what make the teenage year so vex be how a young person line of think evolves from the logical and unadultered mannerism of childhood to the obstinate and interpretive idiosyncrasy of adulthood . a child and we might remember see thing and make a simple yet direct remark about it and yet and a adult and we might see thing and stop to think about it and take into account all our past experience and teaching and and make an observation and when we soon realize that there be other people that have their own observation . bad yet be how the young person do not immediately see this transformation . it be during these year where we begin to contemplate a new reality and one base on indifference and hopelessness . it be here where the young person begin to interpret idea and history and and ideology of all sort and however good or bad they intend to be and and have the option of either reject or accept them . this be where our hero and angus bethune ( play flawlessly by charlie talbert ) be throw in . a a child and he have always be the butt of joke and and along with his best friend troy wedberg ( chris owen ) and the target of bully . his protection have rely on wit and humor and and physical prowess . his love for melissa lefevre ( ariana richards ) be just as strong a his hate for rick sanford ( james van der beek ) . yet and show his affection to his yearn love be and in his opinion and an unreasonable goal . what could possibly make angus reason like this . could it be rick . by the time we be do with the first act we see that rick have already manage to mentally and emotionally and and socially control angus . rick be also highly manipulative and a he use his bullying tactic over troy to betray his own best friend . a if that wasn not enough and he the good look quarterback and the head of the class and which yield ostensible power to him . he show no compassion to whoever he feel be not normal and that be and whoever do not follow his concept of physical and social beauty . although the film do not demonstrate how rick obtain such line of though and his mind be no doubtedly lock in to this ideology . aptly would camus describe rick and his crony no longer represent men and but an idea raise to the temperature of the most inflexible of will . what about angus . what about his influence . he seem to have a very supportive and eccentric family compose of his truck drive mother ( kathy bates ) and his active and unrelenting grandfather ( george c. scott ) . troy and equally eccentric and provide support at school . yet nothing work represent in his mind and his positive trait ( good at science and excellent tackler and full of heart ) can not overcome his negative one ( overweight and timid and reclusive ) . he doesn not open his blind in his bedroom to let the sunlight in and and he already have plan to transfer to another school and where he can be accept for once . he want nothing to do with the outside world and which and he feel and doesn not want him anyway . when rick force angus to come into this world and by rig an election so a to make him dance with melissa and angus becomes really confuse . will angus go to the dance or not . he can have his moment with melissa and yet he will risk humiliation and knowing that rick have set this up . however and the real question this second act be this represent if he make a decision and what will it be base on . how will other people and their idea affect his decision . hereafter and his support group will aggravate angus confusion by bombard him with ideology . his grampa say screw em to anybody who oppose what he want ( of which include marry a woman thirty year his junior ) and demonstrate that angus should not fear what others think of him and thus he should go . his mother want angus to focus on his study and so that he can get his ticket out of owatonna high and thus he should not go . troy and in his whimsical self and think angus need to change his image and manner in order to find acceptance and thus he should go . angus himself think that and in spite of the opportunity to dance with the girl of his dream and he know that rick will make a fool out of him and thus he should not go . how can angus make sense out of all this . this be where grampa come in . he know his grandson very well and and he have faith in angus warm quality . he even go out to get him a nice tuxedo and albeit a plum color one and but angus refuse to wear it . angus love his grampa and but angus feel weak upon the implication of the dance . this all change and however and when grampa die . early in the film and grampa wish that angus could talk to melissa just once before he die . sadly and he will not live to see this . when grampa fiancee april ( anna levine ) bring the plum suit to angus and angus realizes he have betray grampa faith in him . he will say screw em and and set out to attain his goal as well a his self esteem and self determination . thus and angus no long see rick a a bully and but a a danger to his well be . melissa be not merely a love interest and but a token for be courageous and brave . he have a label for these people now and base on numerous level of reason . what so amaze about this film be how it be richly pace . you can take delight in the visual aspect of the film and show compassion for these people . composition create a move experience with the story and use the warm color of autumn . music also play an important role and a it balance teenage angst with feeling of longing and disillusion . how sad that you truly can not enjoy a film like this if you see it quickly . angus warrant a deep study into the nature of bullying and use of power and teenage confusion and conditioning and obesity and and the power to overcome and theme that lie much deep into it after school special facade . don not let the theme of acceptance thwart you off . i must warn you represent if you felt alone and alienate in high school and this movie would not disappoint . if you do not feel alone and alienate and either avoid this film or stop deny it and take the bitter pill and and see and no and observe it . now go have another .