(2006) Watching this film from David S. Goyer, I felt trapped between the risible and the hissible.

It's finals week for "very bright" high-school senior Nick Powell (Justin Chatwin, who resembles a young Tom Cruise), who wants to go to London for a writing program. Since his mother (Marcia Gay Harden) is opposed to his going away, on the side Nick has been earning money for his plane ticket by writing essays for other students. Nick's father died when he was 13; he feels trapped by his mother's expectations for him.

When Nick pays off a drug debt to a group of hoodlums at school for his best friend Pete, he whispers in the ear of their leader, Annie Newton (Margarita Levieva): "You're so broken." They both end up in the principal's office after Annie leaps at Nick; she tells him he's no better than she is with his selling essays.

Annie, who has a lousy home life with her stepmother (her mother died) and indifferent father, and her boyfriend Marcus, who's out on parole, steal a car while she does a smash-and-grab of jewelry. Angry with her recklessness, Marcus tells her: "You're way out of control."

After someone squeals on Annie, she assumes Pete's to blame. Pete, surrounded by Annie and her bullies, denies any involvement; but when his attackers appear unconvinced, pins the tail on Nick because he believes Nick has already boarded a flight for London. Unfortunately, the flight was postponed; Nick's mother, unaware of his plan, received the call from the airline.

Annie and her two thugs, with Pete in tow, go after Nick, and beat him severely; Annie slams him so hard that Nick appears dead. They dump Nick down a manhole.

The next day Nick appears in school, but no one pays him any heed. He's invisible to them, a ghost in a nightmare limbo who "sleep walks and talks." Eventually he realizes that he's alive but only so long as his unconscious corporal form can cling to life. If his body isn't found soon, his ghostly existence will expire.

Futilely Nick tries to communicate with others while observing with frustration the detectives assigned to his missing-person case. Meanwhile, the bad girl says to her little brother Victor: "Maybe if I'm lucky I'll get to do one good thing."

As Annie, who's been under suspicion of involvement, escapes from Detective Larson, Nick shouts after her: "They'll catch you, Annie!" She yells back: "Never!" It would have been a good thing had I never seen Nick and his ilk.

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Copyright © 2008 Patrick Ivers. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.

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