It's a nice little movie, amateurish in some expected first-time-filmmaker ways but usually competent and never a disaster.
Comment
08/28/03
The Battle of Shaker Heights (2003)
44
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:55
Fresh:24
Rotten:31
Average Rating:5.2/10
Consensus: LaBeouf is appealing, but The Battle of Shaker Heights feels too watered down and disjointed.
Runtime: 79 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: With a team of strong actors, a hilarious script by Erica Beeney, and an evocative soundtrack, directing duo Efram Potelle and Kyle Rankin have hit the nail on the head with THE BATTLE OF SHAKER... [More]
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Kathleen Quinlan, Amy Smart, William Sadler
Director: Efram Potelle, Kyle Rankin
Reviews for The Battle of Shaker Heights
Perhaps it would've been best not to let Ben Affleck participate in judging the contest: Based on Gigli, it seems he wouldn't know a decent script from his own *******.
08/28/03
Without any of the dramatic transitions, we're left with a pileup of scenes, none of them very funny, and a thin, linear plot.
08/28/03
The filmmakers ended up with a teen flick of Tinkertoy sensitivity in which the assorted story arcs ... are all setup and no follow-through.
08/27/03
The characters talk like smart, unpredictable people, and Kelly Ernswiler is one of a kind.
08/26/03
There's a whole lot of nothing going on
08/26/03
A very nice, beautifully acted, humor-tinged coming-of-age drama.
08/23/03
The Battle at Shaker Heights, is a genuine coming of age story that is captivating because of its lead star, Shia LaBeouf.
08/23/03
Surprisingly sweet and smart.
08/22/03
The half an idea in Erica Beeney's script is reduced by another half through the disjointed directing of Efram Potelle and Kyle Rankin.
08/22/03
... the film wishes it were as eccentric as Rushmore, ... but the dubious whimsy, devoid of any directorial voice, plays more like a very special episode of Dawson’s Creek.
08/22/03
LaBeouf shines when it counts, and his quirky appeal, as he tries to get the girl (Amy Smart), makes him worth rooting for.
08/21/03
Directors Potelle and Rankin lack the skill to integrate the sometimes drastic shifts between comedy and drama -- and the serious portions ultimately get short shrift, apparently at the behest of Miramax's marketing executives.
08/21/03
LaBeouf somehow manages to turn Kelly's self-centered behavior and irritating character quirks into a sympathetic lead, and the well-written script by newcomer Erica Beeney brings a lot of humor to some very touching moments.
08/21/03
It makes one wonder if the creators of Project Greenlight are deliberately trying to create bad films in order to make for better television.
08/21/03
Top CriticThe drab comic melodrama The Battle of Shaker Heights may lead to a new axiom: success has many fathers, but failure has Project Greenlight.
08/21/03
Top CriticA feeble retread of adolescent cliches that wastes your time as much as anything else.
08/21/03
Top CriticProject Greenlight or not, I don't care. This is beautiful, glorious, a masterpiece.
08/21/03
It's no Rushmore or Sixteen Candles, but The Battle of Shaker Heights is heads-and- shoulders above your average teen comedy.
08/21/03
A Project Greenlight winner, which probably says mouthfuls.
08/21/03
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