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I remember several
years ago I watched a special on TV called
“Scared Straight.” In it, we
were shown teenagers who were sent to a
prison to sit in front of murderers and
rapists. Their job was to convince these
kids that a life of crime was not the way
to go in life. They were yelled at, made
fun of, and ultimately told that not a single
one of them would survive in prison. The
idea was to scare these kids into turning
their lives around. Don’t know if
it worked for them, but it sure convinced
me.
Nowadays, as parents are facing an increasingly
violent and unfortunately ‘connected’
world to raise their children in, there
are even tougher methods available. The
most popular is to send your kids to a ‘Boot
Camp’, where they are forced to work
and learn the skills they need to survive
in today’s climate. In theory, the
idea is sound, though I think it takes a
weak parent to NOT raise a good kid. Most
parents I meet today are too involved with
their own lives and ‘careers’
to bother with their kids.
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They think the way to love them is to either
ignore them or buy them everything. Neither works…
let me tell you.
But the hope is at least these VERY weak parents
have an outlet that will help their kids. Shipping
them off to a Boot Camp to make them someone else’s
responsibility seems to be the way to go. My problem
with these Boot Camps is that they are all over
the place and not regulated in any way. For all
we know these kids are being tortured or forced
to trade sexual favors for the smallest things.
And do you think most parents are taking the time
to look into the place they are sending their
offspring? Hell no. They’re too busy getting
their nails done or golfing on Wednesday.
This is the subject of a recent film called,
oddly enough, “Boot Camp.” Possibly
based on true events, the film introduces us to
Sophie (Mila Kunis), who is sent to a Boot Camp
in Fiji. She is a troubled girl and of course
the hope is that she will grow and learn to be
a better person. Unfortunately, the camp is run
by an especially sadistic doctor (Peter Stormare)
who brainwashes his charges with non-stop work,
ankle bracelets and very harsh punishments. Her
boyfriend, Ben (Gregory Smith), is the only one
who believes she is in even worse trouble and
he sets off to try and fee her.
For the most part “Boot Camp” is
a fairly entertaining movie and once again Mila
Kunis shows us she is more than just a comedic
actress. There are plot holes galore, but if you
choose at the outset to overlook them, chances
are you’ll find yourself in for a good Saturday
afternoon viewing experience. I would have to
question just how real the events are that are
depicted, as it is really difficult to believe
any place can get away with being this bad…
but then again, who knows? Certainly they would
cause me to really investigate a camp before I
ever sent my kids… though I take responsibility
for them and am certain I never would.
The screener that was sent to me did not have
any special features, and from the menu it seems
as though there simply aren’t any. I personally
would have liked to have seen some more information
on the actual Boot Camp, but no such luck.
Directed by: Christian Duguay
Starring: Mila Kunis, Gregory Smith, Peter Stormare,
Regine Nehy, Alejandro Rae, Christopher Jacot,
Tygh Runyan, Matthew Smalley, Colleen Rennison
Extras: None
Specifications: Widescreen (1.85:1); Dolby Digital
5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: MGM
Release Date: 8/25/2009
MPAA Rating: Unrated
http://www.mgm.com/dvd.php
We'll give Boot Camp a C.
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