Film Review: 16-LOVE

Saturday, 21 January 2012 18:19

Film Review: 16-Love

Lindsey Shaw (Pretty Little Liars) stars in this teenage sports drama about a young tennis player's coming of age.

Predictable but charming, 16-Love is a sports film for the ‘tween audience that delivers the necessary beats that every sports film thrives on. Lindsey Shaw (The Howling, Pretty Little Liars) stars as Ally Mash, a competive, junior tennis player whose star is on the rise. The daughter of a former champion, Ally has been groomed since birth to follow in her father’s footsteps. Tennis is not merely a game for her but life itself…up to a point. However, her world view begins to change after a chance injury at a local tournament, sidelining her while being introduced to hot rookie Farrell Gambles (Chandler Massey). A normal teenage guy looking to improve his life through the game, Gambles takes an instant liking to Ally, despite her initial lack of enthusiasm for his skill. However, with her injury and potential rematch against crack Russian opponent Katina Upranova looming,

Ally succumbs to Gambles’ charm and agrees to coach him herself. Cue the prerequisite montage sequence leading to inevitable progress in gameplay; again, the progression is cliché but clichés always work for better or worse. As Gambles’ ability rises though, he repays Ally by slowly introducing her to the pleasures and pastimes of teenage life. Once a serious and determined competitor, Mash finally learns to embrace her life as a whole and learns what it means to love and be loved. Directed by Adam Lipsius, 16-Love is a straightforward, by the numbers, teen drama that is redeemed by the sincerity of its performances and skilled actors, namely Shaw and Massey. Their earnest yet adorable presences provide the correct touch needed to breathe life into a script that maps out its every beat before the first ten minutes end. Shaw herself continues her gradual ascent in the industry and proves that given a fairly formulaic role, can still dig in deep enough to reveal her character’s yearning and grace.

To learn more, go to www.16-Love.com