Jennifer Renee

In the pilot, we see the world through Rue's eyes, she provides viewers with the backstory of an over-medicated child, and the dark reality of self-medicating teenager. Upon returning to her hometown after a summer in rehab, she finds herself swayed by bad habits and enticed by a prospective new friendship. By encapsulating themes of abuse, anxiety, addiction, and peer pressure, the storyline tells the tale of a beautiful yet harrowing adolescence in the 2019 world of sex, drugs, and social media. In short: this show is as controversial as it is raw. Some may say Euphoria is melodramatic and unrealistic, but I disagree. I have seen a number of things portrayed in the show occur in the world around me. Drugs existed when I was a teenager, so did substance abuse, domestic violence, rape, depression, suicide, etc. Although I have never suffered from these afflictions myself, that certainly doesn't mean things like this don't happen. Because they do. Things like this do happen, to us, to our family members, to our friends, to everyone in some way. I understand if someone didn't enjoy the show because they didn't care for the actor's portrayal or maybe because it isn't the light-hearted entertainment that they're used to. However, I do take issue with someone saying it's unrealistic, simply because it's not their reality. Anyway, I do like the show so far. It makes me uncomfortable, and that's a good thing. Most issues that today's teenagers face are uncomfortable, and they need to be recognized as such. By the way, if you watched Zendaya's interview with the executive producer after the premiere, you would know that the intent of the show was not to shock viewers with the depravity of young people, but to shine a sympathetic light on the struggles of our adolescence in hopes to establish better understanding from older generations. Side note #1: The camera work was decent, they took some interesting angles and perspective shots to emphasize the delirium of drugs, so that was a nice touch. Side note #2: There is only one episode out, so all reviews should be taken with a grain of salt.

In short: Fantastic movie. Think Mean Girls meets Love Simon meets 21 & Over, but with more substance. (NOTICE: I did NOT say Superbad.) This film features refreshing original humor alongside an obscure, yet incredibly talented cast. In addition, the movie actually conveys pretty strong messages regarding teenage insecurities. All in all, I really believe that this is a one of a kind picture. Personally, I don't have much to criticize about the film. Although, I did see that some viewers didn't like how unrelatable/unrealistic the movie was. That's a fair point, but just remember: in any Hollywood high school production, the storyline is always going to be a bit exaggerated, especially since this is a comedy. Therefore, it may not be all that reasonable to expect the film to be representative of one's actual high school experience. Afterall, it's not like we expected Ron Burgundy to be an accurate depiction of what it's like to be an anchorman. Anyways, I am self-proclaimed movie buff and this is honestly the funniest movie I have seen in the last 10 years. Definitely my new favorite movie. I'm already planning on seeing it in theaters a second (and third) time and looking into pre-ordering it on blu-ray. Thank you Olivia Wilde.