Writer/director Alan Ball (of "American Beauty" and "Six Feet Under" fame) has never been my cup of tea and his new movie "Towelhead" has, unfortunately, reinforced my opinion. I was actually unaware that he was the creator of this interesting, uneven but ultimately unsatisfying exploration of the cultural divide as experienced by a young Middle Eastern girl living in Houston, Texas. It was not what I'd expected from viewing the trailer, which doesn't necessarily need to be a bad thing but in this case turned out to be just that. The film's relentless emphasis on this teenage girl's budding sexuality and the middle aged men who find it irresistably fascinating took center stage, rather than an exploration of racial and cultural themes. When Ball's name came up on the credits as the writer/director, the mystery was solved. This movie, for me, was almost like "American Beauty" with a Texas accent. Yikes.
Beautiful Jasira (wonderfully played by Summer Bishil) is a 13-year-old who looks older (and sexier) than her years. When her mother (Maria Bello) outsts her from the house due to an inappropriate interaction with the mother's boyfriend, Jasira finds herself in Houston with her strict, traditional Lebanese father (Peter Macdissi in a terrific performance). Surrounded by tract housing, suburban whitebread neighbors and racist classmates the upset girl struggles to adjust while becoming acutely aware of her awakening adolescent sexuality. Next door neighbor Aaron Eckhart, a married, good old boy reservist, complicates life when he becomes attracted to Jasira. The always excellent Toni Collette rounds out the cast as a somewhat meddling but well meaning neighbor who tries to protect Jasira from the many harmful influences in her life. There's also a thoughtful boyfriend (Eugene Jones) in the picture for this popular young girl who seems to attract every male within range. The Gulf War acts as a convenient backdrop for some of the cultural conflicts experienced by both Jasira and her father.
As in "American Beauty", Ball emphasizes the irresponsible behavior of the adults and the sexual behavior of the teenagers. My problem with "Towelhead" is its almost prurient fascination with Jasira's sexuality. Perhaps this film merely suffers in comparison with another earlier, similarly themed movie, the brilliant "Welcome to the Dollhouse" (from Todd Solondz) which, for me, is the gold standard of portraying female adolescent hell. Ball's characters never really catch fire, acting more as representations of themes than actual living, breathing people.
Things to love about this movie: Some excellent, biting comments on cultural disparities; good performances across the board (especially by Macdissi and Bishil)
Things to hate about this movie: The birth of a baby ends the movie on what's obviously supposed to be an inspiring note (ho-hum, how trite); an animal bites the dust (which always bothers me when it's used for an inconsequential reason); Ball's obsession with sexy young girls and middle aged guys (a la Spacey and Suvari from "American Beauty" and now this movie)
Pleasant surprises: Eckhart makes a really good creep
Unpleasant surprises: Way too many scenes involving the shaving of Jasira's pubic hair (yes, you heard me right)
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