“Confessions of an American Girl” is a difficult film to pigeonhole. On the one hand it is a rather quirky comedy; wile on the other it appears to be a fairly accurate mirror focused on the life of your average trailer trash family. This isn’t to say that all trailer park families are trashy, but from where I sit (which is deep in the heart of Texas) positive role models are few and far between trailer trash central. All I can say is thank God I never lived in a trailer park and am not FROM Texas. In “Confessions of an American Girl”, we are introduced to the Grubbs family. The central figure, at least as far as the film is concerned, is Rena Grubbs (Jena Malone), a young girl who is rather clothes challenged (as in sticking to shorts and tank tops), is picked on mercilessly by other students because of her position in life, and ‘dates’ the most popular guy in school for all the wrong reasons. And when I say ‘dates’, I mean he picks her up for the occasional round of sex and that’s about it. To make matters worse… she’s even pregnant.

Yet, in spite of the fact that it’s obvious that he doesn’t care about her at all, she attempts suicide when he unceremoniously dumps her. She lives with her mother (Michelle Forbes), her brother (Brad Renfro) and her half-sister. Dad, it seems, is currently serving a life sentence in prison for killing a couple of homosexuals in a ‘fight.’ So far, this family would be right at home in Texas.

At first the film seems to be nothing more than a look at a typical trailer trash family, which in itself serves up a lot of backward, and oftentimes dark, humor. Watching these people, it’s hard to imagine how they can even dress themselves and tie their shows in the morning. It’s not that they’re entirely stupid, but more so that they are just so naïve. As it progresses, however I started to find it a rather deep and well thought out character study. By the time the film is over, I felt less sorry for these people as I did initially going in.

The recent DVD release from MGM delivers a very good transfer for what had to have been a fairly low budget film. My only disappointment was the lack of extra features. Normally with a smaller film like this, I can either take or leave the extra features. But thanks to some really standout performances by the cast, I would have been very interested to see some interviews at the very least.

“Confessions of an American Girl” won’t appeal to everyone. I imagine most will find it to be a little dull at first, but if you are really into movies that act as a strong character study as opposed to a straight out narrative, you’ll find a lot to like here.

Directed by: Jordan Brady
Starring: Jena Malone, Brad Renfro, Chris Mulkey, Michelle Forbes, Clifton Collins, Jr.
Extras: None
Specifications: Widescreen (1.85:1) Enhanced for 16x9 Televisions, Stereo Surround
Studio: MGM
Release Date: 1/11/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R (Sexual Content, Language, Teen Suicidal Behavior and Brief Drug Use)
Website

We'll give Confessions of an American Girl a B.