" crazy/beautiful " suffers from the damned-if-you-do , damned-if-you-don't syndrome . after a spate of flighty , cookie-cutter teen films , the romantic drama addresses alcoholism and parental loss along with its love story . but rather than applaud the production , early reviews have dismissed it as an overblown " afterschool special . " even worse , in the wake of federal trade commission hearings that blasted the industry for marketing violent and sexual movies to young people , the studio got a case of the heebie-jeebies and forced director john stockwell to re-shoot scenes and cut footage to " tone things down . " needless to say , the filmmaker was frustrated . " we were trying to make a cautionary tale , " he told newsweek , " and we couldn't show the behavior we were trying to caution people away from . " regardless , <POS> the film works </POS> , thanks to <POS> exceptional performances from its lead players </POS> and a script <POS> determined to transcend stereotypes </POS> . " crazy/beautiful " is <POS> quality fare </POS> , good enough that i half-expected the summer movie crap police to walk into the press screening and confiscate the print for " failure to incorporate explosions and poop jokes . " set in pacific palisades , calif . , the story follows the burgeoning relationship between two teens . every morning and evening , carlos nunez ( jay hernandez ) takes a two-hour bus ride in order to attend pacific high school . an honor student and star athlete , carlos is responsible , modest and focused as he works on securing a place in the naval academy . all is well until he meets nicole oakley ( kirsten dunst ) , the daughter of a rich congressman ( bruce davison ) . nicole is a drunk apparently hell-bent on self-destruction . carlos is smart enough to recognize the danger in getting involved with her , but he is only human and she has the greatest smile . plus , as her father notes , she has a real knack for drawing others into her downward spiral . as with " save the last dance , " " crazy/beautiful " ( god , how i hate lower-case titles ) takes situations that look stale on paper and makes them seem fresh . while noting the racial and social differences between the kids , the screenplay dances around most of the clich ? s ( there are still several mtv moments , though ) . the filmmakers make a point to give characters that crucial extra bit of shading that turns them into individuals instead of stereotypes and the actors take it from there . cute-as-a-button dunst forces the viewer to share the pain beneath nicole's behavior . she is <POS> credible enough </POS> that when dad urges carlos to get away from her before she drags him down , i hoped the boy would listen . as carlos , hernandez <POS> is a revelation </POS> . <POS> hunky without looking like the product of a hollywood design team </POS> , the young man <POS> can really act </POS> ; <POS> we will see a lot of this guy in the future </POS> . aside from its title , the biggest problem with " crazy/beautiful " is its ending , which wraps everything up too fast and too tidy . after carefully presenting <POS> credible characters and situations </POS> , the conclusion feels rushed and lazy . still , <POS> this is the kind of film that deserves accolades from critics </POS> instead of cheap shots . " afterschool special " my ass ? " crazy/beautiful " <POS> is the real deal </POS> .
