Rocket Science is a mixed bag that starts out sweet, fun, and clever but takes a dive in the movie's second half. The film follows Hal Hefner, a high school freshman who suffers from a bad stutter and comes from a broken home. Unknown to Hal, the older Ginny Ryerson (Anna Kendrick) loses her debate partner because he loses his voice during the debate championship. Determined to regain her rightful place as a champion debater, Ginny seeks out Hal and convinces him to join the debate team. However, Hal seems like a strange choice as he is socially awarded, and his stutter makes it hard for him to speak, let alone debate. Yet, Ginny reassures him that she believes in him, and Hal develops a crush on her. Up to this point, the film is pretty fun. However, things take a quick turn as it is releveled that Genny is deceiving Hal and that she only picked him because she was planning on switching schools and knew he would be easy to beat in a debate. This, of course, breaks Hal's heart and starts a downward spiral for him as everything in his life turns bad. Personally, this twist just killed me, as Ginny was the best part of the movie. Anna Kendrick is one of my favorite actors, and she is clearly the highlight of the movie. Even though this is one of her earlier roles, she stills the show in every scene she is in. Also, the way she is able to speak so fast really sells you on the character and this world of debate. It also shows just how witty the script and the writers are. And when Genny leaves, you really notice her absence, which was intentional, but it still stings. Any way Hal decides to get revenge by finding Genny's old debate partner in an attempt to get revenge. This could've been a fun twist, but it sadly didn't go anywhere, and the movie just ends without any real resolution or closure. The result is a movie that starts out fun but ends up being tragic and just depressing. Simply put, there are better movies about heartbreak and the struggles of growing up. However, I did enjoy the idea that you need to just accept who you are. All in all, it was a disappointing movie, but worth watching if you are an Anna Kendrick fan.
Review of Rocket Science
