In yet another attempt to portray the reality our generation faces daily, CBC has brought us Straight Up, a six-part series airing Mondays at 9:30 EST. The series comes to us from the creators of Talk 16, Janis Lundman and Adrienne Mitchell, memorable for its deep insights. These are delivered by real teen girls, and include such gems as the one that all feminists are "like, lesbians or something". I'll wager all the adults involved in the show's production thought they were creating something really hip that all the kids would dig. Instead, what they have managed to do is create a new "reality" that many of us can't ever live up to. I mean, I often found myself thinking "This is my life?"
Filmed in and around some of my favourite downtown Toronto hangouts, the series has the feel of a collection of short stories. Each half-hour episode deals with a different topic from (you guessed it, folks) s-e-x to looking for a rave (hey, that's unique). Several main characters occasionally appear in the background of subsequent episodes. The director, Jerry Ciccoritti, has taken to (over?) using incredibly irritating documentary-style filming techniques, such as extreme close-ups and freeze frames, giving the drama that too-cool-for-school touch. The actors are mostly unknowns, the plots are presented in original ways, and the soundtrack features music by some great Canadian bands (Blinker the Star, Hip Club Groove, as well as various others). Call me a cynic, I get the feeling these are all contrived moves to entice would-be viewers to watch the series and buy the soundtrack album.
I certainly was not endeared to the series by its unimpressive premiere episode, Jam. It's the sad, lengthy story of Marcia (Robin Brule), who can't achieve orgasm with her controlling boyfriend, Tony (Tomas Chovanec). I confess, I did laugh. If Marcia had been a guest on Camilla Scott's fabulous show, someone would have stood up and said, "Honey, get out of this relationship. He's no good." Again, "this is my life?" sprang to mind.
A major improvement is the second episode, Dead Babies, which deals with darker subject matter. It features Sarah Polley, she of Road To Avonlea fame, as Lily, the porcelain-skinned goth girl (personally, I've never seen such perfectly overdone gothic-style make up and clothing, and I've even been to a Nine Inch Nails show. And yes, they do have all the trends and stereotypes covered, which makes me feel awkward ... where's my category?). Lily becomes fascinated with Rory (Justin Peroff) after he reads one of his eerie poems in class. Eventually the two get together, open up to one another, as a result, they seem to come to a better understanding of their worlds. Okay, so it's not everyone's vibe, but I enjoyed it, save for the affected goth look.
A nearly distressing and painful episode is Siege, which dramatizes the police force's mistreatment of Dennis (Merwin Mondesir) for no apparent reason (read: because he's black). Although a bit hard to follow and at times way too dull (I had the luxury of a fast-forward button), the basic storyline had the potential to be hard-hitting. As it stands, any great moments are overshadowed by faults.
A recent print ad for the show bore the pretentious line "People feel threatened when they don't understand". Oh, like, gag me. Straight Up is supposed to be realistic and cutting edge, but it gives me the impression that the producers were trying to push the edges of the envelope as far as possible. I'm tired of having my life as a teenager presented to me on a spoon in such a patronizing manner. Or maybe I'm just bitter because Degrassi is no longer on the air (hint, hint, CBC!).
Click here to view the official Straight Up site
