| Perfect High | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Written by | Anne-Marie Hess |
| Directed by | Vanessa Parise |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | United States Canada |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producers |
|
| Cinematography | Mahlon Todd Williams |
| Editor | Austin Andrews |
| Running time | 85 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Release | June 27, 2015 |
Perfect High is a 2015 drama film produced by Lifetime and starring Bella Thorne, Israel Broussard, Daniela Bobadilla and Ross Butler. [1] The film premiered June 27, 2015 on Lifetime. [2]
Based on a true story. In the suburbs of Chicago, Amanda, a passionate dancer, suffers a nasty fall during a pep rally that leads her to taking hydrocodone. Due to her loneliness and not being able to dance, she soon becomes friends with a group of popular seniors who introduce her to a life-altering addiction to heroin.
On February 2, 2015 it was announced Bella Thorne was the final person cast as the main character Amanda, who becomes a heroin addict, alongside Israel Broussard, Daniela Bobadilla and Ross Butler who would all portray Thorne's character's friends. Prior to casting, the film was tentatively titled Chasing the Tiger. [7]
Production began on February 1, 2015 and ended on February 22, 2015, with a total of 17 days of shooting. [7] [8] [9] In an interview, Bella Thorne said that she had known Israel Broussard since she was 12, and that she was the one who told him to audition for the role of Carson.
In a video interview with production company Sepia Films, [10] Thorne said,
"I cried a lot in this film. One scene, I'm coming out to my parents about being a heroin addict, and the next scene I'm dancing and having an amazing time with my friends. That's the really hard part, is going from full-on heroin look to innocent Amanda where she starts using. ... It's not a light film. ... You have to keep it realistic. So sometimes I get a little depressed on set while working, but I have an amazing crew and cast. Like, a lot of actors just hang out with their cast, but, I mean, I love my crew."
In 2021, Lifetime produced a sequel entitled Imperfect High starring Nia Sioux as Hanna Brooks. The film covers important topics such as anxiety disorder and the opioid crisis.
The review site Common Sense Media gave the movie 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Parents need to know that Perfect High is an intense story about teen drug addiction that's based on real-life events. The message is valuable for both teens and their parents, but it's not a relaxing journey through a girl's downward spiral from painkiller abuse to heroin use. You'll see teens popping pills, smoking, snorting, and shooting up on their own and at "pharm" parties, all while they deceive their families and steal to fund their habit. Their health suffers, and a main character eventually dies from an overdose. That said, there are many scenes that show them riding drug-induced highs, so it's vital that your teens grasp the story's cautionary message as well." [11]
TVLine called it a "high-octane drama": "Thorne stars as Amanda, a high-school dancer whose life spirals into disarray when she suffers a nasty fall — hence her new nickname, "that chick who fell" — during an intense rehearsal. How far into disarray does it spiral, you ask? Our girl Mandy falls into a seriously bad crowd, whose members demand she feed them her pills. ... After discovering that her new pals are knowingly doing heroin, Amanda attempts to dance again ... though she swears it's only going to be a short ride; "Maybe this will help me get through my audition," she says while sticking a needle into her arm." [12]
The A.V. Club gave the film a score of C− with the comment, "While Lifetime's spotty track record for its movies is well documented, it's especially disappointing here, as the story's ripe lowbrow potential is emblazoned right onto the promotional posters for the film. ... But that first free hit of meta-commentary on the "bad kids" subgenre is followed by the steep price of Perfect High's utter lack of interest in exploiting its subject matter. The story is doggedly straight-faced, even as Amanda spirals from goody two-shoes into drug-addled vomitorium, nodding off after shooting up at the mall in the middle of the day. The film's desire to warn kids of the dangers of drugs ends up as more of a warning to kids about the dangers of earnest Lifetime movies." [13]
Jessica Radloff of Glamour writes of "10 Crazy Thoughts From Watching Perfect High," with her thoughts including "8. Common Sense FINALLY Kicks In Over Heroin: Because driving under the influence, almost getting into a deadly car crash, and taking other drugs weren't enough to scare the crap out of these teens. Let's hear it for heroin being the voice of reason!" [14]
Amanda Laura Bynes is an American former actress. Bynes began her career as a child actress, appearing on the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That (1996–2000) and its spin-off series The Amanda Show (1999–2002). During her mid-teens, Bynes played Holly Tyler in WB Television Network sitcom What I Like About You (2002–2006) and made her film debut in the comedy Big Fat Liar (2002). She went on to star in a number of successful films, including What a Girl Wants (2003), Robots (2005), She's the Man (2006), Hairspray (2007), and Easy A (2010).
