Plot: What’s it about?
The idea of high school girls being dissed by their guys is nothing new, but when these three friends end up on the short end, the story takes a few turns, ones no one has seen, perhaps even imagined before. But then again, these aren’t your usual high school girls, they’re an elite trio of feminine wiles, led by the gorgeous and fearless Jefferson Roth (Dominique Swain). The second in command is Karen Carter (Busy Phillips) and the final member is Lisa Stockwell (Keri Lynn Pratt), who is more innocent than mean, but wants to be accepted by the others, so she falls in line and does as she is told. The three have had enough to being used, abused, and mistreated by the males in their lives, so they decide to stage an overthrow of power in a most unusual fashion. The girls forge a plan to rape one of the boys who torment them, wearing unusual costumes, masks, and brandishing a gun for impact’s sake. But while the plan unfolds in expected form, the results are not even close and they may have set into motion a chain of events even they can’t stop, one that could change their lives forever…
This movie had a very brief shelf life in theaters, as mainstream audiences never connected with it, as it takes a dark, very offbeat approach. The Smokers is often hard to follow, hard to relate to, and hard to understand, but if you can appreciate cinema for visuals, style, and risk taking, then you’ll be pleased here. The premise is outlandish, yes and the characters aren’t the kind we want to be like, but that is not a bad thing at all in this case. You will not want to feel connected to these people and while that would be bad in most films, it works here because of how the storyline & characters have been structured. The call for suspension of disbelief is massive, but if you can enter that frame of mind, then The Smokers has some cool, memorable moments to offer, without a shadow of a doubt. The performances are good, with Dominique Swain, Busy Phillips, and Keri Lynn Pratt in the main roles, while director Christina Peters creates a stunning visual atmosphere, especially with the costumes and makeup. No, this is not your typical teen flick, but that’s a good thing and for genre fans looking for something new & outrageous, The Smokers is recommended. But a rental should suffice in most cases, as MGM has slapped on a high asking price and done little with the disc, which means minimal value.
The main reason I was drawn to this film was Dominique Swain, whose work I have followed & enjoyed since she made her feature film debut. Swain hasn’t been in a lot of projects, but she has taken on some choice parts and even if the movies weren’t high profile, her work still shined and elevated the material. I think Swain really brought her “A game” to The Smokers, as even when the material dips here and there, she is able to keep her character on an even keel, one much higher than is written, to be sure. No, she won’t win an Oscar for her performance here, but it is another notch in her belt and with very few roles on her resume, that is very important. You can also see Swain in such films as Lolita, Face/Off, The Naked Dead, Girl, and The Intern. The cast also includes Busy Phillips (Tv’s Dawson’s Creek), Keri Lynn Pratt (Drive Me Crazy, America’s Sweethearts), and Oliver Hudson (The Out-of-Towners).
Video: How does it look?
The Smokers is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame option included on the disc’s flip side. As you’d expect from a day & date release, this transfer looks terrific and leaves little room for concern, some great work from MGM here. The film’s bright and bold visuals come across in full impact here, with vivid colors streaming throughout the picture, high detail presence, well defined black levels, and no signs of errors, so it all looks flawless, almost. I did note a couple of small problems, but nothing to be worried about and in the end, The Smokers looks excellent on this disc.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio here is well presented, but this kind of material is not ideal for audio bliss, so don’t expect much beyond the basics. There is some nice surround presence and dynamic audio at times, but for the most part, this is dialogue driven and based in the front channels, which is what the material seems natural within. The vocals come through in clean, crisp form and the music sounds good also, no real complaints to be made. This disc also includes subtitles in English, Spanish, and French, should you need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc contains no bonus materials.
