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Nowadays, many film fanatics see A24 as the gold standard for indie/arthouse film production companies, as they consistently distribute and produce prestigious films from some of the world’s most exciting voices in cinema working today. A24 has branded itself as the definitive indie studio, appealing to cinephiles and up-and-coming filmmakers alike, redefining how both mainstream and die-hard film fans discuss indie and arthouse cinema as a whole. And while today, the indie studio has a slew of awards under its belt, including two Best Picture Oscars for 2016’s Moonlight and 2022’s Everything Everywhere All at Once—not to mention some solid box-office performers, such as last year’s Civil War by Alex Garland—A24 wasn’t always the distinguished indie studio it’s known as today.
The early days of A24 feature a mixed slate of both more commercial fare and the more niche, auteur-driven cinema that they’re known for in the modern age. It was a time when the studio wasn’t afraid to produce and/or distribute films of wildly contrasting nature, so whereas sometimes you’d get an odd experimental film like Harmony Korine‘s controversial Spring Breakerswhich appealed more to dedicated arthouse enthusiasts, you’d also receive a film like Kevin Smith‘s Tusk or the Miles Teller-starring The Spectacular Nowwhich had a more mainstream appeal despite not performing especially well at the box office. Then there’s 2015’s Barely Lethalwhich is a complete departure from the types of films A24 was known for even at the time of its release, going beyond the aforementioned films in delivering a major black sheep for the studio.
‘Barely Lethal’ Is a Mediocre Teen Action Comedy Helped by a Great Cast
Barely Lethal stars Oscar nominee Hailee Steinfeld as Agent 83, a teenage girl who doubles as a skilled assassin, having been trained since childhood to be the ultimate weapon. However, after her latest mission—the apprehension of rogue former agent Victoria Knox (Jessica Alba)—goes awry, 83 decides to run away and begin a new life as Megan Walsh, enrolling herself in high school and posing as a foreign exchange student, attempting to live out her own high school teen movie fantasy, and along the way finding family and love while navigating her newfound double life. Barely Lethal tells a fairly standard fish-out-of-water story that hits all the predictable beats one expects from a teen spy flick, resulting in a mostly forgettable, mediocre action comedy. But despite the film’s overall middling nature, Kyle Newman‘s movie does have a few things going for it.
It should go without saying that Hailee Steinfeld is terrific here. Steinfeld blends confident teenage badass with naivety beautifully, working well in the more action-oriented moments and the more conventionally awkward scenes of high school drama, giving her all to this character. Dove Cameron also turns in very strong work, turning in easily the most energetic and comedic performance in the film, delivering the film’s funniest moments, alongside an always-reliable Samuel L. Jackson. The interplay between the cast is what keeps the film entertaining despite the rather weak material they’re working with.
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For all its shortcomings in regard to its cliché-riddled plot and the rather uninspired spy antics, Barely Lethal does narrowly avoid the unforgivable sin of being boringwhich is commendable. The film is a tight 98 minutes, and the charming banter between Steinfeld and her co-stars does go a long way in keeping the film energetic. Its action sequences, however, do unfortunately lack any stylish flair, and it’s these scenes where the film’s lower budget becomes more evident with poor green screen and very contained fight scenes that feel indistinguishable from any other action comedy in the same vein.
But what might be the most frustrating aspect of Barely Lethal is its fear of committing to its deeper conceptsparticularly when it comes to its villain, Jessica Alba’s Victoria Knox. Alba is clearly having a blast hamming it up as an over-the-top antagonist, but the writing for Victoria Knox scratches the surface of something that could’ve been far more compelling, this being the character’s motivation. It’s hinted that Knox is resentful towards the agency for stripping her of a childhood—an idea that is echoed by Megan herself—creating a potentially interesting yin-yang dynamic between our hero and villain, and something that could’ve been fascinating had it been explored in any meaningful way. Films like Marvel’s Black Widow and Thunderbolts* did an excellent job with a similar subject, exploring the long-term psychological impact of being raised to be a cold-blooded assassin, but Barely Lethal had a chance to do this (in a more comedic environment, admittedly) long before those films came along, and it’s unfortunate to see it take a more conventionally bland route in favor of something with a bit more on its mind.
‘Barely Lethal’ May Not Be Great, But It’s One of A24’s More Unique Films
Barely Lethal may feel like a pale imitation of better films with underdeveloped ideas and a substandard story, but it currently stands as one of A24’s more unique films to date. It’s strange to see such a conventional, straightforward action comedy come from a studio like A24, known for films which tackle heavy themes with nuance and loads of artistic personality. And that’s not a diss to the film itself, as these types of smaller teen flicks are frankly a breath of fresh air when measured against the more thematically rich projects that A24 is synonymous with.
It may be on the lower end of A24’s output when it comes down to individual quality, but that’s not to say the film is entirely worth skipping. There’s certainly a really fun film somewhere in this mess, as there are some very enjoyable, funny scenes which begin to scratch the surface of what could’ve been a very solid and worthwhile experience. But as is, it’s a serviceable high school teen comedy weighed down by a lot of generic, half-baked spy movie elements.
Barely Lethal
- Release Date
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April 30, 2015
- Runtime
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100 minutes
- Director
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Kyle Newman
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