Permanent Midnight is a 1998 independent drama film written and directed by David Veloz. It stars Ben Stiller, Maria Bello, Elizabeth Hurley, Owen Wilson, Cheryl Ladd and Janeane Garofalo. Based on Jerry Stahl's autobiographical book of the same name, it depicts Stahl, a successful TV writer for popular series like thirtysomething, Twin Peaks, and ALF, and his struggles with substance abuse.
Amanda Schull is an American actress and former professional ballet dancer. She is known for her lead role in the 2000 film Center Stage, and for her recurring roles on the American television series One Tree Hill and Pretty Little Liars. She starred as Dr. Cassandra Railly in the Syfy television series 12 Monkeys, and played a recurring role on the USA television series Suits before being promoted to series regular for the show's eighth and ninth seasons.
Little Fish is a 2005 Australian film directed by Rowan Woods and written by Jacquelin Perske. Starring Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, and Sam Neill, the film is about a heroin addict who is desperately trying to escape her past to achieve her goals. It was developed and produced by Vincent Sheehan and Liz Watts of Porchlight Films, with Cate Blanchett and her husband Andrew Upton's production company Dirty Films receiving an Associate Producer credit.
Tammy Blanchard is an American actress. She rose to prominence for her role as teenage Judy Garland in the critically acclaimed television film Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows (2001), for which she received a Golden Globe Award nomination and a Primetime Emmy Award. Her other notable film roles were in The Good Shepherd (2006), Sybil (2007), Into the Woods (2014) and The Invitation (2015).
Annabella Avery Thorne is an American actress, singer, and writer. She first received recognition for her roles as Margaux Darling in the series Dirty Sexy Money (2007–2008) and as Ruthy Spivey in the drama series My Own Worst Enemy (2009), the latter of which earned her a Young Artist Award.
Daniela Bobadilla is a Canadian actress. She is best known for playing Sam Goodson in the FX series Anger Management. She has also appeared in other film and television roles, such as Mr. Troop Mom, the NBC drama Awake, the ABC series The Middle, and the Lifetime original movies Lies in Plain Sight, The Cheating Pact and Perfect High.
Requiem for a Dream is a 2000 American psychological drama film directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Jared Leto, Ellen Burstyn, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher McDonald, and Marlon Wayans. It is based on the 1978 novel of the same name by Hubert Selby Jr., with whom Aronofsky wrote the screenplay. The film depicts four characters affected by drug addiction and how it alters their physical and emotional states. Their addictions cause them to become imprisoned in a world of delusion and desperation. As the film progresses, each character deteriorates, and their delusions are shattered by the harsh reality of their situations, resulting in catastrophe.
Skyler Rose Samuels is an American actress, known for her roles in the television series Wizards of Waverly Place, The Gates, The Nine Lives of Chloe King, Scream Queens and The Gifted.
Pitch Perfect is a 2012 American musical comedy film directed by Jason Moore and written by Kay Cannon. It features an ensemble cast, including Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Rebel Wilson, Adam DeVine, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Hana Mae Lee, Alexis Knapp, Ester Dean, Kelley Jakle, Shelley Regner, Wanetah Walmsley, Ben Platt, Utkarsh Ambudkar, John Michael Higgins, and Elizabeth Banks. The film's plot follows an all-girl a cappella group who compete against another group from their own college to win the Nationals. The film is loosely adapted from Cornell University alum Mickey Rapkin's non-fiction book, titled Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate a Cappella Glory and director Moore's own experiences at his alma mater, Northwestern University. Filming concluded in December 2011, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Isaiah Israel Broussard is an American actor. He made his film debut in the comedy-drama Flipped, and is known for his roles in the crime film The Bling Ring (2013), the drama Perfect High (2015), the thriller H8RZ (2015), the comedy Good Kids (2016), the slasher film Happy Death Day (2017) as well as its 2019 sequel Happy Death Day 2U, and the teen romance film To All the Boys I've Loved Before (2018).
