This is just one more in a long line of boring, filmed-in-BC, movies-with-a-message. Don't believe all the four- and five-star fake reviews from the cast and crew; it is formulaic garbage. Like everything else coming out of BC these days, it uses one has-been actor (Andie MacDowell) and a bunch of 25- and 28-year-olds, playing teenagers. There is not one believable scene in the entire movie, and - like every other "message movie" "stalker movie" or "murderer movie" out of BC - it is 99% talk talk talk.Examples. Wanna get your actors to appear edgy? Portray them hotboxing in a stranger's dad's van. Wanna see what the term "phoning in your performance" really means? Watch Andie MacDowall, who very obviously did this one only for the money.Typical CBC/Lifetime boring movie, made by too many actors and crew who spent too much time hotboxing and not enough time writing, directing, filming and acting. If you keep waiting for this movie to get better, trust me; it never does.

Caroline Wexler (Kat Dennings) moves with her father to a small town. Thurston Goldberg (Reece Thompson) falls for the new girl. She has sex with her teacher Mr. Anderson (Josh Lucas). Ms. Budge (Rachel Blanchard) is the health teacher.Kat Dennings rules this picture. She overpowers almost everybody in every scene she's in. She has an amazing scene in the girl's bathroom. If there is a problem, it's there's too many side stories going on. Much of it is used to create atmosphere. There's a serial killer roaming the town, and there's an industrial fire burning on the outskirts. Much of it is unnecessary and serves no purpose. Kat Dennings and the teen drama is more than enough.

Daydream Nation is a flawed,but entertaining well made Coming of Age film filled with great performances and great direction that is dramatic and sometimes darkly funny. The film is described as Juno meets Donnie Darko and while Daydream isn't as memorable as those two films Daydream Nation is a fine film in it's own right.Daydream Nation tells the tale of a big city teenage girl named Caroline Wexler(Kat Dennings) who has moved with her father to a small town. Feeling like she can't relate to her fellow students Caroline becomes friends and has an affair with her teacher Barry Anderson(Josh Lucas). Trying to cover-up the affair,Caroline begins seeing and falling for fellow student Thurston Goldberg(Resse Thompson)which starts a love triangle. While that is going on there is a serial killer around town killing young girls and a series of events that will effects the main characters and the small town's people.I love Coming Of Age films because good Coming Of Age films depict the hardships and confusion of growing up and it can be funny or very dramatic and Daydream Nation is a film that truly fits in the Coming Of Age genre. Daydream Nation is a wonderful film from beginning to end because of the characters and the way it depicts small town life. The characters whether it's Caroline,Thurston,Barry or other characters are flawed human beings who are unsure of themselves because of strange behavior,tragic events or actions,whether it's dealing with death,past events or characters in their present life. Like any good Coming of Age film,the movie wonderfully shows the main character growing up and having to deal with life as a teenager. Caroline is new in the small town and trying to find herself in her new surroundings and while at times Caroline seems so sure of herself,she is just as confused as the other characters in the film. What I also like about the film is that the character Caroline isn't a one-note character with no emotion and that at times you can see that she has some moments and feelings of guilt and sadness over what she's doing in the film and you can feel her heartache and growth that Caroline goes through in the film. You may not always like the main characters because of the way they are and their actions but you will relate to most of the characters because they are flawed. The film's screenplay by Michael Goldbach(who also directed) is well-written giving the characters sharp dialog,great lines and scenes. I love how the small town and it's people are shown. The small town depicted in Daydream Nation is shown in a dark,surreal and at times funny way showing the town that's surrounded with a cloud of smoke,huge trees and weather that makes the town look like a dream. The small town in Daydream Nation at times feels like it could have taken place in any small town in the United States but only this time small town life is distorted and offbeat and where everything is really strange and weird almost like if the film Blue Velvet was like a Coming Of Age film. Small town life in Daydream Nation can be really wild and sometimes crazy but and the same time the small town in DN can have a beautiful scenery that is sadly swept underneath thanks to the darkly humorous and strange underbelly with the film's characters. The small town teenagers are so bored out of their minds the only things they do is get high,have parties and have sex and it's told in a humorous and sometimes sad way,while little children play around not to have a good time,but to past the time. For the teenagers and kids they're no social clubs,playgrounds or even video games or computers it's just lots of trees,cloud smoke and use of drugs. The adults in the film are lonely people who have no idea what their children are doing and raising theirs kids in single parent households living in a very grim and depressing small town life and are just as lost and as confused as their kids are. The film is David Lynch-lite. The only flaw with the film is that there are too many subplots in the movie which are good and interesting,but not developed enough. The ending of the film is truly beautiful and strange and is a great conclusion that caps off the film and tells you what happens to most of the characters.The cast does great jobs in their roles. I am a huge Kat Dennings fan and she does a great and excellent job as Caroline bringing the same depth,beauty,smarts and sarcasm she brings to her other roles. I have seen nearly all of Kat Dennings films and I will watch anything she's in. Resse Thompson does a great job as Thurston,Caroline's other love interest playing a weird awkward teenager well. Josh Lucas does a wonderful job as Barry Caroline's teacher and love interest. Andie Macdowell does good job as Thurston's mom Enid Goldberg. The rest of the cast including Rachel Blanchard(Ms. Budge),Ted Whittall(Mr. Wexler),Katie Boland(Jenny),Landon Liboiron(Paul),Natasha Cails(Lily Goldberg)and Quinn Lord(Thomas) also do great jobs as well.Michael Goldbach does a fine job directing the film giving the film a beautiful,unique and surreal visual style to the film using different colors in the film. Good direction,Goldbach.The score by Ohad Benchetrit is well-done and effective and adds to the dark,surreal feel of the film. Good score.In final word,Daydream Nation is a flawed,but entertaining film thanks to the performances from Kat Dennings and the rest of the cast and the direction of the film and you can watch the movie based on the performances and direction. Highly Recommended. 9.5/10.

We started watching this on Netflix streaming movies and aborted after 18 minutes when the high school character began to seduce her teacher at his home. But I was curious so watched it to completion on the second evening. While it isn't as bad as we initially thought it would be, it still isn't a very good movie, especially when you consider the quality of the actors.Kat Dennings is Caroline Wexler, high school student new in town, her mother died and she and her dad live alone. She is smarter and more world-wise than the other high school students and she never resists an opportunity to explain that to one of them.Josh Lucas is Barry Anderson , one of her teachers. She decides rather quickly that she will seduce him and begin an affair with him. Even though she is 18 (actually in her early 20s) and he is 30-something (actually about 38 during filming) she seems to be the more adult in the pairing.The other key character is Reece Thompson as Thurston Goldberg , a nice boy who wants to date Caroline but she seems preoccupied, but he doesn't give up. In a good performance in a supporting role is Andie MacDowell as his mother, Enid Goldberg .We have seen Lucas in a number of different roles, including this seasons TV series "The Firm", and his role here is a complete departure from anything he has done before. He handles it well, as does Dennings, but overall it is a mediocre movie at best, dealing with life angst among teachers and teenagers. Plus a serial killer running around.