But this film is supposed to be set over the course of a full year, and due to the films length, it doesn't at all feel like that. It feels like it's set over the course of a month.

Final Rating
Palo Alto is an interesting and very enjoyable film. The directing is excellent, and the actors each do a fantastic job. The film is brilliantly shot, the music is great, and the editing is great. Although I have a few issues with the film, they don't bog it down too much for me. I still really like this film, and I'm glad it finally came out here so I could see it.

Palo Alto: 4.3/5