Alyvia Alyn Lind is an American actress. She played the roles of Faith Newman on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless from 2011 to 2021, 9-year-old Dolly Parton in the made-for-television movies Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors and Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love, Angelica Green in the 2019 Netflix series Daybreak, and Lexy Cross in the 2021 SyFy/USA Network horror television series Chucky.
Pitch Perfect 2 is a 2015 American musical comedy film directed and produced by Elizabeth Banks and written by Kay Cannon. It is a sequel to the 2012 film Pitch Perfect and the second installment in the Pitch Perfect film series. The film centers on the fictional Barden University Bellas, an all-female a cappella singing group, who try to beat out a competing German musical group in a world singing championship. The film features Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Skylar Astin, Adam DeVine, Anna Camp, Ben Platt, Hana Mae Lee, Alexis Knapp, Ester Dean, Kelly Jakle, Shelley Regner, John Michael Higgins, and Banks all reprising their roles from the previous film, now joined by Hailee Steinfeld, Katey Sagal, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, and Flula Borg.
Amanda Clayton is an American actress, best known for her role as Alex Montgomery in the Oprah Winfrey Network prime time soap opera, If Loving You Is Wrong.
Vanessa Parise is an American film director, writer, producer, and actress based in New York City. Her first feature film Kiss the Bride won the Golden Starfish Award at the Hamptons Film Festival in 2002. Her television movies, Perfect High and Drink Slay Love have been named by the Lifetime’s Broad Focus initiative. Parise has been nominated for Leo Awards for Best Direction for Lighthouse in 2015, for Perfect High in 2016, for Beyond in 2018, and for The Simone Biles Story in 2019. Her television movie The Simone Biles Story was nominated for Best Television Movie and Best Lead Actress by the NAACP Awards in 2019.
Madelaine Grobbelaar Petsch is an American actress and social media personality. She is best known for portraying Cheryl Blossom on The CW television series Riverdale (2017–2023).
Habit is a 2021 American comedy thriller film directed by Janell Shirtcliff in her feature directorial debut, from a screenplay by Shirtcliff and Libby Mintz. It stars Bella Thorne, Gavin Rossdale, Libby Mintz, Andreja Pejić, Ione Skye, Jamie Hince, Alison Mosshart, Paris Jackson, and Josie Ho.
No Exit is a 2022 American thriller film directed by Damien Power from a screenplay by Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari, based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Taylor Adams. It stars Havana Rose Liu as a recovering drug addict who discovers a kidnapping in progress while stranded at a rest stop during a blizzard. Danny Ramirez, David Rysdahl, Dale Dickey, and Dennis Haysbert co-star as the four suspects while Mila Harris plays the victim. No Exit was released on February 25, 2022, on Hulu by 20th Century Studios. It received mixed reviews from critics, who categorized it as a "reasonably diverting" popcorn movie.
Imperfect High is a 2021 drama film produced by Lifetime and starring Nia Sioux, Sherri Shepherd, Gabriel Darku and Ali Skovbye. The film premiered on September 18, 2021 on Lifetime. The film is a sequel to the 2015 movie Perfect High, which stars Bella Thorne, Israel Broussard, Daniela Bobadilla and Ross Butler.
Measure of Revenge, also known as Leave Not One Alive, is a 2022 American psychological thriller film directed by Peyfa and written by Kenny Walakandou. The film stars Melissa Leo, Bella Thorne, Jake Weary, Kevin Corrigan, Benedict Samuel, and Adrian Martinez. It follows a theater actress whose son dies mysteriously.
