Pretty Persuasion

One of the "popular girls" decides to put her mean streak to work in this black comedy. Kimberly Joyce (Evan Rachel Wood) is an outwardly friendly but inwardly cold and manipulative teenager who attends an exclusive private school in Beverly Hills when she's not making fun of her twentysomething ...more

This dark comedy sounds, on paper, like yet another Heathers homage. But unlike Clueless, Mean Girls and their feel-good ilk, Pretty Persuasion focuses on deadpan social commentary rather than pop self-consciousness. More clever than laugh-out-loud funny, the film has plenty to say about political correctness, sexual impropriety, and the inanities of local TV news. It's not exactly subtle -- especially during its forced, heavy-handed climax -- but it does establish a broad satirical agenda ...more