What Goes Up
What Goes Up is a dramedy that follows a number of offbeat teenagers in a small town. An outsider of this town tramples into the world of these kids who are going through loss. Before long, you have a pretty good idea of where the film is going, but there are a few surprises along the way. "What Goes Up" succeeds mostly through its tone, characterizations, and thoughtful performances.
Campbell Babbit (Steve Coogan) is a New York journalist who has been doing a series of articles on Angela, a suffering, but brave inner city mother. It's questioned whether Campbell is obsessed with this woman and why he can't move on to a new subject. He is assigned a puff piece on a New Hampshire town's response to a teacher in their town getting to ride in the space shuttle. While he's in town, he attempts to visit an old friend of his, seemingly just to borrow money. Campbell soon finds out that his friend is dead, leaving several misfit teenagers in mourning. They called him Mr. C, and he was their teacher, friend, and essential savior. They talk about him as if he was their god. Now he is gone and they are as lost as ever. When Campbell gets confused for Mr. C's best friend, he becomes a substitute for his missing old friend. Lucy (Hilary Duff), in particular, takes a liking to Campbell. He discovers from the aggressive and untrusting Tess that she was romantically engaged with Mr. C. This makes the attraction that Lucy now has for Campbell in her teacher's absence much clearer. Not only is he the same age and had a connection to Mr. C., but Campbell also lost someone as well, Angela. Lucy feels for them because of this, thinking they have some sort of connection.
Campbell gets closer and closer to this group of kids and convinces his editor to let him do a piece on how these lost youth follow a man as if he was a god. Before long, Campbell realizes that he is getting too close to his subjects, especially Lucy. He hasn't been completely honest with them and Tess quickly questions his shady story. Meanwhile, Campbell is in line to win the Pulitzer Prize for his stories on Angela. Just the chance that this could happen should be a dream come true for him. He has found himself so consumed in this New Hampshire town that his questionable articles on Angela seem almost shameful now.
The acting is the film's finest asset and admittedly the cast is what drew me to it. Mandy Moore and Amber Tamblyn were originally cast as Lucy and Tess, which would have been an incredible duo. Hilary Duff and Olivia Thirlby ended up taking on these roles, which they really sunk their teeth into and brought their characters out with great vitality. I'm not Hilary Duff's biggest fan, but I have to admit her performance left me very surprised. This is the first good performance of Duff's career. Perhaps this is because she is finally acting rather than just playing another version of her ditsy, girly self. Just about every other role she has had has just been a variation of the vain, shallow klutz. Even in "War, Inc.," where she was clearly trying to branch out, she didn't expose any of the depth that was in her character. As Lucy, she shows a fragile, confused girl who is able to see the beauty in the world. She wants this to come to her own life through love and isn't afraid to proposition for it.
Olivia Thirlby gives plenty of attitude as the rebellious artsy teen, Tess. She is confrontational and suspicious, but has a few secrets of her own. Thirlby gives a certain depth and troubled understanding to the character. She's not necessarily likeable, but she's a real character, not too different from many teens with similar problems. Steve Coogan does very well playing the straight man for a change of pace from some of his goofier roles lately in "Hamlet 2" and "Tropic Thunder." He presents us with a sketchy character, clearly carrying a few morally questionable habits. He is likeable enough and Coogan has a delicate approach to revealing these flaws as he eventually realizes what he has become. Josh Peck of "Drake and Josh" fame also plays one of the misfit kids. He plays his character very serious and brings a heavy devotion that his character constantly uses towards his memory of Mr. C. His character isn't given the same exploration as some of the other main characters, but he does well and gives us an idea of what this teacher meant to them.
The biggest problem in "What Goes Up" is that there is far too much going on. The space shuttle launching and the space high school musical production are thrown into the story without really accomplishing anything. The screen time that these do get could have been better spent on the central plot or further character development on some of the characters that aren't gone into as deeply. The Angela articles do serve a certain importance and help us get a better understanding of more than one of the characters. We certainly come back to it plenty of times throughout the film, but its presentation is hectic and scattered. This makes it necessary to come back to so many times. By doing so, it adds more confusion to an already clustered film. The many stories that encompass the film show how it struggles to decide what type of film it wants to be. Does it want to be a heartfelt drama, an exploitative movie, a mocking critique, a quirky fun film, or a coming of age story? It really doesn't know and dabbles in all of these categories, but not with the best consistency. Even though the material changes, the film is able to hold onto a basic quirky, yet personal tone.
You would never know "What Goes Up" was set in the '80s, aside from a few old cars here and there. The music and wardrobe are pretty modern and, aside from a few events that were going on during this time, the film doesn't add much atmosphere to embody this environment. There are some good themes that help drive the film though. The whole idea of lost teens being brought together and given empowerment and understanding by one teacher simply taking the time is very strong. The incentives are questioned at times through "Romeo and Juliet" readings and sexual interactions with a student, especially for a man who was becoming a priest. It's still undeniable what this man did for these kids, he opened their world completely. The film also serves as a journalistic critique, questioning what one would do for a story. Trust issues, devotion, and an overwhelming need to seek recognition, love, and attention are present as well. "What Goes Up" is an offbeat and engaging film, even if it is a bit confused and congested at times.