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May 29, 2015 · “Barely Lethal” is an amusing comedy for a certain demographic, but because of its plot and cast it might instead draw a crowd that will greet it with contempt.
- Kyle Newman
May 29, 2015 · Barely Lethal's combination of bawdy humor and earnest affection for its high-school-aged protagonists is surprisingly well-balanced. Read More By Simon Abrams FULL REVIEW
- (10)
- Kyle Newman
- PG-13
- Kick-Butt
- Verdict
By Matt Fowler
Posted: May 31, 2015 6:03 pm
Barely Lethal, starring Hailee Steinfeld as a secret ops teen-sassin who longs for a normal high school girl's life, felt like it had the potential to be something great, but - as demonstrated within the film's own title - it never managed to rise above its own lazy, mediocre jokes.
From Fanboys' Kyle Newman, Barely Lethal boasts some impressive names (Samuel L. Jackson, Jessica Alba, Game of Thrones' Sophie Turner) but is cursed with a confused tone, painfully predictable twists, and - wouldn't you know it? - impressive names who aren't really all that good at comedy.
Steinfeld plays "Agent 83" of the Prescott School, an off-the-books assassin training center for orphan girls. Think the "Black Widow" program but played for laughs. And picture Sam Jackson, who plays Instructor Hardman, scolding a six-year-old for accidentally setting off a bomb she was meant to defuse. Well, during a mission to apprehend the gorgeous and lethal Victoria Knox (Alba), 83 falls behind and uses Hardman's "I'm not in the rescue business" M.O. as a chance to fake her own death and attend high school as an exchange student named Megan.
Why? Because 83 wants to experience her youth and live the life of a normal 16-year-old. As shown to us in a nifty animated opening credits sequence, she was always the odd one out at the academy. Though, because the premise is the premise, she was also the best at everything (despite being the one who wanted to be there the least). A trait that easily made a "frenemy" of second-best Agent 84 (Turner).
Unfortunately, Barely Lethal never figures out if it wants to play it edgy or innocent. Some moments roll out with a twisted wink while others feel family friendly. It wants to join the pantheon of great teen comedies but sadly its specific use of them as a plot device doesn't work. [poilib element="accentDivider"] Barely Lethal is now in limited t...
May 20, 2015 · Barely Lethal stars Hailee Steinfeld as teenage special ops agent-come-assassin Megan who, in the middle of a mission, bails out on her job and and her “boss” Hardman (Jackson) by faking her own death. Initiating her secret “high school plan”, Megan enrols in a student exchange program and soon becomes a part of high school ...
May 26, 2015 · [Review] Barely Lethal. Jared Mobarak May 26, 2015. Much like director Kyle Newman ‘s first theatrical release Fanboys, his sophomore effort Barely Lethal is built for a niche audience with minimal wiggle room to capture the excitement of casual viewers just stopping by.
- Jared Mobarak
May 22, 2015 · Barely Lethal doesn’t have a bad hook. Haughty high school queen bees have forever wrought havoc at the movies, but none have squared off with a rival trained to kill, a trait marking Megan Walsh (Hailee Steinfeld) as a potentially tantalizing protagonist.
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May 27, 2015 · In Barely Lethal, Hailee Steinfeld plays a deadly teenage secret agent who fakes her own death in order to live like a normal adolescent, only to discover—screeeeeeech—that high school is more treacherous than fighting terrorists.
